Financial Planning Archive

Creating Your Ethical Will – Redefining Legacy

What is money, if not the means to secure a better, more fulfilling life? And how will you communicate to your heirs the importance of your carefully assembled resources?   Legacy is about more than cash and property. It’s the transmission of your life’s work to the next generation. That’s why creating an “ethical will” is… Continue reading

 
Power of Donor Advised Funds

Should I Start a Donor-Advised Fund?

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It seems like everyone these days has started a foundation. There’s a reason for that. It’s easier than ever to create one and there are many incentives to go down that path, even with smaller amounts of money. The reason such “foundations” are so prevalent now is because most of them are, in fact, the… Continue reading

 

Charitable Planning Essentials – A Smarter Way to Give

We all like the idea of giving back, especially when we feel grateful for the opportunities afforded us in life. That charitable impulse is powerful, and it is an impulse that can be amplified by harnessing simple, proven planning tools.  Colby Bircher, of Fidelity Charitable, will present and answer your questions on specific strategies toward… Continue reading

 

Let’s Talk About Aging – What We Can Plan For Today!

Aging is natural and normal. It’s just part of life! As we get older, however, it becomes increasingly important to consider how to age securely and safely, as you had intended. Join us for an illuminating conversation about how to plan for aging, whether for yourself, a partner, parents, or other loved ones. We’ll dig… Continue reading

 
a group of old friends singing, dancing, and playing guitar together

3 Questions Your Advisor Should Ask About Aging

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When we’re young, retirement can feel like a far-off concept, more fantasy than reality. It’s in our middle years that the reality of aging and approaching retirement starts to hit home. By “home,” I mean your actual home, if you live with or near your own aging parents. Many folks in their 40s and 50s… Continue reading

 
What to Do with Inherited Money in a Volatile Market

What to Do with Inherited Money in a Volatile Market

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The late John Bogle, the founder of Vanguard and for many decades the strongest proponent of common sense investing, had a wonderful way with words. By turning a phrase inside out he could change one’s perspective completely.  During challenging markets he famously would say, “Don’t just do something. Stand there!” Everyone has experienced that panicked… Continue reading

 
estate planning can help maintain generational wealth

Who Needs an Estate Plan? Maybe You

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More than 60% of Americans don’t have a will, much less a full-blown estate plan. It’s understandable. It can feel morbid to think about what happens after you die.  Yet many of those same people have life insurance, precisely to safeguard the finances of loved ones should they pass away unexpectedly. People sometimes use the… Continue reading

 
3 Tricky Income Scenarios Widows Face When It Comes to Social Security

3 Income Scenarios Widows Face with Social Security

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It is incredibly hard to lose a lifelong spouse, and the weeks following a funeral are undeniably tough for the surviving partner.  Yet that’s exactly when many recently widowed people are expected to make consequential decisions about their finances, choices that could set them back thousands of dollars in income each year during retirement. The… Continue reading

 
Buying a House with Cash - Pros and Cons

Buying a House with Cash: Pros and Cons

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Traditional home buyers should think through the implications of buying a house with cash and fully understand the long-term effects of such a decision. Today’s housing market clearly has buyers coming to the bargaining table with an offer that’s hard to ignore: Cash offers with no delays and no hassles for the seller. Offering to… Continue reading