4 Must-Have Estate Planning Documents: Strategies for protecting your lifestyle and legacy

People often think about estate planning in terms of the legacy they will leave after they’re gone. While that’s an important part of estate planning, it’s also about protecting your...

6 Benefits of Using Donor-Advised Funds for Charitable Giving.

An easy, impactful, and tax-smart strategy for pursuing your philanthropic goals

As the end of the year approaches,  many individuals, families, and business owners are seeking ways to...

5 Things to Know Before Enrolling in Medicare

Medicare is the government healthcare program for people age 65 or older. While Medicare offers a broad range of plans, sorting through all of the different options available to you can be confusing...

7 Benefits of Choosing a Corporate Trustee

Is a corporate trustee the right choice for your estate planning needs?

Establishing a trust can help ensure that your assets are put to work according to your wishes, during your lifetime ...

The Beach House: Should you consider adding real estate to your investment portfolio?

3 Things to Know Before Buying a Second Home

Like many people, you may wonder if owning a second home or vacation property is a good strategy for adding real estate to your investment portfolio...

Life Insurance Planning: How Much Coverage Do You Need?

Understand how life insurance needs change over time

Many people understand the vital role life insurance plays as a risk management tool. However, life insurance planning can be daunting. ...

Multigenerational Wealth Management Myths Debunked

Overcoming common misconceptions about managing family wealth

Many people are surprised to learn that an estimated 70% of wealthy families will lose their wealth by the second generation and...

4 Tips for Preparing Children for Financial Independence

Setting the foundation for a lifetime of fiscal responsibility

While parenting styles and methods may differ, most parents share a common goal: to raise children to be healthy, happy, and independent...

Is a 529 Plan Rollover Right for You? Understanding the new 529 plan rollover rules

Tax-advantaged 529 education savings plans have long been a popular way for families to set money aside for education expenses. Now they’re even more flexible, thanks to a provision under the ...

Beyond Investment Returns: Reflections on 30 years as an independent wealth management firm

This year marks our 30^th anniversary as an independent wealth management firm. As I reflect on this milestone, the word “gratitude” repeatedly comes to mind. ...

Four Tips From Estate Planning Professionals to Avoid Costly Mistakes

Prince and Heath Ledger didn’t have their affairs in order, but you should.

Following his death in 2016, Prince made headlines when it was discovered he died intestate ...

How Business Owners Can Protect Their Largest Asset

Most business owners don’t consider succession planning until about three to five years before exiting. But if you want the best outcome for your personal life and your business, succession planning...

The story behind wealth management firm Planned Financial Services' rebrand to Return on Life Wealth Partners

On Monday, October 2, we announced that after 29 years, we made the decision to change our name from Planned Financial Services to Return on Life Wealth Partners. Our name change emerged after evaluating...

Worried About Your Financial Health? It May Be Time For A Checkup

When was the last time you gave yourself a financial checkup? As the saying goes, there’s no time like the present. This is especially true when it comes to reviewing the current state of your...

3 Ways Planning For Retirement is Like Planning For Summer Break

For kids, teens, and college students, summer break often represents freedom from schedules, responsibilities, and all those other drains on your time. Retirement actually can provide a similar level...

5 Homeowner Estate Planning Tips to Consider

Estate planning helps disperse your assets according to your wishes. The effort may seem daunting at first, but estate planning does not have to be overly complicated. With the proper planning, you ...

Retirement Annuities Explained: What They Are and How They Work

Having enough retirement income is a top concern for many Americans nearing or in retirement. Even though they may have saved consistently throughout the working years, they may be concerned that their...

Small-business Owners and the Value of Insurance in Your Financial Plan

A solid financial plan for small businesses is vital, and part of that financial plan should be insurance. Insurance is essential to preserve small businesses, cover their assets, and safeguard their...

3 Tips for Preserving Wealth in Your Golden Years

After spending so much of your life saving for retirement, it may be challenging to transition from depositing funds to withdrawing them. You may wonder whether there is any way to maintain your lifestyle...

Small Business Owners: Are You Retirement Ready or Not?

Whether you are an employee in corporate America or a small business owner, retirement is a part of life. For many, the thought of retiring and whether or not you are ready to take those first steps...

A Tough Times Survival Guide for Small Businesses

Small businesses may often find themselves struggling, and there are many situations in which business owners may find themselves weathering a storm and hoping to make it through. While the strength...

3 Ways Life Insurance Can Help Small Business Owners

For small business owners, ensuring your investment is covered can be considered very important to ensuring the survival of your business after you are gone. One of the ways in which some small business...

5 Stress Management Tips to Avoiding Business Owner Burnout

Starting a company from scratch can be stressful, no matter how well-prepared you are. Many entrepreneurs can be vulnerable to burnout, which can quickly turn a dream business into a nightmare. What...

Why We Think Financial Literacy is Crucial for Business Owners

We generally recommend that everyone has some level of financial literacy to help manage their finances. However, financial literacy becomes even more crucial when you're a business owner. You may wish...

