Important Things to Know About Social Security Benefit Increases

If you are approaching retirement, you're getting ready to make some very important financial decisions. One of the most critical will be when you decide to claim Social Security. Before discussing how potential increases to your Social Security benefits work, let’s understand the best way to determine the monthly benefit you’re entitled to given your earnings record. The simplest way to do this is by logging into your account at ssa.gov and downloading a recent annual statement from the Social Security Administration. 

2021 Mid-year Financial Planning Guide

During last month’s blog, The Ultimate Mid-year Tax Planning Guide for 2021, we detailed the considerations you should be proactively monitoring to set yourself up for a successful 2022 tax season. The purpose of this blog is to expand the mid-year considerations beyond taxes and into the other areas of your financial life. 

The Ultimate Mid-year Tax Planning Guide for 2021

With the halfway point of the year quickly approaching, now is a great time to start focusing on mid-year tax considerations. While it probably feels like you just filed your 2020 return, setting aside some dedicated time for mid-year tax planning can help you save on your 2021 tax bill and eliminate surprises when it comes time to file next year. 

Get to know Social Security Retirement Benefits: A Complete Guide

In the realm of retirement planning, there is a lot of information out there that can cause uncertainty or confusion in the years leading up to that big day of retirement. Regardless of what you know or what you have read, we believe you deserve to walk into that last day of work with confidence for your future.

Understanding the Tax Treatment for Various Types of Investment Accounts

Developing the right savings strategy for retirement can be a confusing process. After working with clients for several decades, we've found there is still a tremendous amount of mystery around where people should be saving. More importantly, understanding the general tax treatment for the savings vehicles they rely on to help them reach their retirement goals. 

The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021

It’s hard to believe a year has passed, but we are now looking through a more hopeful lens as vaccines are being distributed. Even so, many Americans are still facing real struggles from the pandemic. In response, the $1.9T American Rescue Plan was passed to offer fiscal relief and economic stimulus.

What You Need to Know about Taxes in Retirement

Retirement is one of life’s most anticipated and exciting transitions. We dream of travel, time with the family, and having the freedom to do whatever is most important to us. Planning for this big transition is a delicate balance of organizing our financial lives while crafting our desired calendar. One of the most underappreciated aspects of the retirement planning process is taxes and more importantly, how our tax picture might change when our paycheck goes away.

Qualifying for Health Insurance Tax Subsidies in Retirement

One of the challenges of an early retirement includes the need to budget for increased health insurance expenses prior to the onset of Medicare at age 65.

How Should My Investment Approach Change When I Retire?

A very common question those approaching retirement ask is “what changes should I make to my investment portfolio, and when”?

Medicare 101 (Part 4): Understanding Part D and Medigap Policies

In the final installment of our Medicare blog series we will discuss the remaining core aspects of Medicare, Part D (drug coverage) and Medigap Policies (supplemental insurance). We will save a discussion on Medicare Advantage plans (an alternative to all of the above) for a future post.

Medicare 101 (Part 3): Understanding Medicare Part B

What We Are Doing in Our SSR US Equity Strategy

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Women's History Month Spotlight Summary

Although, the month of March is considered Women’s History Month; the “big day”; of celebration is March 8th. Marked annually on this date, is International Women’s Day; a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women around the world. We also use this day as a significant call to action for women’s rights and gender equality. Companies, Individuals, and Industries alike, come together to celebrate the achievements women make and to rally for gender parity.

Three Reasons to Welcome the Fed's Interest Rate Hike

The Federal Reserve has a dual-mandate to promote maximum employment and stable prices. Given these policy goals, it is not surprising the Fed went forward with an initial 0.25% hike yesterday as unemployment is sitting at just 3.8% but inflation has been running hot with the most recent reading at 7.9%. Given the tight job market and desire to bring inflation down, they also predicted six more interest rate hikes this year.

How War and Geopolitical Shocks Shape Stock Markets

With a pandemic, inflation, and now war in Ukraine, the 2020’s are forcing investors to refamiliarize themselves with risks that they haven’t had to consider in quite some time. At this point, the pandemic is well internalized and we’re getting there with the inflation story. But a geopolitical shock like Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is new and it is a fair question to ask how past geopolitical events affected stocks.