Blog Posts

By Ryan W. Brooke

A few years ago, I knew I wanted to get more involved in my local community. After speaking with trusted friends and leaders in the community, I was introduced to the Raymore-Peculiar Sunrise Optimist Club. While I will admit I hadn’t heard of the organization before, I quickly learned that it would be a great fit and allow me to make an immediate impact on my community.

By Jessica Searcy Kmetty

In Part I of this blog series, we introduced you to Meredith, a self-described community creator, home curator, minimalist, hipster mama who is raising 3 “wonderful wilds” in NYC. We talked about how she manages finances for her family, how she and her husband discuss their money scripts, and her philosophy on debt and spending. In Part II, we talked about her family’s “no-spend” months and how you could incorporate them into your life. In Part III, we’re going to hear more about her children, all of whom are employed.

By Michael J. Searcy

In our current market, we’re seeing changes daily and some are drastic enough to spook even the most seasoned investor and cause them to make decisions outside of their best interest. How have the market changes been affecting you?

If you were to ask yourself whether you make decisions based on headlines and short-term volatility scares, you would probably believe those issues wouldn’t affect your behavior. We tend to believe that we will always make the most rational, considerate decisions. However, controlling your emotions during volatile markets and staying rational isn’t as easy as you might think.

Whether you have your family in mind, or lifelong friends, you want their futures to be safe and secure. You want the people you love to prosper in life. And what better way to show your devotion and appreciation than by ensuring your hard-earned money and investments go to them—after your passing?

So, how do you keep your money in your family or within your circle of closest friends rather than lost to legal fees or government portions?

For many Americans, the assets in their Individual Retirement Account represent a significant portion of the wealth they hope to leave to their loved ones. You may have heard that creating a trust and naming it as the beneficiary of your IRA is a good way to direct how your assets are distributed after your death and force your heirs to “stretch” the IRA for generations.

However, trusts and inherited IRAs are complex vehicles that have a lot of details to get right. Here are some of the pros and factors to consider regarding naming a trust as a beneficiary of your IRA: