Pay Yourself First: What to Do When You Receive a Raise
February 26, 2024  | By David Lowe

Many companies conduct performance reviews and announce employee pay raises toward the end of February or in March. As a smart, creative go-getter, you most likely have great news on the way! But how do you put your higher pay…Read More

T-Bill & Chill
January 17, 2024  | By Kevin Smith

Hop in the time machine with me. You could have bought a 30 year Treasury Bond in 1981 yielding 15% annual income! That income was backed by the taxing authority of the United States Treasury, so it was pretty safe….Read More

Qualified Charitable Distribution: Philanthropic Impact Meets Tax Savings
January 2, 2024  | By David Lowe

Good news: Through hard work, savings and diligent investing, you retired with $1 million or more in pre-tax IRA funds! Bad news: The government wants its piece of the pie and starts taxing your IRAs in your 70s. Now back…Read More

my529 Account Prepaid Access Card
December 15, 2023  | By Manisha Gupta

A 529 account is an excellent vehicle to save money for kids’ education. The contributions grow tax-free, and withdrawals from the account are tax exempt as long as they are used for qualified educational purposes. A list of qualified educational…Read More

2024 Retirement Plan Limit Changes
December 1, 2023  | By David Lowe

The IRS recently announced that the maximum contribution for various investment accounts has increased for 2024. 401(k), 403(b), most 457 plans, Thrift Savings Plan Employee contribution limit: $23,000 That equals $958.33 per paycheck if you get paid twice a month…Read More

Helping Your Teenagers Build Credit
November 20, 2023  | By David Lowe

Parents often have questions about the best ways to help their kids develop wise money habits. Common questions relate to when and how to start teenagers down the path of responsible credit card use. Teens under 18 cannot open a…Read More

A Case of Bad Breadth
October 30, 2023  | By Matt Pierce

Through much of the year, strong year-to-date gains have been touted, and even despite a near 10% selloff since July, the S&P 500 remains up over 8.5% year to date. However, that strength has come from an ever narrowing list…Read More

Open Enrollment Decisions
October 20, 2023  | By David Lowe

Early fall is open enrollment season for employer-provided benefits, as well as for Medicare. Open enrollment is a crucial time to review – and possibly update – your selections for health insurance, life insurance, disability insurance and more. Which open…Read More

Your Rental vs the Market?
October 1, 2023  | By Kevin Smith

Thinking about buying a real estate investment property? With interest rates on investment property mortgages near 8%, it is more difficult to generate positive cash flow on these properties than even a year ago. Investors who can pay for a…Read More

What to Do With a Lump Sum of Cash?
September 4, 2023  | By Kevin Smith

Having a pile of cash in the bank is usually a good thing, but it requires some stressful decision making. How much can we spend (YOLO!)? How much should we save? What about taxes? Should we pay down our mortgage?…Read More