3 Questions You May Want to Ask Yourself Before You Claim Social Security

Planning for retirement is exciting, but it may come with a bit of stress. If you worked hard all your life, now might be the time to relax and enjoy the fruits of your labor. One of the things that...

5 Last Minute Considerations Before Tax Day

With April’s federal tax filing and payment deadline on the horizon, Americans are dotting their i’s and crossing their t’s as they prepare for the countdown to Tax Day. But before...

What to Know About the SECURE Act 2.0

With the signing of the Omnibus Appropriations package into law, both employees and employers can take advantage of more than 90 new provisions aimed at creating opportunities to create or modify workplace...

Spring Has Sprung: Time to Refresh Your Retirement Plan

Spring can be a fantastic time to refresh your retirement plan and savings habits. With 2023 bringing increased limits for 401(k)s, individual retirement accounts (IRAs), Health Savings Accounts (HSAs)...

Why Business Owners Need Financial Planning

If you're a business owner, you are likely the Chief Everything Officer at work and have many responsibilities. A business owner's situation is unique since they are asset-rich and cash-poor because...

Know What You Are Worth Today to Map Out Your Financial Future

Regardless of how much money you have today; you may still want to know the details of what you are worth. Understanding your financial situation can help you develop a retirement plan, pay down debt...

How to Prepare for Retirement

Whether you’re just starting your career or are planning to retire this year, it’s never too soon or too late to start preparing for your retirement. What this entails may be different from...

Kick off the Big Game With These 7 Super Investing Lessons From the Super Bowl

The Super Bowl is more than just a game. It's an American holiday. As you prepare for this fun day, you may also want to think about how to create "big wins'' in your investment strategy. Get ready ...

Prepping Early For Tax Day

As the year has still just begun, probably the last thing on your mind is filing your taxes in spring. But if you start assembling the necessary documents and information now, you may experience less...

Don't Miss Out on These 5 Commonly Overlooked Tax Deductions

When you own a business, you get to deduct business expenses from your business income. This general rule applies, subject to certain limitations, whether you are a sole proprietor with employees...

A Look at Tax Planning for Retirement

After years of saving and planning for their golden years, many people nearing retirement fail to consider the tax burden they may face on income they receive after they stop working. While you will...

A Retirement Countdown Checklist: 5 Steps to Consider Before Retirement

Whether you're hoping to retire soon or are just beginning to explore the idea of stepping back from your job, you're probably wondering how to make it happen. Will you have enough money? How will you...

New Year's Financial Resolutions to Implement Now

When it comes to New Year's Resolutions that include financial goals, writing them down and being visible could be essential to your success. After you’ve written down what your financial resolutions...

Cheers to a New Year of Investing

For many investors, this year has been a wild ride—with interest rate increases, a crypto implosion, and whipsawing values in the major market indices. It might be tough to catch one's breath ...

Enduring Market Volatility With a Financial Plan

If you hope to retire soon and are concerned about what the future may hold for your investments, you are not alone. Inflation has many retirees and soon-to-be retirees worried about outliving their...

Year-End Planning Considerations for Business Owners

The end of the year can be a chaotic time for business owners. It is a time to compile data, review the numbers, evaluate strengths and weaknesses, and determine growth opportunities for the future....

4 Charitable Giving Strategies to Consider

Through charitable giving, you can support causes or organizations you believe in and lock in tax benefits simultaneously. Whether you’re new to charitable giving or a veteran, there are several...

End of Year Deadlines Checklist 2022

For many of us, a new year is an opportunity for fresh starts and discovering the best versions of ourselves, but some things—like tax contributions and retirement deadlines—don't change...

A Year-End Wealth Planning Guide

As we approach the end of the year, you may want to review areas that may impact your wealth and estate planning next year. In this year-end planning guide, we examine four critical areas to consider...

The Benefits of Getting a Second Financial Opinion

When it comes to medical or legal advice, the value of getting a second opinion is fairly well established and defined. What about financial decisions? At what point does it make sense to get a second...

Business Continuity and Long-Term Care Considerations

As a business owner, you know the importance of planning for your company’s future. To this end, you may have taken steps to learn about buy–sell agreements and the role that life insurance...

How to Protect Your Small Business from Cyber Threats

Risk management is a key component in any successful business plan. In today's world — where data breaches are common occurrences — it's especially important for business owners to understand...

What is Medicare and What Does it Cover?

For those approaching the age of 65, Medicare can be confusing, and you might also be wondering how it compares to your current health care coverage. This guide helps address questions you might have...

All About Financial Planning

No matter where you are in life, you may have at least a few financial goals. Perhaps you want to buy a house, save for your child’s college education, or retire early. Regardless of what your...

What to Know About Multigenerational Estate Planning

Baby Boomers — those born between 1946 and 1964 — hold about $20 trillion in wealth.¹ Over the next few decades, many Boomers may transfer this wealth to their Gen X, millennial...

Now Might Be a Good Time for a Roth Conversion

One silver lining in the current bear market is that this could be a good time to convert assets from a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA. Converted assets are subject to federal income tax in the year ...