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What’s on my mind? That's a scary thought...but you can read about it on my blog. Whether it’s investment related, current issues or thoughts from some of you...you can read about it here. And once in a while, I may throw in a movie review or something unexpected. So check in from time to time.

Friday, May 17, 2019

For most entrepreneurs, their business represents a lifetime of hard work, dedication and sacrifice. Building a successful company is extremely challenging, but also incredibly rewarding. However, many business owners find themselves...

Tuesday, April 2, 2019

Recently I hosted a workshop where we discussed several topics related to estate planning. Listed below are several important steps that everyone should take when it comes to ensuring your wishes will be carried out. Is your...

Thursday, March 7, 2019

There has been a lot of discussion out there about the economy cooling down, so I wanted to take some time to talk about a few key indicators which have been performing very well, despite the recent government shutdown and the ongoing...

Tuesday, February 5, 2019

Happy Winter everyone! I wanted to share an article from the January edition of Retire Wise by Katie Williams. It talks about some things to be aware of if you’re someone who likes to fly to warmer climates for the winter. Take a...

Thursday, December 20, 2018

With market volatility dominating the headlines, many investors are looking for advice on how to proceed given the tumultuous climate. In his 2017 shareholder letter, Warren Buffet suggested that you consider these lines from the...

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Tuesday, November 27, 2018

As 2018 comes upon its final days, the stock market prognosis is looking challenged. Despite solid economic fundamentals, the stock market has been increasingly volatile. This is the point where retail investors start to make mistakes...

Wednesday, October 31, 2018

As I am sure many of you have noticed, the stock markets have taken a downward turn over the past few weeks. While nobody likes to see a lower portfolio value, it’s important to keep perspective in the face of increased market...

Tuesday, September 18, 2018

Hello All, I wanted to share some information about Health Savings Accounts (commonly referred to as HSA) that I thought might be useful to many of you. For those who are not aware, HSA’s are tax advantaged accounts that can be...

Tuesday, August 28, 2018

Last week I attended a conference in San Antonio, Texas with over 3,500 independent advisors from all over the United States. One of the highlights of the conference was Rick Rigsby, Ph.D who is an inspirational speaker. His personal...

Tuesday, August 21, 2018

Good day, I wanted to share another article from the Slott Report by Jim Glass about the importance of naming a designated beneficiary in an IRA. An IRA can be inherited by a beneficiary that is legal entity, such as a charity or an...

Tuesday, July 10, 2018

If you’re like many Americans…you watch TV and promoters and marketers want you to build a lifestyle that they want to sell you. A big house, a sports car, a luxury vacation, it’s all part of the American Dream....

Tuesday, June 19, 2018

Whether you are approaching retirement age or just thinking about the future, you should consider a few basic steps to start the conversation about retirement savings. The first thing to do is to write down your biggest financial goals...

Tuesday, June 5, 2018

Recently I came across another article from the Slott Report by Jim Glass that had some interesting information regarding IRAs and creditors. In the event that you were to incur a large liability, would the money in your IRA be...

Tuesday, May 22, 2018

Continuing your education can be a great way to engage your mind in retirement. In fact, several studies have shown that people who utilize their brains to learn a new skill or further their education tend to experience fewer cognitive...

Tuesday, May 1, 2018

As many of you now know, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act has officially gone into effect. I came across an article written by Jeremy Rodriguez of The Slott Report regarding some of the changes that may impact your 2018 tax filings from the...

Tuesday, April 17, 2018

I’m sure many of you have heard about the tariffs President Trump has implemented on steel, aluminum, and other products. The United States has implemented tariffs in the past, often with the goal of protecting American...

Tuesday, April 3, 2018

Recently I came across an article in the Fairfield County Real Estate Book written by Craig Middleton about the best financial investments for your home. For many Americans, their home is one of their largest assets. By making...

Tuesday, March 13, 2018

When people think about identity theft, they often imagine a thief stealing credit card information or using a social security number to open up fraudulent accounts. While these are certainly legitimate threats, there are a few other...

