View from the Lake
Where Financial Planning meets the Real World
Documents to Provide to Your CPA
It’s officially tax season — that time of year our friendly neighborhood CPAs begin hibernating in their offices… and the time you need to provide documents to your CPA. As with a typical grizzly, it’s important not to needlessly poke the bear. Let’s review the key information your CPA will be looking for and make […] Read More
How Long to Keep Financial Records
We are often asked how long to keep financial records. To answer that question, let’s take a look at various types of documents: Tax Returns: The IRS recommends keeping tax returns for three years. There is an exception to this rule. The IRS can go back six years in an audit when more than 25% […] Read More
What is Your Legacy?
We live in a fast-paced world, with an onslaught of activities and information that distracts us from thinking about what’s truly important in life. We’re so busy trying to get everything done, that we fail to question what it is we’re doing, why we’re doing it, and if we should be doing something entirely different. Are we doing […] Read More
Congratulations to our 2018 Service Award Winners!
Shakespeare’s core values are Faith, Family and Fiduciary. Community service and giving back to our communities is one of the main ways we demonstrate each of these core values. It’s part of Shakespeare’s DNA and not surprisingly, it’s also part of yours. In that regard, three years ago we created the Shakespeare Service Award to […] Read More
Year-End Tax Planning Considerations
The Tax Cut and Jobs Act (TCJA) passed late last year has kept us busy throughout 2018. With 12/31 quickly approaching, we wanted to summarize year-end planning strategies to consider. Keep in mind these strategies will also apply in 2019; so this year-end summary can also give you a head start when planning for next year. […] Read More
How-To Guide for a Great Thanksgiving
The turkey has been bought, the pies are being prepared, and we’re all busy preparing to celebrate our annual day of giving thanks. As we approach the big day, let’s review some things to consider in making this Thanksgiving the best ever. Love the Ones We’re With Although we love our relatives, being with […] Read More
Budgets Gone Bad – How Successful People Get in Financial Hot Water
This title sounds like something you’d read on the cover of a magazine in the checkout line at the grocery store, relating to something other than personal finances. You might think that budget problems are confined to people with lower income and asset values. But you’d be wrong. In recent years, there has been an uptick […] Read More
The 4 Everyday Habits You Need For Successful Financial Planning
You’ve probably seen articles across websites, newspapers and magazines with variations of a title that reads “The Most Successful People do ‘This’ to Stay Ahead.” The articles then proceed to identify key personality traits, work habits, etc. that benefit productivity and success. Why is this type of content so popular? Because a big part of […] Read More
Did my portfolio beat the S&P 500?
One of the most common questions we receive from clients relates to the performance of investment accounts. It’s a fair question. You entrust us to manage your money and you need and deserve a reasonable return. It’s interesting that the nature of investor questions changes based on changes in market volatility and where we are […] Read More
