Blog

3 Ways to Pay Off Student Loan Debt

Hadley Nielson, CFP®, BFA™

Wednesday, October 26, 2022

For some households, student loan debt is their biggest monthly expense (after their mortgage). Chances are, these are people who borrowed $100,000 or more to earn an advanced degree, usually in law or medicine. If you or someone you...

5 Reasons Why Women Need to Invest

Hadley Nielson, BFA™

Wednesday, September 28, 2022

Despite progress toward financial planning and saving, women often face challenges regarding their financial security. These challenges can include more time away from the workforce (often caring for children or for parents), the...

3 Tips for the Second Half of 2022

Hadley Nielson, BFA™

Tuesday, August 30, 2022

With half the year behind us, now is a great time to consider what the remainder of 2022 may hold. However, with inflation and economic uncertainty causing many of us to delay or cancel vacations, large purchases, and more, it can be...

Smart Things to Do with a Bonus

Hadley Nielson, BFATM

Monday, June 27, 2022

If you are anticipating an annual bonus this year, it’s wise to come up with a thoughtful plan for the extra cash before it comes so you can get the most benefit from it. If you need more time to consider your options, deposit...

June 2022: Your Money Matters

Hadley Nielson, BFATM

Thursday, June 2, 2022

This month’s Your Money Matters newsletter features some tips on budgeting after a divorce, how your credit score compares to the rest of the country, what could happen if you invested instead of buying more stuff, and the true...

Inflation Creeping into Personal Finances

Hadley Nielson, BFATM

Wednesday, May 18, 2022

If you have a balance on a credit card or an adjustable rate mortgage, you might be noticing changes in your payments. Higher interest rates are starting to ripple through the personal finance landscape, and it doesn’t look like...

Are you Social Security savvy?

Hadley Nielson, BFATM

Wednesday, April 27, 2022

How much do you know about Social Security? Given how layered the topic can be, it’s wise to educate yourself as much as you can about your options. We have a number of resources on our website that can help you take a bite out...

Extended Care - What You Should Plan For

Hadley Nielson, BFATM

Tuesday, April 19, 2022

INSURANCE - READ TIME: 3 MIN Addressing the potential risks of extended term care expenses may be one of the biggest financial challenges for individuals who are developing a retirement strategy. The U.S. Department of Health and...

Last Minute Tips Before Tax Day!

Hadley Nielson, BFATM

Friday, March 25, 2022

Fewer things are more reliable than tax day, even if the deadline has shifted around a bit in recent years. This year, it’s April 18th for most taxpayers, and recent legislation changes include substantial increases to standard...

Warren Buffett on Volatility

Hadley Nielson, BFATM

Thursday, March 10, 2022

If you’re concerned about today’s market volatility, you might take some comfort from one of my favorite quotes by Warren Buffett. “I would tell them don’t watch the market closely,” said the Oracle of...

All-American Pastime: Baseball or Investing?

Hadley Nielson, BFATM

Tuesday, February 22, 2022

Yankees great Yogi Berra once quipped, “90% of baseball is mental; the other half is physical.”Math aside, Yogi’s point is well-taken: to excel at any sport on a professional level, mental tenacity counts for as much...

It's time to catch up on retirement

Hadley Nielson

Thursday, January 13, 2022

Even the federal government knows that this period of life is special. According to the IRS, 50 is the magical age when you get to contribute thousands of dollars more to your retirement account each year, commonly called “catch up contribu

5 Facts to Remember During Market Volatility

Hadley Nielson

Friday, January 7, 2022

Here are five facts to remember when the market gets bumpy: 

A Checklist for When a Parent or Spouse Passes Away

Hadley Nielson

Wednesday, October 27, 2021

When you lose a spouse, partner, or parent, the grief can be overwhelming. In the midst of that grief, life goes on. There are arrangements to be made, things to be taken care of – and in recognition of this reality, here is a...

Why Estate Planning Is Important Today

Hadley Nielson

Wednesday, October 13, 2021

Plan for tomorrow, today.That seems like sensible advice, doesn't it? Yet a surprising number of people leave no estate plan in place for their survivors. It makes a certain amount of sense. Nobody likes talking about death. But this...

