Blog

The Progression of Financial Planning Through Every Decade of Your Life

By Jamie Hopkins

Your career and lifestyle look completely different when you’re in your 20s compared to when you’re in your 60s – your financial focus and planning in each decade should follow suit. I’ve highlighted three financial tactics to focus on in each decade of your life starting with your 20s.

Each decade is riddled with its own risks and problems so it’s important to know what to expect. Which decade can you afford to take more risk? Which decade should you really start to plan for retirement? Which decade should you focus on managing debt? Read more

How to Buy a Car Without Losing Your Mind (or Your Wallet)

By Erin Wood

Having to buy a car is like having a sliver stuck under my fingernail. It’s painful and annoying, I know I have to deal with it, but it’s going to take forever. Might as well pack a lunch too, because the second you decide you want to test drive something they have you trapped. Read more

Why You Need a Will (and You Need One Today)

by Sarah Duey, JD, CFTA, CAP®, Vice President, Trust Services

Who wants to spend an afternoon thinking about their mortality? No one, which is why more than half of Americans don’t even have a will.

The foundation of your estate plan is a Last Will and Testament. Read more

5 Reasons to Think About Long-Term Care Planning Today

By Jamie Hopkins, Director of Retirement Research at Carson Group

I once received an email from a family friend about long-term care insurance. He was frustrated over a premium increase – which wasn’t the first rate hike – yet, he was still thankful for the policy. Read more

Retirement Planning: What Are You Waiting For?

By Jake Bleicher, Equity Analyst, CFA®

Almost half of households near retirement have nothing saved, and that’s a big problem. I believe the biggest headwind is merely getting started: saving money is hard to do. Read more

Future Funding of Social Security Is A Pivotal Piece To Retirement Security

By Jamie Hopkins

You’ve probably heard of the three-legged retirement savings “stool.” The idea is that a quality savings plan for retirement starts with having three aspects of saving: personal savings, employer retirement savings and government-provided benefits. Read more

Took Their Ball and Went Home: Staying in Play with Job-Creators

Valentine’s Day was tough on New Yorkers who hoped to benefit from the more than 20,000 new jobs from Amazon’s move there (not to mention all the additional jobs from construction and supporting the new employees). Read more

Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Changed Things More Than You Realize

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act made a lot of changes. It was the single largest tax reform bill in nearly 30 years. However, the impact of the TCJA might be a lot broader than most realize. Almost every small business owner in the country is impacted by a new tax deduction called 199A. Read more

Digital Assets – You Already Own Some, Whether You Know What They Are Or Not

By Jamie Hopkins

Recently I gave a presentation to a large group, over 300 in attendance. I asked the group, “How many of you own a digital currency?” Only about three or four hands went up. I was shocked. Read more

7 Year-End Planning Tips from a Wealth Planner

Published by Mark Petersen, Vice President Affluent Wealth Planning

The holidays are upon us, so that must mean it’s time for year-end income tax planning, right? In the past, I would have said yes, but that changed 12 months ago when the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017 was passed. Read more