COVID-19

Tax & Funding Provisions in the Proposed Stimulus Package

2023-05-11T15:36:14-04:00February 26th, 2021|Blog, Taxes|

Tax & Funding Provisions in the Proposed Stimulus Package By: Stacey Nickens The House is expected to pass a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package today, after which the legislation will head to the Senate for approval. Beyond providing additional stimulus, the package includes an increase in the child tax credit, additional funding for small [...]

Tax Provisions in the New COVID Relief Bill

2020-12-28T17:39:12-05:00December 28th, 2020|Blog|

Tax Provisions in the New COVID Relief Bill By: Stacey Nickens On Sunday evening, President Donald Trump signed a new COVID relief bill into law. The package includes additional fiscal stimulus for certain households, an extension of unemployment benefits, and increased funding for the Paycheck Protection Program. The bill also creates, modifies, or extends a [...]

5 Vaccine Distribution Investment Opportunities

2020-12-07T15:45:16-05:00December 7th, 2020|Blog|

5 Vaccine Distribution Investment Opportunities By: Stacey Nickens This past month, Moderna and Pfizer (in partnership with BioNTech) released promising vaccine results. Pfizer and BioNTech said their candidate was 90% effective, and Moderna said their vaccine was 94.5% effective. The companies have since applied for emergency use authorization for their respective vaccines. With vaccine distribution [...]

How could the pandemic impact Social Security and Medicare benefits?

2020-11-10T14:20:11-05:00October 27th, 2020|Blog|

How could the pandemic impact Social Security and Medicare benefits? By: Stacey Nickens Traditionally, my retired clients have relied on some combination of Social Security benefits, retirement savings, and pension plans. However, Social Security has been on wobbly legs for awhile. The 2020 Social Security report showed that funds for the retirement and disability programs [...]

Watch out for COVID-19 Scams

2020-09-04T13:25:01-04:00September 4th, 2020|Blog|

Watch out for COVID-19 Scams By: Stacey Nickens Scammers are taking advantage of people's financial and health concerns during the COVID-19 crisis, and it's important to remain abreast of some of these scammers' latest tactics. Consider some of the warning signs below to help protect yourself from fraudulent activities. Avoid fraudulent treatments, vaccinations, and home [...]

Four Things to Consider Before Refinancing Your Home

2020-09-04T13:04:33-04:00September 4th, 2020|Blog|

Four Things to Consider Before Refinancing Your Home By: Stacey Nickens With interest rates near zero, many home owners are considering refinancing. Refinancing applications in the second week of March jumped to 79%. This is the largest weekly increase since November 2008. As more people choose to refinance, the Mortgage Bankers Association increased its 2020 [...]

Q&A: Should I Dip Into My Retirement Savings During a Financial Crisis?

2020-08-31T17:00:36-04:00August 10th, 2020|Blog|

Q&A: Should I Dip Into My Retirement Savings During a Financial Crisis? By: Stacey Nickens Back in March, Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The new legislation made it easier for Americans to withdraw money from their retirement accounts. CARES temporarily waives the 10% early-withdrawal fee as well as increases [...]

Positions I’m Watching: RV Manufacturers

2020-08-31T17:02:50-04:00July 31st, 2020|Blog|

Positions I'm Watching: RV Manufacturers By: Stacey Nickens The coronavirus crisis has made vacationing much more challenging. Many individuals have put travel plans on hold rather than go to an airport or get on a cruise. However, I believe that individuals will seek out new and safer ways to travel. For that reason, I have [...]

Positions I’m Watching: Biotechnology ETFs

2020-08-31T17:03:40-04:00July 24th, 2020|Blog|

Positions I'm Watching: Biotechnology ETFs By: Stacey Nickens | July 24 Tons of biotechnology companies are tasked with developing a COVID-19 vaccine, making their stocks an appealing buy. However, when one or two of these companies eventually succeed, the others will could see a drop in the value of their stocks. Since none of us [...]

Managing an Early or Unexpected Retirement

2020-08-31T17:05:22-04:00June 15th, 2020|Blog|

Managing an Early or Unexpected Retirement By: Stacey Nickens Before the COVID-19 Pandemic, many Americans retired earlier than expected. Some individuals retired ahead of schedule because they saved successfully and were financially able to do so. Others became weary of the daily commute and grind. However, according to a study by Allianz Life, more than [...]