Most of us are asking what impact Russia’s invasion on Ukraine has on us personally, and NBC News helped answer that question– at least for those who are retired teachers in Kentucky. The Kentucky Teachers’ Retirement System lost more than $3 million last week in selling off its direct investments in a Russian bank the day before Russia invaded Ukraine, [...]

With news reporting the markets are nearing bear market territory I’m starting to be asked what that actually means. Let’s start with definitions: “A bear market is when a market experiences prolonged price declines. It typically describes a condition in which securities prices fall 20% or more.” “Bear markets also may accompany general economic downturns such as a recession.” How [...]

Plenty of factors go into understanding whether you are on track to meet your financial goals for retirement, including not just what you have set aside in savings and investments, but your rate of return, and inflation. With the ever-changing market conditions, and higher than usual inflation it is important to check to see if you are still on track. [...]

We are well into tax season which means more and more individuals are beginning to think about their tax refunds, and what to do with them. The answer always relates to how healthy the individual’s cash flow is. If you like the feeling of getting a “windfall” in the form of a tax refund, you should take the time to [...]

With tax time approaching, some of you have asked if the social security payments you receive are taxed. The answer is yes if your annual income is above a certain amount when you’re receiving those payments, and because the income threshold is relatively low, it’s likely that some of your benefits will be taxed. The percentage of tax is calculated [...]

We often think of retirement in terms of years, and we muse that there isn’t enough time left in our lives to do all the things we planned on doing when we no longer had to work. That same thought of ‘not enough time left’ also comes to mind when we lose some of our savings that we absolutely rely [...]

We all read so many articles reminding us to start early with our retirement savings, but considering all of the different financial obligations that seem to just happen along the way, some of them expected and some not, sometimes retirement just creeps up on you. Before you know it, you realize you are only five to ten years away from [...]

With 2022 just beginning, we thought to share with you some of the changes to Social Security. The Social Security Administration has issued a 5.9% cost-of-living adjustment (known as “COLA”) for 2022, the largest COLA in nearly 40 years. How much of a difference this will make in your life really depends on your overall financial needs and situation. While [...]

Over the past few weeks we’ve reviewed some things to think about regarding providing for your family’s future and protecting what you’ve worked for. As we enter the New Year, there are also strategies you can think about putting in place that will pass on your legacy. Just as your life changes over time, so can tax laws and regulations. [...]

The pandemic and its impact has created a lot of unexpected events, changed the markets and caused each of us to adapt. Now is a good time to review how your needs may have already changed, or how you now understand they may change in the future. To get started, ask yourself if your goals remain the same and then [...]