Blog
What’s on our mind? You can read about it in our blog.
Whether it’s ideas from the industry or emerging trends, you can read about it here. Check back often for updates.
Beware Scams at Tax Time
Identity theft runs rampant during tax seasonHere’s what to know and how you can help protect yourself.Identity thieves often swipe your bank or credit card account numbers, birth date information or Social Security Number (SSN)...
Read MoreFive Helpful Tools for Tax Prep
Tax preparation tools and products continue to evolve even more quickly than the federal tax code itself. Which tax prep tools are worth the hype, and which may be passed over? Below we discuss five high-tech tools to help make tax...
Read MoreTax 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 date. Below, we've listed some key...
Read MoreYour Financial Fresh Start: 12 Resolutions in 12 Months
Change may be difficult, especially when you try to change your financial habits. The process might be easier if you take an incremental approach. Do you want to get on top of your finances this year? Are you looking for ways to...
Read MorePresence Vs. Presents: Taking a Holiday Break From Your Business
Any small-business owner could attest that everyone needs a break sometimes. And the holiday season may provide an opportunity to take a few days (or longer) for yourself—whether traveling, spending time with the family, or...
Read MoreShow All
4 Year-End Tax Planning Tips for Small-Business Owners
The past two years presented many small-business owners with unprecedented challenges. This year’s tax planning preparations include necessary measures for small-business owners to satisfy existing, new and modified tax laws that...
Read MoreTips to Control Frenzied Holiday Spending
Take an organized approach to holiday shopping and actually enjoy it If advertisements and commercials are beginning to feature scenes of happy families, clad in brightly colored sweaters, gathered by a fire, surrounded by an...
Read MoreLooking Ahead
October is now behind us and it has delivered on its track record as a historically favorable month for stocks, offering some respite for investors as major equity indices rose for the month. The downside pressure on equities had...
Read More5 Year-End Tax Planning Questions to Ask Your Financial Professional
The average U.S. income tax rate stands at just over 13%—and if you're like many taxpayers, you're always looking for new tips and tricks to help reduce this percentage.1There are a number of different tax planning moves you can...
Read MoreHelpful Tax Tips before Year End
Tax planning can be more advantageous when done during the year and well in advance of year’s end. Opportunities may exist for you to minimize tax liability, which could leave more income for you and/or your family...
Read MoreCould the Worst be Behind Us
First, we want to acknowledge the tremendous damage and displacement caused by Hurricane Ian. Our thoughts are with those impacted by this devastating storm.This has clearly been a challenging year for households. Stocks and bonds are...
Read MoreHow Financial Planning Can Help Prepare for LTC Costs
With the cost of long-term care (LTC) increasing year over year, considering how the costs of long-term LTC will impact your financial plan is essential. According to insurance company Genworth, the price of LTC services increased...
Read MoreIf Long-Term Care Insurance Isn't for You: Other Options
Long-term care insurance (LTCI) isn't for everyone. Not only is it expensive and sometimes hard to qualify for, but there's no guarantee you'll ever use the benefits. But if you decide not to buy LTCI, what are your alternatives?You...
Read MoreThe Best Items to Help You Organize Your Finances and Important Documents
The first step to improving your finances is to get organized.These top Amazon finds can help you create a monthly budget, plan your spending, and safely store your important insurance or personal documents for easy access when...
Read MoreFive Questions about Long-Term Care
Understandably, many people put off planning for long-term care. But although it's hard to face the fact that health problems may someday result in a loss of independence, if you begin planning now, you'll have more options open...
Read MorePlanning Ahead for Life Insurance Proceeds
Why did you purchase life insurance? If you're like most people who buy life insurance, you're looking to provide a source of income for someone (e.g., a spouse, parent, or child) after you die. Buying the policy was the first step....
Read MoreProtecting Your Loved Ones with Life Insurance
How much life insurance do you need?Your life insurance needs will depend on a number of factors, including the size of your family, the nature of your financial obligations, your career stage, and your goals. For example, when you're...
Read MoreAre You Maximizing 401(k) Contributions?
The more money that you can save when you are working, the easier it should be for you to retire and enjoy your golden years. Unfortunately, Social Security may no longer provide a sufficient income to live on during retirement....
Read MoreHow Much Life Insurance Do You Need?
