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Back to the Basics: The FIRE Movement

In Articles, Articles: Kansas City Office, Articles: Salt Lake City Office, Back to the Basics, SLC Winter 2021, Winter 2021 by Scott Dougan

There’s an exciting new movement among young professionals who aspire to retire from their careers early … very early. Called the FIRE Movement – or Financial Independence Retire Early – these folks are taking advantage of their high salaries and extremely frugal lifestyles to stockpile enough invested wealth to afford a retirement beginning in their 40s, and for many, in …

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Briefcase Study: From One Retiree To Another

In Articles, Articles: Kansas City Office, Articles: Salt Lake City Office, Briefcase Studies, SLC Winter 2021, Winter 2021 by Scott Dougan

Your retirement will likely look very different from that of just about anyone else’s. After all, you’re you and they’re them, right? And while I suppose that’s categorically true, there are quite a few similarities that we get to witness when talking with all of the folks we serve who’ve crossed that line into retirement from paid work. So, what …

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Is 70 the New 62?

In Articles, Articles: Kansas City Office, Articles: Salt Lake City Office by Scott Dougan

[This discussion may or may not apply to you, but it certainly applies to somebody you care about, so feel free to pass it on.] As I scan the retirement advice landscape, I’m noticing more and more ‘gurus’ pushing a work-‘til-you’re-70 narrative. The reason? The vast majority of American workers will need to work longer than they may have anticipated …

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Three Stages of the Typical Retirement

In Articles, Articles: Kansas City Office, Articles: Salt Lake City Office by Scott Dougan

It’s easy to think of retirement as one thing, one phase of life that we all aspire to experience. And why not? After all, retirement is such a stark contrast to the preceding decades-long phase that’s built around paid work. But what if retirement is made up of many different smaller phases, distinct from one another in activity level and …

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Sobering Statistics For Women, Maybe More So For Men

In Articles, Articles: Kansas City Office, Articles: Salt Lake City Office, Tax Planning by Scott Dougan

When I read this, it almost knocked me over. 80% of men die married, 80% of women die single 80% of centenarians are women As the subject of this article suggests, you can decide who gets the short end of this stick. Women, I’m sorry you’re likely to outlive your husband. Men, I’m sorry your life was cut shorter than …

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Save the Date: Registration Required

In Articles, Articles: Kansas City Office, Fall 2020, Tax Planning by Scott Dougan

Tuesday, November 10th 12:00 noon – 1:00 pm Year End Tax Planning Webinar You Will Learn… • Tax proposals for 2021 and how the S.E.C.U.R.E Act will dramatically affect the way your retirements accounts will be taxed at your death • Year-end tax planning opportunities to take advantage of by 12/31/2020 • How to create tax-free income in retirement • …

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Briefcase Study: Can The Financial Markets Be Trusted?

In Articles, Articles: Kansas City Office, Articles: Salt Lake City Office, Briefcase Studies, Fall 2020, SLC Fall 2020 by Scott Dougan

Quite often, I’ll receive a call or an email that goes something like this: “So-and-so on the news said the market is ripe for a big selloff in October or November, what do you think?” I hope you know by now that I always welcome the opportunity to help you with your questions. Keep them coming. This question in particular …

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Back to the Basics: Why it All Starts with Income Planning

In Articles, Articles: Kansas City Office, Articles: Salt Lake City Office, Back to the Basics, Fall 2020, SLC Fall 2020 by Scott Dougan

There are several questions that hopeful retirees are consistently asking as they seek to build a successful retirement. Some of these questions are: When can I retire? How much do we need? Will I have enough? What if there’s a major healthcare, stock market, or inflationary event that threatens what we’ve saved? While all of these questions are certainly different …