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. And once in a while, we may throw in a movie review or some other surprise. So keep checking in. We’re glad to have you reading along.
Tax Chaos: Important Lessons from Tax Season
You are not alone if this tax season brought unwelcome surprises. A speaker at a recent conference referred to tax year 2022 as a season of “Tax Chaos.” In response, I’m introducing new tax planning capabilities...
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Life Insurance: How Much Is Enough?
You may already be aware of the importance of having enough life insurance coverage to handle financial matters that could affect your family in the event of your death. However, determining the appropriate amount of coverage for your...
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Going Paperless With Account View 2.0
Get more security & convenience with your financial statementsI wanted to let you know you have the option to go paperless with your documents inside the Account View portal. Within the portal, you can sign up for paperless delivery of...
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Eleven Ways to Help Yourself Stay Sane in a Crazy Market
Keeping your cool can be hard to do when the market goes on one of its periodic roller-coaster rides. It's useful to have strategies in place that prepare you both financially and psychologically to handle market volatility. Here are...
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3 Questions 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 you may need to consider is when it...
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Financial Mistakes to Avoid in 2023
Could you be losing money because of simple monetary mistakes? Avoid these money-wasting habits in 2023 to have more cash when you need it—or save it for a rainy day.
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Common Factors Affecting Retirement Income
When it comes to planning for your retirement income, it's easy to overlook some of the common factors that can affect how much you'll have available to spend. If you don't consider how your retirement income can be impacted by...
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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. However, financial professionals may...
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Planning For Unexpected Costs Before You Retire
Your retirement planning needs to incorporate more than just investments. Your open heart and your relatives can combine to threaten your retirement savings – savings you soon may need. Learn the true cost to your future before...
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The IRS Increases 401(K) Limit By Record Amounts
As inflation soars, you can now save a lot more for your retirement. On October 21st, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced that the amount individuals can contribute to their 401(k) plans in 2023 has increased to $22,500,...
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2022/2023 Tax Season at a Glance
Download and print this tax guide to help you this season.
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An Annual Financial 'To-Do' List to Help Keep Your Finances on Track
Each year, many of us focus on our financial health by resetting goals and checking off items on our financial to-do list. Attempting to implement everything at once can be overwhelming but a month-by-month approach may help you plan...
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LPL Financial Research Outlook 2023: Finding Balance
Through all the challenges, newfound opportunities, and every high and low we’ve experienced during the last couple of years, it’s no surprise why we might be striving for more balance. Whether it’s about the...
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QCDs Donating and Gift Giving Through Your IRA
A qualified charitable distribution, or QCD, allows you to distribute funds from your IRA to an eligible charity (a 501(c)(3) organization) as long as you’re 70 1/2 years of age or older. Since the gift will go directly to the...
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IRS Adjusts Tax Brackets to Account for Inflation
Shifts in tax brackets as well as the standard deduction slated for 2024.On October 18, 2022, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced tax year 2023 adjustments for tax returns filed in 2024. From the IRS directly:“The tax...
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5 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...
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Preparing for Year-End and the 2022/2023 Tax Season
Year-end is approaching and being prepared is the best way to make this tax season your easiest yet. Following are important information and tools to help you get ready. As always, meeting with me early and often will ensure your...
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Thriving Through Market Volatility
What should you consider during periods of market volatility?
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What WA State Residents Need to Know About Estate Taxes
What WA State Residents Need to Know About Estate TaxesIn Washington State (WA), there is no inheritance tax but it does have an estate tax. An estate tax is a tax on your right to transfer property at your death. Estate tax accounts...
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Designating a Beneficiary for Life Insurance
A beneficiary is the person or entity you name (i.e., designate) to receive the death benefits of a life insurance policy. Some states require that your beneficiary have an insurable interest in your life or be related to you (at...
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Inflation Reduction Act: What You Should Know
The Inflation Reduction Act includes health-care and energy-related provisions, a new corporate alternative minimum tax, and an excise tax on certain corporate repurchases of stock.The Inflation Reduction Act, signed into law on August...
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A Retirement Income Roadmap for Women
More women are working and taking charge of their own retirement planning than ever before. What does retirement mean to you? Do you dream of traveling? Pursuing a hobby? Volunteering your time, or starting a new career or business?...
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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 of conversion, which might be a...
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Midyear Outlook 2022: Navigating Turbulence
Markets rarely give us clear skies, and there are always threats to watch for on the horizon, but the right preparation, context, and support can help us navigate anything that may lie ahead. So far, this year hasn’t seen a...
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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 them could result in impulsive,...
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Five Lessons To Remember During Bear Markets
The Stock Market has been trying to teach these lessons forever….The real value of a bear market may be that it gives investors, who are temporarily frozen within its grip, the opportunity to learn or relearn important lessons...
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Understanding the Three Different Types of Annuities and Payout Options
If you're like some Americans, you've probably heard of annuities but are unsure what they are. An annuity is a contract with an insurance company designed to help your money last throughout your life. With an annuity, the money you...
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Data breaches are inevitable – here’s how to protect yourself anyway
It’s tempting to give up on data security altogether, with all the billions of pieces of personal data – Social Security numbers, credit cards, home addresses, phone numbers, passwords and much more – breached and...
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Navigating Market Volatility–or Not
Market volatility could spook even the most seasoned investor. If a precipitous week or two in the market has you ready to sell, you may want to reconsider your risk tolerance and asset allocation. Attempting to time the market by...
