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,

As tax time rolls around each year we all start getting the necessary documents for proper filing of our taxes. You're not alone if you find all of these important forms a little confusing! Besides the W-2 which is used to report wages, form 1099 is widely used for a variety of purposes. Here are the basics you need to know about this multi-functional form.

There are a number of reasons why a Roth IRA is a smart way to invest for retirement. For most investors, tax benefits rank #1 in their reasoning for investing in a Roth IRA. 

Even the most seasoned investors are prone to their influence.

Investors are routinely warned about allowing their emotions to influence their decisions. However, they are less routinely cautioned about their preconceptions and biases that may color their financial choices.

In a battle between the facts & biases, our biases may win. If we acknowledge this tendency, we may be able to avoid some unexamined choices when it comes to personal finance. It may actually "pay" to recognize blind spots and biases with investing. Here are some common examples of bias creeping into our financial lives.

“Do I have enough?” This is a question we hear all the time during our meetings with clients and prospective clients. While this question is often asked about retirement, we have heard it posed about countless other objectives clients are dreaming of and working towards:

How many pieces do you have in place?

When you read about money matters, you will sometimes see the phrase, “getting your financial house in order.” What exactly does that mean?

When your financial “house is in order,” it means it is built on a solid foundation. It means that you have six fundamental “pillars” in place that are either crucial for sustaining your financial well-being or creating wealth.

Each year as we look ahead at all we want to accomplish - and look back at all we wished we had done last year it's easy to feel some regret. If you're like me you might find yourself thinking "I wish I woulda. . ." or "I shoulda. . ." or "If only I coulda. . .".  But experience tells me that shoulda, coulda, woulda doesn't help us move forward.