planning

4 Tips for Managing Rising Inflation

2023-05-11T15:03:26-04:00June 22nd, 2022|Blog, Financial Planning, Inflation|

4 Tips for Managing Rising Inflation By: Stacey Nickens Inflation is on the rise, and while the Fed is raising interest rates to try to tamp down on rising costs, your budget is still likely hurting from inflationary pressures. You may see your expenses going up more quickly than your income, and as a [...]

Take Advantage of These Tax Breaks Before They Disappear

2023-05-11T15:19:04-04:00November 19th, 2021|Blog, Taxes|

Take Advantage of These Tax Breaks Before They Disappear By: Stacey Nickens Year-end tax and financial planning is always important. However, the third stimulus payments and changes to the 2021 child tax credit make year-end tax planning especially important this year. Tax payers should be aware of the income thresholds for certain tax benefits. [...]

6 Year-End Financial Planning Moves

2023-12-14T13:45:03-05:00November 15th, 2021|Blog, Financial Planning, Insurance|

The holidays can be both busy and expensive. With that in mind, it can be helpful to get your finances in order before you get wrapped up in gift buying and pie making. Use the next few weeks to lower your tax bill, save for retirement, and plan for your future health needs. 1. [...]

Retiring This Year? 3 Money Moves To Make Right Now

2023-05-11T15:22:13-04:00October 15th, 2021|Blog, Financial Planning, Retirement|

Retiring This Year? 3 Money Moves To Make Right Now By: Stacey Nickens Congratulations! You have worked hard your entire life, and you are ready to rest and enjoy the fruits of your labor. As a financial advisor, I have loved assisting so many clients in moving into and through retirement. As you get [...]

3 Common Mistakes People Make When Claiming Social Security

2023-05-11T15:27:45-04:00July 16th, 2021|Blog, Estate Planning, Financial Planning, Retirement|

3 Common Mistakes People Make When Claiming Social Security By: Margaret Nickens Social Security helps many Americans fund their retirement, but sorting through all of the different claiming strategies and rules can be challenging. Retirees may end up claiming their Social Security benefits too early or claiming in a manner that doesn't best meet [...]

Developing an Estate Plan: Drafting a Will and Designating Powers of Attorney

2023-05-11T15:39:50-04:00November 23rd, 2020|Blog, Estate Planning|

Developing an Estate Plan: Drafting a Will and Designating Powers of Attorney By: Stacey Nickens Christmas wish lists were popularized in the late 1800s. An illustrator, Thomas Nast, published a series of pictures depicting Santa Claus reading letters from naughty and nice children. Nast later drew and published a picture of a child mailing [...]

Developing an Estate Plan: Creating a Master Directory

2023-01-31T15:20:56-05:00November 20th, 2020|Blog, Estate Planning|

Developing an Estate Plan: Create a Master Directory By: Stacey Nickens I've always been a planner. When I homeschooled my children, I loved making their daily checklists and printing those checklists on pretty, bordered stationaries. I'm known for my love of calendars and flash cards, and I've never seen I list I didn't like. However, [...]

Your Fall Financial and Tax Planning Checklist

2023-01-31T15:20:56-05:00October 6th, 2020|Blog, Estate Planning|

Your Fall Financial and Tax Planning Checklist By: Stacey Nickens For me, Fall is a time to reflect on my year thus far, honor my accomplishments, and make changes to finish the year on a high note. I like to think about a few questions. What were my goals at the beginning of the year? [...]

Tip of the Day: Consider Converting Your RMD to a Roth IRA

2020-08-31T17:00:09-04:00August 19th, 2020|Blog|

Tip of the Day: Consider Converting Your RMD to a Roth IRA By: Stacey Nickens If you have a retirement account, you will need to withdraw a certain amount of funds from it each year once you turn 72. This amount is called a Required Minimum Distribution (RMD). However, due to the CARES Act, no [...]

Q & A: How much of my Social Security benefit will my spouse be able to collect?

2020-08-31T17:01:00-04:00August 7th, 2020|Blog|

Q & A: How much of my Social Security benefit will my spouse be able to collect? By: Stacey Nickens Your spouse could be entitled to as much as half of your Social Security benefit. If you take your benefit before your full retirement age, both you and your spouse will receive a reduced benefit. [...]