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Finding the Right Accountant
Whether you're searching for an accounting professional to help you with your business needs or just want your taxes prepared by a CPA, forming a relationship with an accountant can require a lot of trust — and due diligence....
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Asset Allocation
Asset allocation is a common strategy that you can use to construct an investment portfolio. Asset allocation isn't about picking individual securities. Instead, you focus on broad categories of investments, mixing them together in the...
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IRS Makes Contribution Limit Changes for 2022
Talk to a financial professional to help create an appropriate financial plan for you. The Internal Revenue Service announced that the amount individuals can contribute to their 401(k) plans in 2022 has increased to $20,500, up from...
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2021/2022 Tax Season at a Glance
Download the 2021/2022 Tax Season at a Glance guide from LPL.
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The Traits of a Good Investor and How Women Can Make the Most of Them
Many women manage their own money. This includes women who have always been doing so and women who are relatively new to the world of investing, for whatever reason. Regardless of your level of investing experience, there are certain...
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Charitable Giving: Making a Positive Difference
There are countless benefits of charitable giving. Through generous donations, you can make a difference in your community and society. You may also feel happier and even save on your taxes. Here are some key things to need to know...
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Planning Your Distributions After Retirement
When it comes to retirement planning, much ado is made of how much to save. But often, the real difference lies in shrewd distribution planning. By withdrawing funds from certain account types in a certain order, you might...
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A Holistic Approach to Your Retirement
Retirement and financial planning should take on a holistic approach. There are two parts involved, preparing for retirement, and being in retirement stages. Both stages are equally important in your approach to how you view your mind,...
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Year-End Tax Planning Tips
You may be able to reduce your tax liability if you consider adopting these tax strategies before year’s end. Few words can dampen the cheer and optimism of a New Year like taxes. Let’s face it, the time for holidays, time...
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Defining Your Retirement: A Judicial Approach
“So what do you think?” she asked, staring across a desk piled with papers. Nearing the end of her 32-year teaching career, after years of diligent saving and several weeks...
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October is Time for Long-Term Care Planning
Has it been a year already? Here once again, October is Long-Term Care Planning Month. And this year, workers in Washington State must make an important long-term care decision. Beginning January 2022, Washington workers will begin...
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Creating an Income Plan While in Retirement
Taking money out of retirement without a plan is a recipe for trouble You‘ve saved for years. Now that you are retired, did you create an income plan from your savings? The financial industry and media constantly talk about the...
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How Long Before the Fed Changes Its Course?
Quantitative easing and short-term rates near zero could be ending soon. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell seems to have capitulated on plans to taper the Fed’s stimulus program as of mid-July, causing the bond market to rally...
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Gone Phishing: Protecting Against Online Attacks
Identity theft compromises the personal data of millions of Americans every year. There are steps you can take to minimize your online risk and protect your sensitive data from cyber-attacks. Identity theft is a growing concern that...
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Now is a Fantastic Time to Review Your IPS
An Investment Policy Statement is your guardrail to help keep you on your path When markets near high records, you wonder, “Is this a bubble?” When markets dive, you wonder, “Is this a crash?” Your biggest...
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Rising Inflation: Where Will It Go From Here?
In March 2021, the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.6%, the largest one-month increase since August 2012. Over the previous 12 months, the increase was 2.6%, the highest year-over-year inflation rate since...
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How Financial Planning Helps You Work Towards Your Self-Improvement Goals
Many self-improvement goals focus on stability and personal growth — and financial goals are often no different. From buying your first home to saving for retirement, planning your finances can also help you work toward your...
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When To Call Me- Times to Call Your Financial Advisors
Most of us go to see professionals when we’re in trouble or during times of crisis. Think about it. We go to the doctor when we’re sick. We go see a lawyer when we have a pending legal matter. We go see a counselor when...
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Key Benefits of a Financial Professional
Whether you've been wondering about boosting your investments' rates of return or are concerned that your financial affairs are a bit too complicated for your next of kin to handle, it may be time to seek advice from a financial...
Read MoreNew for 2021: Welcome Latona Wealth Partners
I have always been skeptical when companies change names. Often, one unpronounceable but familiar name is replaced with something less pronounceable and completely unfamiliar. I’ve always felt that customers are right to wonder...
Read MoreInvestment Updates: 2020 is Hindsight
We all have a word or phrase to describe what 2020 was like for us. Among the more politely printable options, “Extraordinary” may sum up the year for investors. Through a period of extraordinary volatility, global markets...
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LPL Financial Research Outlook 2021: Powering Forward
LPL Research Outlook 2021: Powering Forward is designed to help you navigate a year in which economic conditions may continue to improve dramatically. Like the markets, Outlook 2021 looks ahead. 2021 will bring advances to further limit...
Read MoreBudgeting Basics: This Won't Hurt a Bit
What comes to mind when you hear the word "budget?" You’re not alone if you’re thinking “tedious, life-draining sacrifice.” ...
Read MoreReviewing Beneficiaries Following a Divorce
We knew it was time to take action when the last file drawer refused to close. This summer our practice completed a long-postponed paperless conversion, moving everything we had stored on paper up to the cloud. Now, as we wield greater...
Read MoreWith Apologies, and Gratitude, to Dr. Seuss
Turbulent markets challenge investors to balance reason and emotion. When the ride turns bumpy, our reasonable side buckles in while our emotional side prepares to bail out. Finding the calm place in between can help investors stay on...
Read MoreReality, or the Raft?
Last week, The New York Times shared the story of a rafting group who returned from a month of isolation in the Grand Canyon to discover a new reality. I have tried to imagine what I might choose if offered a return to reality or...
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