What is a Coverdell ESA?

Hadley Nielson

Wednesday, September 22, 2021

What does the Peace Corps, the US Senate, and the tax code have to do with education funding? They’re all related to Senator William Coverdell! Senator Coverdell represented Georgia from 1993 to 2000 after serving as the...

Isn’t it the worst when you wake up after you’ve hit the snooze button? Just a few more minutes! If your child is approaching college and you're behind on education savings, it can feel like hitting the snooze button...

The uncertainties we face in retirement can erode our sense of confidence, potentially undermining our outlook during those years. Indeed, according to the 2017 Retirement Confidence Survey by the Employee Benefits Research Institute,...

Generally, the different parts of Medicare help cover specific services. Most beneficiaries choose to receive their Parts A and B benefits through Original Medicare, the traditional fee-for-service program offered directly through the...

Every year, about 140 million households file their federal tax returns.1 For many, the process involves digging through shoe boxes or manila folders full of receipts; gathering mortgage, retirement, and investment account statements;...

If your family relies on your income, it’s critical to consider having enough life insurance to provide for them after you pass away. But too often, life insurance is an overlooked aspect of personal finances. In fact, according...

9 Facts About Retirement Retirement can have many meanings. For some, it will be a time to travel and spend time with family members. For others, it will be a time to start a new business or begin a charitable endeavor. Regardless of...

Every year the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) releases its list of tax scams, spotlighting the myriad ways that people try to separate you from your money.¹ The “Dirty Dozen” Identity Theft Using your personal...

Ancient Chinese merchants were said to have developed a unique way to manage their risk. They would divide their shipments among several different vessels. That way, if one ship were to sink or be attacked by pirates, the rest stood a...

9 Facts About Social Security Social Security’s been a fact of retirement life ever since it was established in 1935. We all think we know how it works, but how much do you really know? Here are nine things that might surprise...

John and Mary are nearing retirement and they have a lot of items on their bucket list. Longer life expectancies mean John and Mary may need to prepare for two or even three decades of retirement. How should they position their money?1...

Trust Basics Whether you're seeking to manage your own assets, control how your assets are distributed after your death, or plan for incapacity, trusts can help you accomplish your estate planning goals. Their power is in their...

If you struggle to manage your finances, partnering with a financial advisor could be a great help. On anything from simple budgeting to complex estate planning, it can be tough figuring out who is the best fit for your needs. There...

Financial planning helps you determine your short and long-term financial goals and create a balanced plan to meet those goals. Here are ten crucial reasons why financial planning will get you where you want to be with the help of an...

Planning for Retirement 101 Saving for retirement always sounds like a good idea in theory, but it isn’t always easy to practice. The majority of Americans between the ages of 40 and 60 have less than $100,000 saved for...

What is a Credit Score? A credit score is a number between 300-800 that depicts a consumer’s creditworthiness. The higher the score, the better a borrower looks to potential lenders. A credit score is based on credit history:...

Banking and Savings 101 Banking and savings are an important aspect of personal finance that isn’t frequently talked about. While it falls under the area of personal finance, many of us assume that in this day and age that nearly...

Saving for an Emergency As important as it is to set a budget and stick to it, it is equally important to prioritize where you are allocating your money within that budget. An important topic that seems to be left out of creating a...

A budget is a tool you need to help you stretch your paycheck as far as it’ll go. And all it takes is just a little bit of discipline, planning, and most importantly, prioritization. While creating a budget may seem overwhelming...

Below is a market update as of June 16th, 2020. Federal Reserve to Keep Rates Low Last week, the Federal Reserve met and unanimously voted to leave short-term rates unchanged but will “increase its holdings of Treasury securities...

Happy 529 plan day! What is a 529 Plan? A 529 plan is an investment account that offers tax-free earnings growth and tax-free withdrawals when the funds are used to pay for qualified education expenses. For college, university, and...

There are many unknowns during this unprecedented time, but one thing we know for sure is that there is light at the end of the tunnel. In fact, some states have already began reopening their economy. Are you wondering where each state...

It goes without saying that the market has changed exponentially in the last quarter. The recent market volatility has left investors feeling especially concerned about their current financial health and where the market stands as of...