Are you a risk-taker or do you play it safe? Do you jump out of airplanes for fun or is getting an extra serving of sprinkles on your soft serve your idea of risk? Each of us can look at our behaviors and determine whether the life we lead is high-flying risky or plain-vanilla safe. But can we do the same for our investments? Can you look at the stocks or funds you own and get a good idea of how risky your portfolio is? The answer is probably no.

We live in a "do it yourself" world. There are television networks and countless websites dedicated to learning how to "DIY" tasks that previously one would pay to have done for them.  

Today we’re taking a look at the important topic of Risk in your investment portfolio. What do you need to know about investment risk?  How can you be sure that you have the right amount of risk in your portfolio?

Financial planning is a huge part of what we do here at Creekmur Wealth Advisors, so it's no surprise that tax planning is one area we spend a lot of time working in. When I talk about tax planning I am not talking about filling out and submitting your tax return every April 15^th. Filing your taxes is necessary, but it's reactive or backward-looking. Tax planning, on the other hand, is a forward-looking, comprehensive approach to reducing lifetime taxes and increasing overall after-tax wealth.

The topic of IRA's & Roth IRA's can certainly be confusing! But these investment tools are valuable in helping to set you up for the retirement that you envision. 

Ready or not - here it comes! Tax filing can be confusing and stressful. Here's a few things you can do to make this process a little smoother.   

Over the years I often receive questions from people who want my “great insight” about investing and financial matters. When someone finds out that I work in wealth management, they usually ask for my best “hot tip” – and to that I want to reply,