My grandfather was my hero. He served as an officer in the Navy for 30 years, serving during three wars. Yet, at 92, he was about to face one of his most difficult conflicts. My grandmother and eventually himself required long term care, and he thought he was prepared for the expense. For nearly 20…

While I was growing up, my grandfather became, and continues to be, one of the greatest role models of my life. After my grandmother passed away, my grandfather became a bachelor living by himself. I was the only other bachelor in the family available to live with him. It was one of the best years…

The world will be forever changed by the COVID-19 crisis. Any crisis can highlight glaring cracks in a financial plan, but COVID-19 was not just any crisis; it was a global crisis that woke up business owners and Americans because so many were not prepared for a squeeze on their cash flow. COVID-19 was not…

It can be true; it is better to give than to receive. However, many Americans could be experiencing less joy when giving this year. After the most recent tax reform, many givers were surprised to discover that the standard deduction was so high it eliminated the need to itemize. Therefore, countless families received no direct…

What to ask a Financial Advisor Finding the right advisor can be more intense than a trip to the dentist. If you are currently with a financial advisor or searching for a new one, it can seem overwhelming. You have to gather everything confidential about your family and become financially exposed to a stranger. You…

The Fable of Two Retirees I want to introduce you to two retirees. First, I want to introduce you to “Ann”. Ann is 60 years old, has $500,000 saved and she wants to withdraw $24,000 a year for the rest of her life. She reads Money magazine before her meeting with her financial advisor and…

RMDs: Be prepared If you are hearing that Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) are not a big deal, I want to share with you  some hard truths about RMDs . RMDs are distributions from qualified accounts imposed by the federal government in order to force investors to pay taxes on previously untaxed assets. The purpose of…

A Man Is Not a Financial Plan Neither is a woman a good financial plan. We must never depend on someone else for our retirement. Remember, you must at least sit in the co-pilot chair for your retirement planning because, let’ face it,  couples don’t always pass at the same time. That means that one…

An Evergreen Wedding Gift If you’re a parent, you may not even have to leave the hospital before you think to yourself: Who will ever love this baby as much as I will? Parents may find themselves dreaming of the day they walk their daughter down the aisle or dance with their son on his…

The Last Financial Advisor Why should you hire a younger advisor?  I want to share with you the 4 reasons why I think you should select a younger advisor to be your last financial advisor. Now, the elephant in the room is that I am writing this to you as a young advisor. I started…

How to Spend Your Money in Retirement If they taught Wealth 101 and Investing 201 in school, I must have been on my way to the beach – skipping class. I know we both missed these classes in school. Luckily, along the way we are taught to put money in our 401(k) and/or work for…