On January 5th of this year, with bipartisan congressional support, President Biden signed into law the Social Security Fairness Act. Some workers (including certain state or local government employees, and teachers) are now entitled to higher Social Security payments. This means a retired Missouri public school teacher who never paid [...]
Well, it’s that time again. School is back in session and parents are reminded that college tuition bills are looming. When families start thinking about saving for a child or grandchild’s education, two options often come up: the Coverdell Education Savings Account (ESA) and the 529 Plan. At first glance [...]
When many people think about working with an investment advisor, they picture something similar to a mechanic. You bring in your portfolio when it “needs a tune-up,” they make a few adjustments, and you drive away until the next issue pops up. In reality, your financial advisor should be more [...]
After months of heated debate and partisan gridlock, President Trump signed the Big Beautiful Bill into law on July 4th, making it the most sweeping policy achievement of his second term to date. This landmark legislation includes major changes to the U.S. tax code. Today, I want to break down [...]
This past week, the Trump Administration announced it would resume collections on defaulted student loan debt. In a statement, Education Secretary Linda McMahon declared, “American taxpayers will no longer be forced to serve as collateral for irresponsible student loan policies.” Starting May 5, the Treasury Department began the process of [...]
It starts innocently enough, you’re just browsing. Maybe you’re killing time at the store or scrolling through your favorite online retailer while watching TV. No harm in looking, right? But before you know it, you’ve made a purchase and may not even fully understand why you did it. Marketers know [...]
Budgeting is more than spreadsheets and numbers; it’s the art of aligning your goals with your financial reality. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of helping many individuals and organizations create budgets that don’t just look good on paper, but actually work in practice. What I’ve learned is this: [...]
Last week while meeting with a couple who were looking to get serious about their finances, one of them asked me for advice on how to cut spending from their budget without feeling it. I had to think about that for a little while because the reality is reducing expenses [...]
Recently, Investopedia made headlines with their findings on how much it actually costs to live the American Dream. According to the study, it costs roughly 4.4 million dollars to have all of the things traditionally viewed as part of living the dream. This includes such things as a home, a [...]
Last week, I wrote about the importance of having insurance because you never know when you might be the victim of a tragic event. Little did I know less that seven days later I would experience a real-life example of this. Sunday afternoon while my wife and I were on [...]
