Blog

Making a Difference One Family at a Time

Published by Katherine Squires

Who doesn’t enjoy holding and snuggling a baby?!?  They have that “smell”.  That truly clean, angelic smell.  And the softest skin EVER!  We are fascinated with new life that is pure and innocent with countless experiences in front of their brand new life.  However, one in ten babies are born premature in the state of Michigan¹.  There is one non-profit that is working diligently to change that number and making a difference in people’s lives.  The March of Dimes. Read more

The Importance of Creating Your ‘my Social Security Account’ Today

Published by Kate Moss

No matter how old you are today, you should create your ‘my Social Security Account’, which is the online service provided by Social Security Administration (SSA). ‘What? Why would I want to do that?’ you ask.

We understand that you may only be 25 years old and think that you might not even have a Social Security benefit when you retire. Or you’re 42 years old and retirement is still 25+ years away. As it only takes a few minutes, you shouldn’t procrastinate since it will save you potential frustrations years from now.

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Retirement Planning: What Are You Waiting For?

By Jake Bleicher, Equity Analyst, CFA®

Almost half of households near retirement have nothing saved, and that’s a big problem. I believe the biggest headwind is merely getting started: saving money is hard to do. Read more

Future Funding of Social Security Is A Pivotal Piece To Retirement Security

By Jamie Hopkins

You’ve probably heard of the three-legged retirement savings “stool.” The idea is that a quality savings plan for retirement starts with having three aspects of saving: personal savings, employer retirement savings and government-provided benefits. Read more

Four Commonly Overlooked Aspects of Social Security in Retirement Income Planning

Published by Scott Danek

In retirement income planning, Social Security can be very important to your financial plan.  You should know about these four commonly overlooked aspects to maximize your Social Security and your retirement income. Read more

Senior Citizen Discount for Taxes

Published by Kate Moss

Being eligible to use Senior Citizen discounts is like a rite of passage in life. It says, ‘You’ve made it!’ Be proud of your age and take your Senior Citizen discount at McDonald’s for coffee, get cheaper movie tickets and even ask for savings from many cell phone companies. And now the US government has joined the list of organizations offering a Senior Citizen Discount for taxes. What? Really, you say? Yup, it’s true!

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Took Their Ball and Went Home: Staying in Play with Job-Creators

Valentine’s Day was tough on New Yorkers who hoped to benefit from the more than 20,000 new jobs from Amazon’s move there (not to mention all the additional jobs from construction and supporting the new employees). Read more

Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Changed Things More Than You Realize

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act made a lot of changes. It was the single largest tax reform bill in nearly 30 years. However, the impact of the TCJA might be a lot broader than most realize. Almost every small business owner in the country is impacted by a new tax deduction called 199A. Read more

Digital Assets – You Already Own Some, Whether You Know What They Are Or Not

By Jamie Hopkins

Recently I gave a presentation to a large group, over 300 in attendance. I asked the group, “How many of you own a digital currency?” Only about three or four hands went up. I was shocked. Read more

7 Year-End Planning Tips from a Wealth Planner

Published by Mark Petersen, Vice President Affluent Wealth Planning

The holidays are upon us, so that must mean it’s time for year-end income tax planning, right? In the past, I would have said yes, but that changed 12 months ago when the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017 was passed. Read more