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

If you’ve been watching the stock market headlines over the last few weeks, you might think that we are in the midst of a market crash. While it’s true that the market dropped significantly at the end of January, it’s...

Tuesday, February 13, 2018

Tax season is upon us and for people who own homes in multiple states, this means meeting and proving residency requirements. Luckily for us, modern technology can alleviate the hassle of having to manually catalog your days spent in...

Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Have you ever been on a trip where unexpected circumstances forced you to cut it short? It can be very frustrating to eat the costs of a trip you weren’t able to complete. Just as you can purchase insurance for your home or...

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

In 1930 the average life expectancy of a woman was 62 and a man was 58. Today a woman can expect to live 86.6 years and a man 84.3 years. These stats come directly from the social security administration. Now that I’m in my...

Tuesday, December 26, 2017

With the 2017 year coming to a close, something very interesting has become part of the new budget for the State of CT. The State Government has passed a budget, enacted in Senate Bill 1502, that will increase the thresholds at which...

Tuesday, December 5, 2017

In the past week we have received a number of calls regarding Bitcoin. I’m sure many of you have heard the buzz. The massive gains in the cryptocurrency since the beginning of the year has many people excited and curious about...

Tuesday, November 28, 2017

We all remember the story of “How to boil a frog”. It seems there are a growing numbers of frogs in the markets these days. Let me explain…for the first time in history we have had a year beginning with 10 straight...

Tuesday, November 14, 2017

If you like sunny and 80 degrees, then you’ll love Arizona this time of year. My wife and I, on a recent trip, took a great hike in Northern Scottsdale. Brown’s Mountain is an ancient volcano located in the Sonoran Reserve....

Tuesday, November 7, 2017

Over the past number of weeks, I’ve heard all sorts of speculation about tax reform. Here are some of the major provisions of the current proposed tax reform that may impact many Americans. 401k’s and IRA’s are...

Tuesday, October 31, 2017

While the effects of the devastation from Hurricane Maria are still being felt in Puerto Rico, the island was in financial trouble long before the storm even touched down. These woes have been exacerbated by a failing power grid and...

Tuesday, October 24, 2017

Hello Everyone, Recently I can across an interesting company making a product here in the U.S. with a purpose! R. Riveter was founded by two military spouses who were looking for a way to break the cycle of under-employment that so...

Tuesday, October 3, 2017

The recent breach of personal information from the credit monitoring agency Equifax has left nearly 150 million Americans vulnerable to cyber criminals. The CEO of Equifax resigned and will be appearing before congress to testify about...

Tuesday, September 26, 2017

Hello All,With Healthcare in the news yet again, I thought this would be a good time to share an article that explains some important facts about Medicare and how it will affect you in retirement. Regardless of your income or health...

Tuesday, September 19, 2017

As I am sure many of you have heard in the news, the credit reporting agency Equifax suffered a breach which led to the personal information of 143 million Americans being leaked. People’s names, social security numbers, birth...

Tuesday, September 5, 2017

It’s Hurricane Season! In the wake of the destruction caused in Texas by Hurricane Harvey and with Hurricane Irma on the horizon, I wanted to share some great ways that you can donate to provide relief to the victims of these...

Tuesday, August 29, 2017

Military families face unique challenges, such as deployment to conflict zones, overseas assignments, and the constancy of change, making personal finance even more critical. The first step…understand what’s available...

Tuesday, August 15, 2017

In today’s world we see more and more non-traditional relationships. Many times these relationships are young people who just decide not to marry. These types of non-traditional relationships have unintended issues such as...

Tuesday, August 8, 2017

A good advisor can give a lot of security and comfort when it comes to your financial future, unfortunately some advisors do not have your best interests at heart. Here are a few quick and easy tips to protect yourself from...

Tuesday, July 25, 2017

Estate Planning can be an unpleasant thought for all of us, but it’s about much more than The Benjamins! By taking the right steps, you can ensure that your wishes can be easily understood and carried out. Here are some items to...

