Remember way back to your first paycheck. The moment you open the envelope anticipating the windfall when all your hard work pays off. Then, like a swift kick to your gut, realty hits. Your takeaway earnings are almost always way lower than what you expected.

Market Commentary – A Strong Start to the Year, but Risks Remain

After suffering their worst December since the Great Depression, stocks had their best first quarter in ten years primarily due to the Federal Reserve halting interest rate increases and improving U.S-China trade relations. Perhaps the most impactful event of Q1 was the Fed

Conflicting Signals 

Retirement means different things to different people. Perhaps you may be transitioning from a full-time career to part-time work. Or maybe you have plans to spend more time with family, travel the world, or hit the golf course with more frequency. Point is, you need to outline what a happy and fulfilling retirement looks like for you…and everybody is different!

Whether you like it or not, your credit score can determine how easy or how difficult it is to buy a car, buy a house, get cell phone service, or even get a job.  A bad credit score can negatively impact just about every area of your life. Sometimes, a bad credit score can result from events entirely out of your control such as illness, disability, or from the loss of a job.

There are a number of different gifting strategies available for planned giving. Each has its advantages and disadvantages.

Whether you like it or not, your credit score can determine how easy or how difficult it is to buy a car, buy a house, get cell phone service, or even get a job.  A bad credit score can negatively impact just about every area of your life. Sometimes, a bad credit score can result from events entirely out of your control such as illness, disability, or from the loss of a job.

A financial goal is a life destination which requires a map and a way to get there; and, assuming you have finite resources with which to successfully make the trek, they need to be used wisely or you are likely to come up short. If you have a long term goal, financial planning can help you get there.

The 2018 tax year saw major tax changes enacted, including the restriction and/or elimination of some itemized deductions.  This article discusses the donor-advised fund and how it can be used to continue receiving tax deductions for charitable gifts.

Buying a house is one of the biggest, if not the biggest purchase you’ll make in your lifetime. Here are some tips and tricks for insuring that the entire process is as stress-free as possible. 

• Prior to starting your search, make sure you know how much house you can afford.