Q4 Wealth Management News & Client Events

loading...

Please see the attached forecast by our custodian First Clearing and Wells Fargo. See the Forecast >

loading...

Last year, The Wall Street Journal reported that Mississippi received $3.07 in federal funding for every dollar paid in income taxes. (Delaware, by contrast, got 50 cents in federal funding for every dollar in income taxes they forked over.) Quoting Wallethub, the Journal notes that the more dependent a state is on the federal government, the less likely it is to charge high tax rates. Read the Full Story >

loading...

Social Security …

Always in the news, always on our minds, and now it seems invitations to learn about Social Security are always in our mailboxes!  Just this week we received two invitations to “Social Security and You” seminars offering a “conversation” and free food.  We met another advisor this week who travels up and down the Front Range giving 2 – 3 Social Security seminars a week to prospective clients.

Of course, we look at “Social Security and You” a different way.

We prefer to meet with you individually and discuss your needs and concerns around Social Security, because after all we know your financial picture better than a speaker at a seminar.  And, we prefer to invest our time planning on behalf of you, our client vs. hosting seminars that can take away valuable client management resources such as time, energy, and focus.

As people are living longer, Social Security “claiming strategies” become very important to consider because they determine when and how much money is in your hands, and for how long.   For couples, strategies are critical because when the first spouse dies it is important to maximize the amount the other spouse will receive.  And for divorcees, there can be SS strategies in play too with your ex-spouse.

The key is to research your personal claiming strategies to determine which are right for you (and your spouse) in the context of your cash flow and needs.  We are here to help you do that through advanced planning tools we utilize such as Social Security Analyzer, eMoney, and diagnostic planning with One Capital Management.  In fact, the cash flows that we have prepared for clients already take Social Security into consideration.

We have three articles posted to our website which you may find interesting.  The first is Social Security a Woman’s Perspective and the second is Social Security Guide FCC (this one is rather lengthy), and last, Understanding Claiming Strategies.  (All of the articles have been prepared by First Clearing, your custodian).

loading...

Social Security: A Woman’s Perspective

Regardless of whether you’re a man or a woman, Social Security will not – and was never designed to – provide all of the income you’ll need to live comfortably during retirement. At best, your income from Social Security will supplement your other sources.

If you are factoring Social Security into your retirement plan, you should learn all you can about how to enhance your benefits, and how much income you may need from other sources, to be financially comfortable during your retirement years.

Get the full story here:  Social Security a Woman’s Perspective

loading...

Winter 2015

At least stateside, we’re being dealt too many aces for event the biggest naysayers to suggest we pick up whatever remaining chips we have on the table, cash out, and head for the door.  The economy created another 252,000 jobs in December, a record 58th straight month of private sector gains.  The jobless rate dropped to 5.6 percent, nearly back to normal after peaking at 10 percent in October of 2009, and consumers have returned in spite of the recent December report of a decline in consumer spending that was largely impacted by a 19% drop in gasoline prices (figures that aren’t adjusted for in the government’s release).  Read more here.   OCM Folio Winter 2015

loading...

At least stateside, we’re being dealt too many aces for even the biggest naysayers to suggest we pick up whatever remaining chips we have on the table, cash out, and head for the door. The economy created another 252,000 jobs in December, a record 58th straight month of private sector gains. The jobless rate dropped to 5.6 percent, nearly back to normal after peaking at 10 percent in October of 2009, and consumers have returned, in spite of the recent December report of a decline in consumer spending that was largely impacted by a 19% drop in gasoline prices (figures that aren’t adjusted for in the government’s release). Read the Full Story >

loading...

Q4 Wealth Management welcomed friends and clients to their Open House on June 4, 2014. The evening was filled with great cheese from our neighbor the Welsh Rabbit, great beer from CooperSmiths, and great conversation.

loading...

The new year brings many resolutions … many in the pursuit of improvements we all feel we need to make!  One popular area is organization!  By now most of you are busy gathering information for your accounting professionals and wondering “can I shred this now?”.  Below is a guide which you can download and use for your own record keeping management!

What to Keep, Where to Store, and When to Shred

loading...

Financial reports and statements can be daunting … no matter if they are in paper or digital versions!  Here is a reference guide for you to use when reviewing your statements.  It may be a bit long but well worth the read!

Account Statement Brochure

loading...

Target and Neiman Marcus made the news this holiday season with the massive data breach their customers were victims of.  There will always be a new way to skin a cat and devious people are always going to be looking for ways to make a quick buck at someone eles’ expense.  That being said, it is important to review the various ways identity theft can happen and what one can do about it.  Please take time to review this presentation.  We hope you find it of value!

Minimizing the Risk of Identity Theft