In today’s economic uncertainty, business closures and layoffs are increasingly common. The loss of a job can cause serious stress personally and financially. To help guide you through a disruption in employment, we’ve created the checklist “What Issues Should I Consider If I Lose my Job?”

Rebalancing an investment portfolio is critical to keeping your investments on track to meet your goals. It’s as much a part of a good plan as determining the right allocation in the first place. Incorporating a discussion of your current situation and any changes to your life that you anticipate coming up should also be part of your portfolio rebalance discussion. It’s necessary portfolio hygiene that will help keep your financial plan healthy.‍

Creating a sustainable retirement income stream means building a plan that can adapt and grow with you as your retirement lifestyle and goals change. Identifying guaranteed income, creating an asset management plan designed to mitigate volatility, and being sensitive to taxes are the broad strokes. There are a lot of details and customization that make your plan work for you. Setting a solid foundation and then tracking and proactively making changes will keep your plan on pace with the lifestyle you want.

A classic investment strategy is “Buy What You Know” – in other words, invest in companies and brands that you are familiar with and believe in. Investing in the company you work for can be part of a solid equity allocation, particularly when your company has an Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP) that allows you to buy shares of company stock at a 5%-15% discount with after-tax dollars.There are also advantages included in some plans, such as a lookback, that can let employees get an even better deal. We break down what you need to know before adding your company stock to your investment plan.

The financial advisor model has changed over the last several decades. From the investor perspective, these changes provide more options, more transparency, and more of the kind of services that used to be accessible only by those with a great deal of wealth.The fee-only fiduciary advisor gets paid to provide advice to their clients, whether in financial planning, asset management, or both. The fiduciary standard is a key piece of this. To act to the fiduciary standard, an advisor must always put a client’s interest above their own. Fee-only advisors get paid exclusively by their clients and don’t receive commissions or kickbacks from recommending certain products or services. Trust is at the heart of all financial advisory relationships. As an investor, you want to find an advisor that you can trust and a transparent fee structure is a critical part of that.

Income and taxes go hand-in-hand in retirement, even more than in your working years. Planning ahead with a multi-year approach to lowering lifetime taxes – instead of taxes in any one year – can keep your retirement on track, lifestyle in place, and legacy secure.

Stock options and restricted stock units (RSUs) are becoming more common as part of a total compensation package. But there are differences between saving for retirement from salary and incorporating stock into a retirement plan. Depending on where you are in your career, you may have decades to exercise options and set up a plan to save consistently. Or you may be close enough that you’ll need to carefully plan your retirement date to vest as much as possible before employment termination.

The end of the year provides a number of planning opportunities and issues. Year-end topics can include tax planning, investment and retirement accounts, charitable giving, cash flow and savings, insurance and estate planning. In this checklist, we cover a number of planning issues that you need to consider prior to year-end to ensure you stay on track

Being in a position to create your legacy now – and hopefully see it grow and improve others’ lives – is a modern approach to wealth. Be sure that you have taken care of your own needs, create a formal plan, and allow everyone involved to understand the amount, intent, and timing of the gift.

For borrowers with lower balances, the $10,000 or $20,000 student loan forgiveness program will mean an immediate, tangible difference in income and standard of living. Borrowers with higher balances that have made payments but were having difficulty getting debts discharged will – until October 31, 2022 – have a chance to cut through the red tape and get relief.

Tax-loss harvesting can be a useful portfolio management tool that can lower your tax costs. It can be part of an annual rebalance, or you may keep the tax benefits in mind as you opportunistically invest throughout the year. Your investment strategy should always be the priority, and to get the maximum benefit, think through the implications of the sales of both gains and losses before you execute. And of course – consulting your financial and tax advisor is always a good idea.‍

Working with a financial advisor can be one of the most productive professional relationships you’ll have. You can structure the relationship any way you want to reflect your style, needs, and comfort level.Whether you want an advisor who will be a partner for many years to come, who will be your “first call” no matter what happens, or if you like to DIY your money and need some help creating a plan you can implement – there’s an advisor for everyone.

Depending on the type of compensation you have, the way you need to address it is different. Executives with stock in public companies will have different needs than employees of start-ups that haven’t gone public yet or are in early stages. The type of equity compensation you hold will dictate the strategy you need to put in place. With equity compensation, two things are most important: -Making sure you clearly understand all of the regulations and deadlines you’ll need to meet; -Planning for paying the taxes, and minimizing the impact

Financial planning used to be something that people did at retirement to convert their savings into income. But lifestyles look different now, and the retirement trajectory is much shorter for many people. Starting early on your financial plan makes sense, and tax planning is a big part of building wealth that will last.

The mid-point is where you are starting to see your work pay off-You're still in the building and growing phase as you get closer to retirement. However, with that increased complexity comes a high opportunity cost of messing up. Is it time to check in with a professional?

Tune out the noise and focus on YOUR PLAN --Downturns come and go. The results of a well-designed and faithfully followed plan, on the other hand, can serve you the rest of your life.

Inflation is driving the headlines and wreaking havoc on budgets. But for long-term investors – mostly everyone – short-term inflation isn’t the biggest risk to financial plans. Volatility is. It’s being fueled by the Federal Reserve’s efforts to balance bringing down inflation with keeping the economy out of recession.

Thinking about your financial picture holistically and keeping all the different pieces tuned up is important to make sure you and your family are achieving your goals and staying protected. Taking the time to check in with some of the bigger items before you turn to the lazy, hazy days of summer will have you in great shape when Fall rolls around.

If retiring early has been your plan, you may be worried if it’s still possible given the recent volatility. Moving from contributing to withdrawing savings is a big step, and when markets are volatile, it’s even more important to have a plan in place to ensure your savings will last.

It can be unnerving when it comes to market volatility, but with the right plan and proper guidance, you can navigate it seamlessly without losing sleep. If you don't have a plan, then you're just reacting. When was the last time you had your plan stress tested?

Creating a flexible financial plan that protects your family, grows your assets, and minimizes risks and taxes is the foundation of building wealth. At this stage, you are starting to accumulate enough that mistakes and missed opportunities can be very costly. As your financial journey unfolds, it’s important to ensure that it keeps up with your life. As you change and grow, your goals will evolve, and your resources often increase. Ensuring that your planning matches your life stage is critical to growing wealth and staying on track as you move forward.

For a buyer, it’s a frustrating time to enter the housing market. Given the likelihood that interest rates will continue to rise and inventories will not increase dramatically anytime soon, you’ll need to be strategic, prepared, and fast-moving. Do your research, set your expectations, and get your ducks in order.

The mid-point is where you are starting to see your work pay off-You're still in the building and growing phase as you get closer to retirement. However, with that increased complexity comes a high opportunity cost of messing up. Is it time to check in with a professional?

Stock market volatility can be amplified when a large portion of your compensation is tied to our employer's stock. But remember that stock compensation is a long-term deal, and with restricted stock or RSUs you receive at least some value at vesting, even if the company's stock price has fallen since grant.

Financial advice expands beyond selecting products for an asset allocation and can include assistance with tax planning, insurance reviews, goal setting and prioritization, and cash flow management. As client needs become less investment-focused and more life-focused, financial advice has begun to evolve and take on a new form. Working with an advisor to re-focus your finances can help bring clarity and confidence to some of life’s most important decisions. In this article, we break down a few ways this new style of advice brings value to clients at all stages of life.