Articles
COVID-19 – Differences
During this time of quarantine, it seems that people are forming stronger opinions on just about any and every subject as more time passes. And these opinions seem to be more and more polarizing. This is our opportunity as uncommon people to show grace towards people who have different views than our own. Not only is…
Read MoreCOVID-19 – Numbers
Last week we posted some of the numbers reflecting the number of COVID-19 cases that are being diagnosed in the United States and around the world. This week we decided to look at several sources to make sure we are giving you the most accurate information possible. We were shocked and a little defeated by…
Read MoreCOVID – 19 – Perspective, Mortgage Payments and Market Recap
Perspective With many states moving towards a slow reopening and phased approaches to opening businesses, we should start to see the economy shift over the next few weeks to months. As we know, it is in America’s best interest to get the economy back up and running. COVID 19 Update United States Cases: 1.07M Recovered cases: 127K…
Read MoreCOVID-19 – PPP, Oil and the SECURE Act
May is just around the corner and we hope that you’ve enjoyed some of this awesome weather that we have been experiencing in the Midwest! As Iowa announced it will not be going back to school for the rest of the year, many other states followed suit. Forty-three states so far have decided to stay…
Read MoreCOVID-19 – Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) & Stimulus Checks
This past week President Trump announced he wanted to open America back up in 3 phases. The complete outline of these phases can be found here. This may be a positive indicator that we could be seeing America getting back to work sooner rather than later. One of the main things taking up space right…
Read MoreCOVID-19 – Jobless Claims, the Stock Market, and Inflation
Jobless Claims We continue to see a divergence between Wall St, Washington, and Main St. This chart of US Weekly initial jobless claims is staggering. The number of people being laid off, furloughed or salary-reduced is not fully captured by this chart either. This video puts it in context and shows just how…
Read MoreCOVID-19 Update – Mortgages and PPP
We are hoping this finds you safe and healthy! Right now, the CDC is reporting over 213,000 cases of COVID-19 in the United States. The number of cases is constantly changing but we do see COVID-19 sticking around for a while with a significant impact in the 2nd quarter. Looking at the markets, we are…
Read MoreCOVID-19, the CARES Act and what it means for you
We sincerely hope that this finds you healthy and safe. Information is coming at us from all sorts of directions and it is an honor to be one of the sources to help you try to process everything that is going on. We aren’t experts at COVID-19 but want to keep giving you valuable information…
Read MoreCollege and Adult Planning – the 1000 Foot View
You are thinking about having kids in a few years. Is it too late to start planning for their college education? That’s actually not an extreme exaggeration of the anxiety we hear from young families when it comes to saving for their children’s future. And it’s not just about higher education. We like to think…
Read MoreRetirement Income – The Buckets of Money Strategy
“Buckets of money” has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? It may sound like wishing to win the lottery, but it is a serious strategy for managing your retirement income. With this strategy, you segment your retirement investment money designed for lifetime income into buckets of time, let’s say 5-year increments. So, instead of…
Read MoreRetirement Income: Dividends & Interest
When it comes to retirement income, most people like to imagine having so much money that they can just live on dividends and interest. The reality is that most people will never have enough money to simply live off dividends and interest in retirement. Several factors make dividends and interest income in retirement a challenge:…
Read MoreA Simple Guide to Systematic Withdrawal Plans
Traditionally, there are four pillars to retirement planning: Interest, Dividends, Capital Gains, and Principal. In this series of retirement income articles, we want to explore the best way to balance these pillars. In this article, we’re going to take a closer look at how systematic withdrawal plans (SWPs) work and some pros and cons to…
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