Right-sizing Your Home: Financial Benefits and Considerations for Downsizing in Retirement
Are you considering downsizing your home as you approach retirement? Downsizing offers many financial benefits and lifestyle advantages that can significantly enhance your retirement.
Designing Your Dream Retirement: Crafting a Financial Plan for Your Ideal Lifestyle
Are you ready to turn your retirement dreams into reality? Let's explore how strategic financial planning can help you craft the ideal lifestyle you've always envisioned.
How to Know When to Hire a Financial Planner: Recognizing the Signs
Managing your finances can be daunting, and as your financial portfolio grows, it becomes increasingly complex. While some individuals may thrive in a DIY financial management approach, others might be overwhelmed or unsure about their financial decisions. That’s where a financial planner can be an invaluable resource. Access Wealth, a boutique wealth management firm, is […]
10 Essential Strategies for Building and Protecting Your Wealth
In this blog post, we will explore ten key strategies to empower you to build and protect your wealth effectively.
Do Alternative Investments Have a Place in Your Investment Portfolio?
Alternative investments — essentially anything that is not a stock or bond — offer portfolio diversification, as well as the potential of downside protection and greater returns.
The Income Trap
What does it take to become wealthy? A lot of assets? A high six-figure salary? Or something else?
What Does a Bank Failure Mean for You?
Bank failures are scary. But there are steps you can take to protect your cash assets.
8 Tips for National Savings Day
Strong saving habits improve your ability to be financially independent. Here are 8 great tips to get you started.
Learning from the Financial Mistakes of Celebrities
Ignoring key financial decisions can be disastrous to an estate. Here are examples of financial mistakes to avoid.
What do Rising Interest Rates Mean for Your Money?
Rising interest rates are meant to combat inflation and influence economic growth. Learn how the increase impacts you.
Tips for Handling Sudden Wealth
The idea of sudden wealth sounds exciting, but it can have some negative outcomes if not handled properly.
Are Health Savings Accounts Right for You and Your Financial Plan?
Are Health Savings Accounts Right for You? A Health Savings Account (HSA) is a tax-advantaged personal medical savings account that can be used for qualified healthcare expenses. They have been in existence since George W. Bush signed them into law in 2003 and have become a more significant part of medical expense planning for individuals, […]
Is It the Right Time to Reallocate Your Insurance $$$?
As Baby Boomers approach retirement they often ask the questions: Should I continue to keep my life insurance policies? Should I continue to pay for my long-term disability insurance policies? Is there somewhere else that these premiums would be better spent? There is no simple answer to these questions, but a good start is to […]
Should Couples Combine Finances After Marriage?
Are you wondering if you should combine your finances after marriage? Here are some tips to help you decide.
5 Changes to Financial Planning We May See in 2021
Every new President initiates change. This article discusses five possible changes that can impact financial planning.
Supercharge Your Resolutions by Making Them SMART!
The new year is a popular time to set resolutions. Here are tips to help you achieve your financial goals.
Why it’s Important to Have a Financial Plan and Update it Annually
Research by Charles Schwab shows that three in five Americans live paycheck to paycheck, and only one in four have a written financial plan. Schwab’s 2018 Modern Wealth Index scores participants between 1-100 based on their successful money management and investment habits. They consider the following factors: Goal setting and financial planning Saving and investing […]
How to Donate and Still Benefit
For most people, charitable giving involves writing checks to the charities of their choice. However, changes in the tax law, as well as an increase in the number of solicitations received from charities, have created a demand for a way to donate more efficiently. One way to do this is through a Donor Advised Fund […]
Don’t Forget your RMD
When it comes to retirement accounts such as Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs), 401(k)s and 403(b)s, there are two magic ages to remember. The first is age 59 ½ when you can begin accessing your retirement accounts penalty-free. The second may be lesser known, but can be more costly if forgotten. Starting at age 70 ½ […]
Single Parent Finances: Six Tips to Find Financial Success When It’s All on You
When it comes to single parent finances, being a single head of household can wreak havoc on your finances, your time, and your career trajectory, presenting challenges dual income households often do not face. Robert Epstein originally wrote on this topic in July and was then interviewed by The Simple Dollar in August. Here is […]
Charitable Giving Under the New Tax Laws
I’ve been having more conversations lately with clients about charitable giving. While I have found many to be very generous in their charitable giving, the uptick in conversation is likely due, at least in part, to an overriding concern about a lack of civility in the world. Yet, while specific giving opportunities have arisen recently […]
Do You Suffer from Chrometophobia?
Surveys have reported that two-thirds of Americans admit to being subject to financial fears, and as many as one-third say that they worry about money “all the time.” It is important to acknowledge that many people suffer from “chrometophobia,” the fear generated from certain credit and finance-related scenarios. This is an actual phobia defined by […]
It’s All About Creating the Right Balance
Doctors tell us in order to stay healthy we need to eat a “balanced” diet. Families struggle to find the right “balance” between work and home life. Coaches need the right “balance” between offense and defense. And financial planners tell their clients they need to strike the right “balance” between living for today and saving […]
Roth Conversions and the New Tax Law
Roth IRAs have been around since the Tax Payer Relief Act of 1997. During that time, the use of the Roth IRA has grown significantly and can serve as a valuable part of tax and cash flow planning in one’s financial plan. The main method of funding larger contributions to a Roth account is via […]
Make Sure You Get All the Facts
Has anyone ever told you that you are paying too much for your car? The conversation goes something like this: You’re paying how much for that car? My buddy got the same car for half the price – you got a terrible deal! Of course, they fail to mention several key points, like their buddy […]