Blog Posts

Retiring with Volatility

Retiring with Volatility

Should Retirees Be Worried?

Market volatility is an historic inevitability; as a long-term investor, you are likely to experience years of volatile or negative portfolio growth. If volatility coincides with your retirement, you might be worried about how it may affect your savings and income.

Understanding the Election, Market Surprises and Interest Rate Increases

Understanding the Election, Market Surprises and Interest Rate Increases

As the end of 2016 grows closer, we have to say that this has certainly been an eventful year. A long presidential election campaign left many Americans feeling bruised and more divided than ever. And many people were surprised when Donald Trump emerged as the victor. Similar to Brexit’s unexpected win in June, election polling and conventional wisdom proved to be quite wrong once people actually voted.

The Tax Landscape Under Trump

The Tax Landscape Under Trump

We found the article, “Tax and Wealth Planning Implications of a Trump Presidency,” from WealthManagement.com to be a thoughtful and informative read. If you are curious about potential tax implications that may result from this new administration, we encourage you to consider the points made in this article which highlights both the proposed Trump Administration Tax Plan and House GOP Tax Plan. We will continue to stay on top of potential tax changes and plan to provide you with updates if and when appropriate.

The Critical Financial Years for Young Physicians

The Critical Financial Years for Young Physicians

By Michael J. Searcy

The average age of a first-year practicing physician in the U.S. is 31. This puts young physicians nearly 10 years behind their same-age peers when it comes to their number of earning years. Because young physicians can quickly go from very low pay during school and residency to very high amounts of pay, the first 10 years in practice are critical for building a solid financial foundation.

Female Investors: Take Hold of Your Financial Security

Female Investors: Take Hold of Your Financial Security

By Jessica Kmetty

Are female investors all that different from their male counterparts? When it comes to setting goals and making decisions, the differences might not be obvious. A recent study showed the top three financial goals for both women and men were a comfortable retirement, maintaining their current lifestyle and covering healthcare costs. It also showed a high majority of both women and men feel confident in their ability to make successful investment decisions. So why is there so much emphasis placed on the habits of female investors? Let’s explore some reasons:

The 2016 Election and Your Investments

The 2016 Election and Your Investments

Every four years, investors have to grapple with the volatility and uncertainty that comes with a presidential election. Sure-bets drop out, long-shot candidates surge to the front. Every election comes with plenty of surprises and uncertainty and the 2016 election is no different. As financial professionals, we field a lot of questions from our clients and friends about how politics and elections affect financial markets so we are going to address some of these common questions and concerns:

Should You Downsize After Retirement?

Should You Downsize After Retirement?

The answer isn’t simple.

It’s a question as old as retirement itself: Now that the children are gone, should you downsize your home?

Maybe move to your favorite vacation spot to enjoy the sunshine and natural beauty? Or should you stay put, relaxing in familiar surroundings and a community you know well? Today’s retirees enjoy more freedom than ever to choose where and how they live. Many retirees choose to downsize to reduce housing costs or move to be closer to family. As with most important personal and financial decisions, there are pros and cons to downsizing your home that you should consider.

15 Tips to Help Avoid Retirement Planning Mistakes

15 Tips to Help Avoid Retirement Planning Mistakes

By Michael J. Searcy

Most everyone realizes that there will come a day that they can no longer generate income for living expenses from employment. For some, it’s a welcome event. For others, it’s a curse. Now, assuming you are in the “welcome event” category and want to quit working for a living someday, here are some items to consider in your planning:

Overcoming 4 Major Financial Mistakes Physicians Make

Overcoming 4 Major Financial Mistakes Physicians Make

By Michael J. Searcy

As a physician, you spend countless hours working so that others can enjoy a healthy and fulfilling life, leaving you with fewer hours to spend on yourself and your finances. With your focus on your profession, you may fall victim to making financial mistakes that can add up over the long run. Here are four financial mistakes physicians make and ways to avoid them:

The Guarantee of a Comfortable Retirement is in YOUR Hands

The Guarantee of a Comfortable Retirement is in YOUR Hands

By Michael J. Searcy

Have you heard of loss aversion? In economics and decision theory, “loss aversion refers to people’s tendency to strongly prefer avoiding losses to acquiring gains.”

Loss aversion may help explain why people are not saving enough for retirement – they may avoid saving today because it feels like they’re losing the ability to use that money for things they want now and don’t recognize the delayed gratification of using that money for a comfortable retirement in the future.