Your life insurance needs change as your life changes. When you are young, you may not have a need for life insurance. However, as you take on more responsibility and your family grows, your life insurance needs increase. Your needs...
Read More4 Key Investments You Should Consider as a Small-Business Owner
As a small-business owner, you may be looking for the next big thing—an investment that might double your profits within the next year or allow you to maintain your income while working just a few hours a week. However, business...
Read MoreBig Week for Market Watchers.
Last week was epic for market-watchers. A Federal Reserve (Fed) rate hike, a much-anticipated gross domestic product (GDP) report, and the busiest week of earnings season got most of the headlines. There was even a surprise out of...
Read MoreSetting and Targeting Investment Goals
Go out into your yard and dig a big hole. Every month, throw $50 into it, but don't take any money out until you're ready to buy a house, send your child to college, or retire.It sounds a little crazy, doesn't it? But that's what...
Read MoreA 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 market. Here are four key...
Read MoreStaying on Track with Your Retirement Investments
All investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal, and there can be no assurance that any investment strategy will be successful. And asset allocation and diversification alone cannot guarantee a profit or...
Read MoreLooking Forward
As the calendar has turned to July, investors would certainly like to forget the first six months of 2022. However, the Fourth of July Independence Day holiday does bring with it reason for celebration. Not only is it the 246th...
Read MoreOutsourcing: A Solution for Small Businesses?
When you first launched your business, you probably handled most of the tasks associated with daily operations yourself, or with the help of a small group of employees. But as your company has grown and your needs have become more...
Read MoreAssessing 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 the economy. Using a SWOT analysis...
Read MoreA Realistic Approach to Long-Term Care
When it comes to long-term planning, the realist may have an edge. No one wants to think about the prospect of his or her own failing health, but considering it now, in the short run, can help you pursue a more comfortable and secure...
Read MoreJump Starting the LTC Conversation This Summer
Talking about long-term-care (LTC) can be challenging, and it can be especially difficult to know where to start. How you choose to broach the conversation may depend on your loved one’s personality, age, health status, cognitive...
Read More6 Retirement Tips for Surviving the Sandwich Generation Squeeze
Adults caring for aging parents and children simultaneously have now become known as the "sandwich generation." While each generation comes with its own array of financial challenges, the sandwich generation often feels...
Read More5 Life Events That Impact Your Life Insurance Needs
A life insurance policy is part of financial planning. Life insurance is there to help ease the financial trauma that comes with the loss of a spouse, parent, or partner. As you encounter different events in your life, you may need to...
Read MoreEverything You Need to Know About Adjusting to Retirement
Economists and pundits predicted that the baby boomer generation's retirement would be dramatic, and the COVID pandemic sped things along. According to the St. Louis Fed, the number of retirees in the U.S. increased by 7% between...
Read More6 Savvy Ways Small Businesses May Save Money This Summer
6 Savvy Ways Small Businesses May Save Money This SummerWhether your business tends to slow down or speed up in the summer months, there are a few things small-business owners may consider to cut expenses as the temperature rises. Here...
Read MoreA Bear Market is Officially Here
A bear market is officially here thanks largely to stubbornly high inflation. For many of us, it has probably felt like a bear market for a while now, but the S&P 500 Index didn’t close more than 20% below its January 3 record...
Read MoreHow to Manage Savings for Retirement
Whether you dream of a travel-filled retirement or would prefer to relax and enjoy spending more time at home, you are probably wondering what you might consider to make your golden years as stress-free as possible. For those who...
Read MoreRetirement Planning: Investing in Your Health
When people plan for retirement, most think about the stock market, potential returns, and occasionally what their future retirement expenses might look like. And while it’s pretty easy to calculate future expenses for most...
Read MoreContinuing to Work After Drawing Social Security? What Retirees Should Know
Read More
The Utility of Sector Investing
There is a growing popularity among individuals to broaden their investment strategy beyond conventional allocations and investment styles. Some see sector investing as a way to seek new opportunities for enhanced portfolio performance...
Read MoreIWC Welcomes LPL Financial Advisor Tom Greuner
Independent Wealth Consultants Welcomes LPL Financial Advisor Tom Greuner Edinburg, Texas February 21, 2013 – LPL Financial Advisor Tom Greuner has joined local financial services firm Independent Wealth Consultants. The addition...
Read More