2021 – 01/08 by Jeffrey Levine When it comes to retirement planning and building up the proverbial nest-egg, there are few pieces of advice more universally accepted than “save as much as possible as early as possible.” Certainly, taking such action is often one of the best ways to grow your retirement savings, but like…
2021 – 01/08 by Connie Brezik Last year certainly had its challenges. For instance, your job or career may have been affected, perhaps requiring you to work from home, stop all your usual travel, and forcing you to learn new online technologies to keep in touch with your clients and customers. These changes may have…
2021 – 01/08 by Tom Haug To look back on 2020 and say it was a challenging year would be an understatement. Uncertainty was a theme, stimulus debates took center stage, and millions of Americans scrambled to revisit their budgets. But there is a sense of optimism that often comes with turning the page into…
December 4, 2020 by Rob Ziliak When it comes to the weather, our attentiveness is usually short term and myopic; we often fixate on this week’s forecast wherever we are located. Periodically, we may look at a slightly longer trend, such as how the hot, dry summer may impact the availability and price of fresh…
December 4, 2020 by Kurt Wunderlich As the great Biggie Smalls once said, “Mo money mo problems.” But is that true? Or do people just not use the money they earn and save correctly? How can we use money as a tool to increase the level of overall joy and contentment in our lives? What…
December 4, 2020 by Zach Novak Can you think back to your formative years and bring to mind a gift or two that you still recall fondly to this day? Now fast-forward back to your adulthood. I’m sure we’ve all noticed how difficult it can be to replicate those types of gifts for children and…
2020 – 11/03 by Kurt Wunderlich We’ve all seen the pictures: Kids in their pajamas sitting amongst dozens of presents stacked high around them, massive grins on their faces as they get ready to rip through the wrapping paper like the Tasmanian Devil. As parents, we think, “Wow, that is one happy kid. He’s the…
2020 – 11/03 by Connie Brezik For many years, we have experienced historically low interest rates, and expectations are that the Federal Reserve will maintain is near-zero rate policy through the end of 2022 or until it sees inflation rise. This means that your investments in fixed income securities, such as cash, certificates of deposit…
2020 – 11/03 by Jeff Johnson Michael Jordan, the Manning brothers, Roy Keane, and a long list of other icons revered for their standout accomplishments in sports, business and even government have also had strong teams behind them. If we are to believe the stories, these leaders nudged everyone in their organization to their maximum…
October 12, 2020 (Zach Novak) Do you remember “The Dress”? From way back in 2015? Sure, hundreds of internet sensations memorable for one reason or another have gone viral over the years, but this one made a splash by any standard. Is the dress white and gold? Or is it really black and blue? Debate…
October 12, 2020 (Kent Schmidgall, Wealth Advisor) Although the current and future costs of long-term care are a chief concern for many, especially as we age, long-term care planning remains one of those less-than-desirable topics to raise with your advisor. Incapacitation can be a very difficult and sobering subject to broach, and I’ve found most…
October 12, 2020 (William Morgan) Clearly, 2020 has been a year unlike any other. The coronavirus pandemic and its impact on health and the economy has forced a lot of people to reassess their priorities and the financial life decisions tied to them. For some that means establishing or replenishing an emergency fund. For others…
Angela Muckler, Relationship Manager, 8/27/2020 Medicare is an area that practically every American will encounter when planning for retirement. It sits at the intersection of health and wealth in your financial life plan, and so often surfaces across a range of long-term planning conversations. Plus, Medicare and its associated costs can be a confusing topic,…
Connie Brezik, 8/27/2020 Diversifying your investment portfolio means putting together a mix of stocks, bonds and other investments with your financial goals, time horizon and risk tolerance in mind. Your mix is called your asset allocation. The idea behind diversification is that, overall, owning different kinds of investments should earn you higher returns with less…
The BAM ALLIANCE, 8/4/2020 On March 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act was signed into law. Since then, the U.S. Treasury Department has issued guidance to clarify and, in some cases, expand the provisions of the CARES Act dealing with retirement accounts and the relief offered to retirement account owners…