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 ...

Life Insurance for the Self-Employed

If you're like most people, you bought life insurance to provide for your loved ones in the event of your death. But because you're self-employed, you may have an even greater need for life insurance:...

Why Insure Your Business

In general, your business represents a substantial investment of your ideas, time, and money (in addition to your sweat and elbow grease). Because your business faces a variety of risks and perils (e...

Five Keys to Investing for Retirement

Making decisions about your retirement account can seem overwhelming, especially if you feel unsure about your knowledge of investments. However, the following basic rules can help you make smarter ...

Some Things Investors Need to Know About Booms and Busts

Economies and markets are cyclical. They may include periods of wealth creation and times of bursting bubbles that bankrupt companies in a major downturn.

"Boom and bust" cycles may last anywhere...

A Small-Business Owner’s Guide To Investing in Stocks

If you own a business and want to diversify your assets by investing in stocks, today’s online brokerages make trading fairly easy. However, stock investing is risky, especially in a volatile ...

Financial Planning Tips for Small Business Owners

When you're a small business owner, you need to pay extra careful attention to both your business and personal finances. Your financial planning strategies should simultaneously encourage the success...

Things to Consider When Writing a Business Plan

You may know that your small business needs a written business plan—but how do you get started? What elements should your plan address, and do you need different plans for different audiences?...

3 Tips for Staying Calm While Navigating a Volatile Market

When market volatility takes investors on a wild ride, fear and panic are common responses to this stock market roller coaster. Acknowledging these emotions may be a good first step, but acting upon...

6 Tips for Small Business Owners to Promote Workplace Wellness

Work is stressful at times, and anxiety and stress among your employees may lead to performance issues and an overall lower productivity rate. By promoting wellness in the workplace, you may reduce ...

How Business Owners May Benefit from Working With a CEPA

If you own a business, there are many decisions to make on a day-to-day basis. But, when it comes to selling your business, transferring it to key employees or family members, or retiring, planning ...

12 Things Investors Need to Know about the SECURE Act 2.0

In late 2019, SECURE Act was passed as a way to help Americans save more for their retirement. In March 2022, the SECURE Act 2.0 was passed in the U.S. House of Representatives and aims to improve the...

5 Ways a Financial Professional Could Be a Small-Business Owner's Best Friend

As a business owner, you may assume you do not need professional financial advice until you hit certain milestones such as $1 million in sales, having ten employees, or some other tangible measure. ...

Assessing the Health of Your Business

In today’s business climate, it may be more important than ever for companies to operate at maximum efficiency and with a keen awareness of the potential impact of changes in their industry and...

Retirement Planning Options for Business Owners

Perhaps you are self-employed or own a small business. Or, you may be directly involved in running a corporation or a tax-exempt organization. In any of these cases, you generally have the option of...

Life Insurance Needs: Taking a Closer Look

While we believe it is important to have enough life insurance coverage to handle any financial contingencies that may affect your family if you die prematurely, determining the amount of life insurance...

The Facts about Social Security Retirement Benefits

Social Security Retirement benefits are one thing that people know of, but often what they know isn't always accurate. First, the Social Security Trust Fund was created in 1939 as part of Old Age and...

10 Ways to Use Your Tax Refund

As we approach Tax Day 2022, you may be expecting to receive a tax refund. While you may have a temptation to spend your tax return, other options may be more beneficial to your financial situation....

How Workplace Diversity Can Improve Your Business

The focus on diversity in the workplace has continued for the past few decades as businesses are realizing the importance of a diverse workforce, not only to potentially improve the overall growth of...

What to Expect on Your 2021 Tax Return

The federal government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact individual income tax returns, from the suspension of federal student loan interest to expanded child tax credits. For ...

3 Estate Planning Tips for Small-Business Owners

For business owners, estate planning may seem like another task to do on a long to-do list. Having a solid estate and succession plan in place may be crucial to your business's long-term success. If...

Luck of the Investor: Making Your Own Luck on St. Patrick's Day

As Samuel Goldwyn once said, "The harder I work…the luckier I get!" ¹ But when it comes to investing, luck may play a huge role in outcomes—no matter how hard you work.² ...

Help Wanted: Why Can't Businesses Find Enough Workers?

The headline U.S. unemployment rate fell from 6.7% at the end of December 2020 to 3.9% in December 2021, marking the biggest one-year improvement in history.¹ While many workers took advantage...

Low-or-No-Cost Solutions for Retaining Valued Employees

High turnover of employees often presents a serious problem for many small businesses. Limited budgets generally cannot provide the financial incentives needed to recruit and retain high achievers. ...

How to Recognize and Protect Yourself Against Tax Identity Theft

When you hear the term identity theft, the first thought that comes to mind may involve a data breach or opening a credit card in someone else's name. But another common type of identity theft involves...

Hoping that 2022 is When You Retire Early?

As we make our way through 2022, maybe the dream of early retirement has begun to take shape in your mind. Maybe you’re researching when you might first qualify for Social Security retirement ...

Retirement Contribution Limit Changes for 2022

With inflation on the rise, the IRS increased the 2022 contribution limits for some retirement accounts. Although a 2021 Congressional report found that only about 8.5% of defined benefit plan participants...

Tax Prep Checklist: Everything You Need to Be Ready for Tax Season

Regardless of whether you prepare your taxes yourself or use a professional's services, it's a good idea to gather the information and documentation you need well in advance of your actual tax filing...

How to Balance Your Professional and Personal Life

It’s easy to carry the stress of home to work, and work to home. Doing so will most likely inhibit your time to relax with friends, family, and your productivity in the workplace. Budget your ...

Five New Year's Resolutions for Those Nearing Retirement

Getting ready for retirement is both exciting and daunting. While you are likely looking forward to the enjoyment and relaxation that retirement may bring, you are also cautious about ensuring you have...

3 Financial Moves to Consider Before Ringing in the New Year

Although you don't have to wait until January to begin working on your financial goals, a new year may bring a much-needed fresh start on your spending and saving goals. Read on for three financial ...

Developing a Dynamic Business Plan

A well-crafted business plan can be a blueprint for entrepreneurial confidence. This multifaceted tool is as important to established business owners looking to grow their companies as it is to budding...

Retirement Mistakes to Fix Before the Holidays

You probably spend more time planning your holiday gathering than preparing for your golden years.

As a result, you make basic mistakes in trying to fund your retirement. Here are a few of the...

What to Do If or When Your Taxes Start Going Up

Not knowing what Congress will do should not stop you from planning.

 One variable that is hard to plan for in retirement is taxes. There are steps you can take, though, despite the uncertain...