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How will you pay for college tuition?
Remember when a college education was reasonably priced? In the past 20 years, the cost of college tuition for public universities has risen 165%. College students and their families have been taking on more and more debt, and they are...
Read MoreWeekly Market Insights: Bad News for Bears; Good News Buoys Markets
Better-than-expected updates last week on consumer and wholesale price inflation buoyed investor sentiment, driving stocks higher and lower bond yields. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 2.29%, while the Standard &...
Read MoreWeekly Market Insights: Stocks show small losses after mixed week
Stocks remained resilient last week amid mixed earnings reports, hawkish Fed-speak, and lingering recession fears, closing out the five trading days with small losses.The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.23%, while the Standard &...
Read MoreWeekly Market Insights: Lower inflation lifts spirits in uneven week.
The combination of an improving inflation outlook resulted in a week of uneven, albeit positive, performance, in which cyclical and financial stocks rallied while technology, real estate, and utilities lagged. The Dow Jones...
Read MoreWeekly Market Insights: Bad News Gives Markets a One-Two Punch
Stocks tumbled last week as investors reconsidered their interest rate expectations after Fed Chair Powell’s Congressional testimony that rates may need to go higher. Stocks also were rattled when a west coast bank was placed...
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Your Monthly Market Newsletter, March 2023
Welcome to March, a time for renewal and growth, a time we look forward to spring, a time when the days growing longer and the weather beginning to warm. Unfortunately, February’s market performance feels more like atrophy, not...
Read MoreFebruary 2023: Your Money Matters
Our Your Money Matters Newsletter features helpful content on disability insurance, the benefits of time when you start saving early, asks the question, “Active or Passive Investing: Which Is Better?”, and notes a few...
Read More1/27 Phil Blancato Market Update Call
We strive to keep you regularly updated with important market changes and news.Please listen to the most recent market update from Phil Blancato, Advisor Group’s Chief Market Strategist. This call discusses recent updates for the...
Read More1/20 Phil Blancato Market Update Call
We strive to keep you regularly updated with important market changes and news.Please listen to the most recent market update from Phil Blancato, Advisor Group’s Chief Market Strategist. This call discusses recent updates for the...
Read More4 Financial Tips For The New Year
With the hustle and bustle of the holidays behind us, it’s a great time to mention that January is Financial Wellness Month. Consider it a reminder to prioritize and pay closer attention to your financial health and finances...
Read MoreReminder - Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs)
Whether you’re fully or partly retired, you may find that your assets are sufficient to cover your lifestyle for the remainder of your retirement. In that case, you may not feel like you need to use any additional money from your...
Read More6 Tips for Philanthropic Giving
Did you know… with thoughtful, advanced planning, you can extend your legacy of charitable giving beyond your lifetime, creating lasting benefits for the organizations you care about? And if you have a desire to give back to...
Read MoreThe unintended consequences of using DROP or 457b savings too soon.
Yep, you read the headline correctly - - accumulating assets has consequences - - and sometimes they’re more burdensome than you might have previously considered!While preparing for retirement, many of us focus on the top-line...
Read MoreChanging Leaves & Pumpkins… It’s October!
October glows on every cheek, October shines in every eye, While up the hill and down the dale Her crimson banners fly. – Elaine Goodale Eastman (1863–1953)October is here, and that means the fall season is officially...
Read MoreHow much insurance should you have?
Who needs life insurance? If your job offers group life coverage, should you take it? Do you need more than that? Should it be temporary (term) or permanent? And for how much coverage? How do you know?Life insurance can be complicated....
Read MoreThings to Know About Life Insurance
September is Life Insurance Awareness Month, making it a good time to review things you may not know about life insurance, such as:Policies differ widely. Term life insurance pays out a death benefit if you die within the specified...
Read MoreSeptember Is National Life Insurance Awareness Month
It’s time for your life insurance checkup.September is National Life Insurance Awareness Month, so it’s a great time to review your coverage.1If you don’t have any life insurance, you’re not alone. Life...
Read More5 Types of Insurance Your College Student May Need
If you have teenagers, you’re likely very in touch with the adage, “One day you’re changing diapers, and the next you’re sending them off to college.” One of the results of that compressed passage of time...
Read MoreTeaching Kids to Save
SAVE. I used to think of it as a four-letter word. Now my kids do too. For people with their entire lives ahead of them they can be short-sighted when it comes to their finances. So, how do you teach them to be more...
Read More4 Ideas for Back-to-School Savings (C) (P)
As summer comes to an end and the excitement of a new school year begins, most parents dread the price tag associated with back-to-school shopping. And we don’t blame them! The amount of necessary supplies has climbed to new...
Read MoreCollege Planning for Police Families
For Police families, helping future generations with college is often an important life goal. The desire to assist our children with jump-starting their futures typically implies economically supporting some form of higher education....
Read MoreAttempting to Raise Financially Literate Children
When our kids were younger $5 and a trip to Dollar Tree could fill a rainy afternoon. They would pace the aisles giving great thought to what was worth their money. Now that they are teens and tweens it isn’t that...
Read More3 Tips for the Second Half of 2022
With half the year behind us, now is a great time to consider what the remainder of 2022 may hold. However, with inflation and economic uncertainty causing many of us to delay or cancel vacations, large purchases, and more, it can be...
Read MoreRetirement Questions That Have Nothing to Do With Money
Preparing for retirement is not entirely financial.Your degree of happiness in your "second act" may depend on some factors that don't come with an obvious price tag. Here are some non-monetary factors to consider as you prepare for...
Read MoreLEO - Tax After Retirement
To our advisors, it’s a bit like living groundhog day (the movie)… Every spring we hear a few comments about owing big tax money after a Career Law Enforcement Professional has retired from police work.While we as advisors...
Read MoreOfficer Wellness - Part 3
Part 3 (Embracing the Next Chapter of Life)I found that what Amanda shared with me was right on point. I was fortunate to leave the profession in my early 40’s and begin a new chapter in my life, whereby I am engaged daily with...
Read MoreOfficer Wellness - Part 2
Part 2 (The Days After Retirement) You begin to shed the cop appearance. That favorite police shirt or hat you used to wear is no longer appropriate. I remember having to re-evaluate my entire wardrobe because it screamed COP! My SWAT...
Read MoreTips for Weathering a Market Downturn in 2022
Aside from outbound calls, our phone is really quiet. We’ve fielded exactly 2 emails with a little concern about the markets over the past 2 weeks, but a number of messages looking to capitalize upon the current downturn. We also...
Read MoreOfficer Wellness - Part 1
“Officer Wellness”, one of the new buzz-words thrown around these days, popped into my head when I heard the news. But how did we get to this point of no return?
Read MoreTax Time - The Roth IRA
An unwelcome surprise, an IRS letter in the mail with an uncomfortable penalty is not something most investors anticipate. But it happens, and more often than you think. Sometimes it’s for failing to report capital...
Read MoreSEPARATING THE SIGNAL FROM THE NOISE
What kind of role can a financial professional play for an investor? The answer: an important one. While the value of such a relationship is hard to quantify, the intangible benefits may be long-lasting. There are certain investors who...
Read MoreSocial Security Update
Social Security Update You may have missed it, but there’s been a change recently with Social Security statements. You know, that government program which provides supplemental retirement income to most retirees in America....
Read MoreWhat's in a Blog?
What’s a “Blog”? What’s in our “Blog”? There are common problems faced by many when it comes to personal finances and an important issue may be staring us in the eyes without us...
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