Picture the scene: the stove is at capacity; four stock pots, full of snow, are melting under high heat. On the counter, more pots crowned with colanders are busy filtering leaves, pine needles and other detritus from the meltwater. On the floor, barrels full of fresh snow sit ready to enter the assembly line.  The…

Kiplinger – The closer you get to retirement, the more power the stock market potentially has over you. A steep drop at the wrong time could pack a devastating punch. Let’s assume you’re ahead of your peers. You’ve saved, invested and paid down debts. Maybe you’ve even met with a financial professional to examine your…

It was an amazing game, and, admittedly, I spent most of it in a state of borderline depression and then bewilderment. But as agonizing as that first half was for Patriots fans, it must have been utterly demoralizing for Falcons fans, who had to suffer through watching their team snatch defeat from the jaws of…

I know you hate them. So why pay them? RMDs, also known as Required Minimum Distributions, are the bane of many a retiree. Once you reach age 70.5, the IRS is through waiting and forces you to take withdrawals from your traditional IRA accounts. Failure to do so incurs a steep 50% penalty. Now the…

A pension – there’s no great mystery here. People are living longer than ever. In the United States, people over the age of 85 represent the fastest growing population segment. Twenty percent of men and a third of women are expected to reach age 90. Without a plan in place to provide lifetime income, many will…

You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone … In less than three months, we’ll have a new president. But November 2016 will also mark the one-year anniversary of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2016. This little piece of legislation will forever be infamous for gutting precious Social Security strategies for married retirees. Amazingly,…

 “You’re making me nervous!” Worse things have definitely been said in our office, but would it surprise you to know this is exactly the response we’re looking for when meeting with a prospective client? Financial planning is an extremely emotional process. Aligning your resources to achieve a desired outcome requires you to identify your wants,…

You’ve probably wondered about it at least once. When your budget finds an extra dollar, is it better put to use paying down the mortgage or invested into the retirement nest egg? It’s time to end the debate. Pay off the damn mortgage. Set Your Budget Free My preference is for a client’s mortgage to…

By Michael R. Panico, CFP® We talk a lot about inheritance and estate protection at our workshops. Those planning for retirement often express the desire to transfer as much of their unused nest egg as possible to the people they love most. Unfortunately, many of us are not successful due to being clueless about RMDs…