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Over the past two years, it’s been a family ritual to watch an episode of Little House on the Prairie before bedtime for the kids. For those familiar with the show, I’m sure you can recall Pa’s constant endeavor to secure employment and farm his land to help the Ingall’s family live in modest comfort. For those who have never watched the show, I highly recommend!   The Failed Crop In his youth, Pa made a big bet. He borrowed money to plant seed for his farm. With a big payout

Most people have a 401(k), 403(b), IRA, or Roth IRA. This is the most common way to save for retirement since most employers offer these plans. On average, people will have 10–12 jobs throughout their working careers, which often leads to rollover IRAs or Roth IRAs along the way. If you’re saving for retirement, it makes sense to use retirement accounts, right? However, there is a powerful alternative that many individuals overlook. I’m talking about an after-tax investment a

Over the past 5 years, investors have lived through the COVID crash, high inflation and Fed rate hikes in 2022, Russia/Ukraine tensions, bank crisis (SVB collapse), and Tariffs. Even with all the challenges, we see US equity markets at near all time highs. What are some important things to consider during times like this? One of the most important aspects to investing is “when in doubt zoom out”. For long term investors planning for retirement, it’s best to consider a longer

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act created a new pathway for kids in America to get introduced to investing. Like anything else that is beneficial for children (reading, writing, math, science, sports, etc.), the way to get them excited about a topic is to introduce them to the concept and then actually get involved! Getting the youth involved with equity markets is a wonderful thing, and hopefully will lead to more financial education and wealth creation for their futures. So wh

With a New Year comes new goals! Here are some simple action items you can implement to improve your financial picture for 2026.  Retirement Savings Adjustments  With higher contribution limits for 2026, this is a great opportunity to review your 401(k) or 403(b) contributions and consider increasing them to take full advantage of the new limits.  Employee Contribution limit: $24,500  Catch-up (age 50+): $8,000  Higher catch-up: (ages 60-63): $11,250 instead of $8,000  Tradit

As we close out 2025, I want to share a broader reflection on what this year taught us about investing— and more importantly, about maintaining a long-term mindset in a world filled with noise, predictions, and uncertainty. Markets transitioned through interest-rate debates, election year volatility, AI-driven growth, inflation improvements, and media headlines that seemed to contradict one another week after week. In April, we saw tremendous volatility when Tariffs were anno

Last month we covered the new tax rules for overtime pay. This month, we will look at another key update from the OBBBA - the new Senior Deduction. One of the major talking points in this year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) was the question on how it would impact taxes on Social Security. While Social Security benefits remain taxable under current rules, the bill introduced a new “bonus” deduction for taxpayers over the age of 65 to help reduce their tax liability. Acco

With the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) passing this summer, what does this mean for those with overtime pay? For tax years 2025 through 2028 (yes, it’s retroactive for 2025), you can deduct qualifying overtime pay from your federal taxable income. The deduction applies only to the overtime “premium” portion — the “half” in “time-and-a-half.” Annual Cap: $12,500 per filer, or $25,000 if married filing jointly. Example: If you earn $50/hour normally and $75/hour for overtime, t

A strong financial plan starts with the basics. Think of it like building a house. Without a solid foundation, everything above it is at risk. Before focusing on investments or retirement, it's important to secure your base. Cash reserves, debt management, and smart spending habits are the foundation. These fundamentals create confidence and flexibility no matter what life brings. Emergency Fund Targeting three to six months worth of living expenses is a great place to start.