View from the Lake
Where Financial Planning meets the Real World
President Biden’s Tax Proposals and How They May Affect You
By Nick Ziarek CFP®, CFA How Will President Biden’s Tax Proposals Affect You? Tax reform is a front burner topic as President Biden advances issues core to his campaign and, more importantly, to help fund the proposed infrastructure spending to build back America after COVID. The landscape can be murky as various proposals have been […] Read More
Brian’s Tip of the Month July 2021
Inheriting a Health Savings Account (HSA) What happens to a Health Savings Account (HSA) when the owner of the account passes away? The popularity of Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) continues to grow. The numerous tax benefits (tax deductible contributions, tax-deferred growth, AND tax-free distributions for qualified expenses) are attractive to many families. As health care […] Read More
Unexpected Wedding Costs
By Ryan Rink CFP®, ChFC®, CLTC® Planning and Prioritizing Wedding Expenses Are you or someone you know getting married in the near future? This is one of the most exciting times of life, and also tends to be one of the biggest expenses. Wanting the big, beautiful wedding often comes with a price tag, and […] Read More
Andrea’s Tip of the Month June 2021
Termination Risk for your Long-Term Care Policy! If you have long-term care insurance, it’s likely you pay your premium on an annual basis after your insurance company sends you a bill. The danger is that bills can get lost in the mail or misplaced in your home. If the required premium for your LTC insurance […] Read More
Retirement Spending: There are Trade-Offs
By Kevin Reardon CFP® You have worked your whole life, saved well, and are ready to retire. It’s important to know how much you can pull from your assets during retirement and not outlive your money. Let’s focus on the reality and tradeoffs that go with retirement spending planning. If you are physically healthy and financially […] Read More
Managing Retirement Income Sources
By Brian Ellenbecker CFP®, EA®, CPWA®, CIMA®, CLTC® Managing your incomes sources in retirement may seem like a simple task but can get complicated quickly when trying to minimize taxes and maximize growth—not only for you, but also your potential heirs. Having a strategy for managing your various sources of income is critical to optimizing your wealth […] Read More
“Decade Thinking” for Retirement?
We came across this inspiring article in Forbes and want to challenge you to reflect on how you could use decade thinking in retirement, and in your life in general. Mar 31, 2021 Great Visionaries Use Decade Thinking To Achieve Great Success — And You Can Too Matthew Kelly Forbes Councils Member Forbes Coaches […] Read More
Go Dick Go! One Man’s Retirement “Road” Map
By Kevin Reardon CFP® How to live a fulfilled life in retirement. As financial planners, we have the great privilege of guiding people into and through retirement. It is a time of great excitement, where your time is finally your own. You can pursue the dreams and passions you did not have the time or, perhaps, […] Read More
Will Social Security Be Around When I Need It?
By Brian Ellenbecker CFP®, EA®, CPWA®, CIMA®, CLTC® You’ve probably heard media reports about the worrisome financial condition of Social Security. How heavily should you weigh this information when deciding when to begin receiving benefits? While some changes will need to be made to Social Security (e.g., payroll taxes may increase or benefits may be reduced by […] Read More
