Is a SEP-IRA Right for Your Business?
Running a small business can consume most of your attention. Between clients, employees, cash flow, taxes, and daily operations, choosing a retirement plan such as a SEP-IRA can easily fall to the bottom of the list. A Simplified Employee Pension IRA, or SEP-IRA, may offer a straightforward option for certain business owners who want to […]
Insurance Needs Assessment for Married Couples With Children
A growing family often brings growing financial responsibilities, which is why life insurance for married couples with children is worth reviewing as your household changes. Children can change your household budget, future goals, insurance needs, and risk exposure. As your family grows, it becomes more important to review whether your coverage still protects the people […]
IRA Withdrawals That May Avoid the 10% Early Withdrawal Penalty
Traditional IRAs are designed for retirement savings. That is why withdrawals before age 59½ generally face the IRA early withdrawal penalty, a 10% additional tax on top of ordinary income tax. However, tax law recognizes that life does not always follow a retirement plan. Certain situations may allow an IRA owner to take an early […]
Insuring Your Business With a Buy-Sell Agreement
Life insurance can help protect a household after the death of a primary wage earner. For business owners, a similar question applies, and a buy-sell agreement is one way to address it: What happens to the business if an owner dies or becomes disabled? A buy-sell agreement can help answer that question before a crisis […]
Investing for Impact
Many investors want their portfolios to reflect more than financial goals. Impact investing is one approach for those who also want their money to align with their values. That interest has led to several investment approaches, including ESG investing, socially responsible investing, and impact investing. These terms are often used together, but they do not […]
Intellectual Property in a New Digital Era
How will your intellectual property work for you in retirement and beyond? Intellectual property estate planning can help answer that question. That question used to apply mainly to authors, musicians, inventors, and business owners. Today, it may apply to more people than ever. Digital content, online businesses, software, courses, brands, podcasts, videos, creative work, patents, […]
Inflation and Your Money
“If inflation is reported at one rate, why do my bills feel like they are rising faster?” Many people ask that question, and it highlights an important point: the inflation number reported in the news may not match your personal experience. Inflation affects households differently depending on where they live, what they buy, whether they […]
Insuring Your Business Against Cyber Liability
Cyber risk is no longer limited to large corporations, and cyber liability insurance is now a consideration for many smaller businesses as well. Small and midsize businesses also store customer data, process payments, use cloud-based systems, rely on email, and work with vendors. That creates exposure to data breaches, ransomware, phishing attacks, wire fraud, and […]
Insurance Needs Assessment for Empty Nesters and Retirees
When children leave home, financial priorities often shift, which makes it a natural time for an insurance needs assessment. Many empty nesters are in their peak earning years, approaching retirement, or beginning to think more seriously about legacy goals. At this stage, protecting accumulated wealth can become just as important as building it. A strong […]
Inflation and the Real Rate of Return
Investment returns do not tell the whole story, because inflation can quietly reduce what those returns are able to buy. What matters most is not only how much your money grows, but how much purchasing power it keeps after inflation. That is where the real rate of return comes in. The real rate of return […]