Search
-
Social Security Reset May Go Away
(General/Articles)
... in your lifetime and only within 12 months of when you first started. This 12-month limit would prevent most people from resetting their benefits, especially with the hindsight of a weak stock market like ...
-
A Tax To Prepare For
(General/Articles)
Under the new health care legislation that was signed into law this spring, 2013 becomes an important year for many people. Starting in 2013, there will be a new 3.8% Medicare tax on unearned income (IRC ...
-
What is Your Long-Term Care Plan?
(General/Articles)
... fast and many people have not had a discussion with their family about what their long-term care plan is. A long-term care plan, in my mind, is about your health care, not just insurance. Health ...
-
Increase Your Social Security Income
(General/Articles)
... he starts collecting at age 70 (50% of his benefit is greater than all of hers). Most people would stop at that point and wait the four years out. But we went an extra step. We suggested that the ...
-
Dog Bites
(General/Articles)
... before and as a result, over-breeding and in-breeding of certain breeds can cause aggressive behavior. More crime-cautious people seem to be breeding and training dogs to be more aggressive. Any ...
-
Good Financial Plans Need Slush Funds
(General/Articles)
... to enjoy life in the present without worrying about how that spending affected her retirement. I have noticed that when markets are doing well, people are willing to spend more. And when markets are ...
-
Retirement Is About Living Longer
(General/Articles)
I am always struck by the number of people (my friends included) who talk about retirement as some "end of life" event that they are just waiting for. People with longevity will tell you they think very ...
-
Take Control of College Costs
(General/Articles)
... of the leaders in this area is Human Capital Score (www.people2capital.com). For a small fee they will calculate future income potential based on individual student attributes, college choice and major. ...
-
Medicare - Here's the 411
(General/Articles)
... older that is surely not the case when it comes to deciding on the use and purchase of Medicare and supplemental coverage. In fact, for many people, Medicare overall is a confusing and daunting topic. ...
-
Identity Theft 101
(General/Articles)
... 11 million people experienced identity theft in 2009. We know of people here in Minneapolis that are still cleaning up the mess from losing their identity. So BGM brought in an expert to do a workshop ...
-
What's Ahead?...Spring and Echo Boomers
(General/Articles)
... experience an infusion of Echo Boomers, young people entering the 25-44 age group, peak household-formation, home buying years. This cohort is five million larger than the legendary Baby Boomers (their ...
-
Estate Planning Mistakes
(General/Articles)
... file for your 401(k) plan and life insurance. Also note, listing people (parents, siblings, friends) as a joint owner on accounts can lead to gift taxes and generally should be avoided. While reviewing ...
-
Is Buy-and-Hold Dead in 2010?
(General/Articles)
... that human behavior always does the right thing. That we know is wrong because plenty of people sold out of the stock market in February, 2009 as it was bottoming. Those people allowed fear to be their ...
-
When Spending is Really Saving
(General/Articles)
... This is the same calculation many people go through when they refinance a mortgage – refinancing today costs money in closing costs which can make sense if you are going to stay in your home. Typically ...
-
Will you work with me on an engagement basis only, not managing my money?
(General/FAQ)
The short answer is yes, but remember that we would prefer to work with clients who want us to be their main financial advisor. If we only work with people on a project here and there, we can never be ...
-
Multiple Retirement Options
(General/Articles)
I have noticed more articles recently where financial advisors give the opinion that the only way for some people to retire after a market like we have seen is to take on more risk (i.e. go even heavier ...
-
Buy Low, Sell High
(General/Articles)
... and look how you feel now; you cannot win if you are not participating in the game. My experience with people that want to time the market is that they largely end up sitting on the sidelines waiting; ...
-
The New Normal Economic Discussions
(General/Articles)
... on fire, the answer is always the family photo album. So obviously people want to connect with their family. Yet there is a real disconnect when it comes to having a conversation with the second, third ...
-
Welcome
(General/main)
... things to different people. All of our clients agree that it is far more than just a return-on-investment. They know that money only adds to life when it helps you achieve your vision and create the ...
-
The Family Fallout From This Economy
(General/Articles)
... but recognition that help might be needed. As we work with clients in developing their estate plans, we are starting to see more people consider pushing gifts out even further than normal. In the past, ...