Eliminating debt is a key factor in accumulating wealth, but is paying off your mortgage as soon as possible the best financial decision?
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Do you know the factors to consider when establishing an emergency savings account? How much cash is it appropriate to keep on hand in short term savings and money markets? Before we address the question, it is important to understand the important role cash plays in an overall financial plan.
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This web presentation discusses the importance of an Investment Policy Statement (IPS) when managing client portfolios.
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We at Beacon Financial Strategies, believe that rebalancing is an integral component of the investment management process. In this presentation, Chip Hymiller, AIF®,CFP® explains the concept of rebalancing and discusses the advantages of implementing a portfolio rebalancing strategy.
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2020 is turning out to be quite different from what many of us had planned on back in January. Not only are there changes in our day to day life, there are changes that could impact your financial life and what you had originally planned on doing this year. One of those changes relates to charitable gifting.
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When a loved one passes away, the grief coupled with the burden of settling their estate can be overwhelming. Here are a few things you can do to make the estate settlement process easier for your heirs.
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On Friday, March 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was signed into law. This $2 trillion emergency relief package is intended to assist individuals and businesses during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and accompanying economic crisis. Here is a brief summary of some of the major provisions.
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Stocks are declining just about everyday. It seems like investors would be much better off just selling their stock positions and waiting until things stabilize and there is more certainty. This web presentation addresses the logistics behind this decision and identifies a common scenario that can play out when making this type of portfolio adjustment.
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This webinar provides a historical perspective to recent stock market declines related to COVID-19. It also provides some financial planning opportunities and ideas to explore in the future.
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Long term care costs are expensive and rising every year. For many, a two or three year stay in a skilled nursing facility could cost several hundred thousand dollars and potentially wipe out a retirement nest egg.
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How you want to retire is almost as important as when you want to retire. When you are younger it may be hard to imagine what you would do if you didn’t get up and go to work every morning. But as you get closer to to your retirement date, you should really stop and think about how you will fill your time.
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In order to make your meeting with the estate planning attorney more efficient and productive, here are few items that you need to think about or decide on before your meeting.
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A question we often get is “How much can I withdraw from my accounts during retirement and not deplete them?” That question coupled with the ideal stock/bond mix makes for an interesting discussion on how probable your retirement goals are.
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During retirement, is it best to take distributions from IRAs, Roth IRAs or personal brokerage or savings accounts? The decision of "Which account?" is an important one with many factors to consider.
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Social Security was originally intended to provide older Americans with continuing income after retirement. As people approach retirement, they generally have questions about Social Security and the benefit it provides.
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Have you confirmed the beneficiary designations of your 401k, IRA, or life insurance policies recently? If not, you should! Find out why.
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How good is your 401(k) plan at work? We looked at Brightscope which measures 401(k) plans and gives them a rating.
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The Millionaire Next Door is a classic book that surveyed over a thousand millionaires to try and identify common attributes that made them so successful at accumulating wealth. And the results may surprise you.
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Is retirement on your horizon? Have you thought about what it will take to be prepared financially to retire? This article provides a number of common financial decision points and action items that you may need to evaluate during your “pre-retirement” period.
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Many people have questions regarding their Social Security retirement benefits. This article addresses several of the more common questions that people often ask us.
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