Monday, July 17, 2017

As the debate over healthcare continues in Washington it is important to remember that no matter what the government ultimately chooses to do, health care will be a significant cost to all people during retirement. One option available...

Tuesday, July 11, 2017

Social Security has been a consistent source of retirement income since it was established in 1935. We all have some idea of how it functions, but here are some facts you might not have been aware of:

Thursday, July 6, 2017

There is no question that we live in a world of rapidly evolving industries. As such, the jobs available in the market are demanding skills that the current labor market is struggling to keep pace with. Many Americans are feeling left...

Tuesday, June 27, 2017

The concept of a traditional retirement is certainly at risk for most Americans. Healthcare costs continue to rise, on average most Americans save too little, large companies continue to shed older employees, and we are all living...

Tuesday, June 20, 2017

As many of you may know Adam West died this month. I’m not aware of the circumstances of his death but if he required custodial care at the end of his life I’m sure Robin would have said, “Holy cow Batman!” The...

Tuesday, June 20, 2017

Good Afternoon, As we move forward this year, I wanted to share a helpful reference sheet from Putnam regarding Ten Income and Estate Tax Planning Strategies that you should think about for 2017. Some ideas you may want to consider:...

Tuesday, June 13, 2017

When thinking about estate planning, the word “children” can be more nuanced than one might realize. The phrase, “my children” may appear to be an obvious reference to your biological children, however there are...

Tuesday, June 6, 2017

Roth 401(k)s and Roth IRAs have many similarities, both allow you to make contributions after tax with the intent to collect tax free earnings in the future. For people under age 50, there is a maximum contribution to a Roth IRA of $5...

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

Aside from an employer-sponsored 401(k) plan, a health savings account(HSA) is a great savings vehicle for employees as part of an overall retirement plan strategy, according to Forbes. An HSA offers triple tax benefits: 1)...

Monday, November 7, 2016

Many of us are Costco patrons...saw this article from Kiplinger's Personal Finance and thought what a nice diversion from the election. http://www.kiplinger...

Wednesday, March 2, 2016

We are all impacted directly or indirectly by identity theft. Here is a short video with some tips to protect yourself by the infamous Frank Abagnale who's former life as a con man was portrayed in the movie "Catch Me If You Can"....

Thursday, December 31, 2015

There will not be much change for 2016 as it applies to retirement plans but it's always important to review the basics. This is also a great time to review your plans and make sure you have designated beneficiaries. 401(k) salary...

Saturday, November 14, 2015

As year end approaches there are a few items to consider: Charitable Contributions - If you haven't completed your gifting for 2015 now is the time to be thinking about it. Not sure what charities you wish to support...think about...

Monday, November 9, 2015

Last week we got some good jobs numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statisitics which could be pointing to our first rate hike by the Federal Reserve in a number of years. With that said investors need to be reviewing their investments...

Thursday, November 5, 2015

Many of us hear about the energy revolution happening in the US but don't quite understand what that could me. Here's a brief but informative video about America's energy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgCzeFVMepI

Thursday, December 18, 2014

Overall it has been a positive year for investors, despite some of the recent volatility due to falling oil prices. As the year closes, investors should consider reviewing their portfolios to identify any possible tax loss selling...

Saturday, December 6, 2014

As 2014 comes to a close, it's important to be thinking about charitable giving and year end. Many times families are stressed over the holidays and forget about taking advantage of the tax benefits associated with year end gifting. A...

Thursday, November 20, 2014

As the holidays approach, divorce attorneys will be patiently waiting for the calls they will receive after the holidays. It is known that many couples having difficulties will wait until after the turkey is carved and the presents...

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

It's time to revisit your 401(k) for the new year.Here are some items to consider...The IRS has just updated plan contributions to $18,000 for 2015 and $6,000 for catch-up contributions for those 50 and up. Think about increasing your...