View from the Lake
Where Financial Planning meets the Real World
Taxes and Consumption
Taxes and Lifestyle – Competing Forces With tax season behind us, I figured now is a great time to write an article related to taxes. Writing about tax strategies is always topical, but we’ve done that before (visit our blog for awesome posts), plus we cover all applicable strategies in our client meetings. Rather, I […] Read More
My Dog’s Deferred Gratification
Can you teach an old dog new tricks? A week ago, I was working in my yard with Mocha (our chocolate lab) outside with me. Mocha understands when I’m in work mode, so she sniffs her way around the yard, staying out of my way and looking for who-knows-what. After about an hour of good hard […] Read More
Why Do I Owe Money On My Tax Return? Chortek Weighs In.
GUEST POST: Taxpayers Surprised They Owe By Michael C. Radtke, Partner, CPA, CVA Chortek CPAS | Business Advisors “Why do I owe money on my tax return?” Were you surprised by your tax returns this year? You’re not alone. Many taxpayers who received refunds last year ended up owing this year, and depending on what you’ve […] Read More
Long-Term Care in the 21st Century
If we look back through history, we’ll note that caring for those who became elderly or disabled was handled far differently than it is today. In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, most people worked either on a farm or in a factory. People worked until they physically couldn’t, and then they would retire. They […] Read More
Plan for Extended Health Care Needs Now, While You’re Healthy
By Michael Smith,LUTCF, President of CPS Horizon During the last 2-3 years I have seen a significant increase in people learning more and taking action for long-term care planning. Pre-retirees and those already retired are beginning to realize that having a plan for care, if needed, is an important aspect of retirement living. Perhaps […] Read More
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
