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Forecasting the Weather and Pending Economic Collapse

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

Imagine for a moment that you’re tasked with instructing others how to select a wardrobe. Given the regularity of the seasons, you could do pretty well suggesting a mix of warm clothes for winter and cool clothes for summer. However, naming the exact day when a 70-degree day interrupts the 40-degree days of early spring would prove very difficult. If …

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Employee Spotlight: Brook Chavers

In Articles, Articles: Kansas City Office, Spring 2020, Team Spotlights by Scott Dougan

Brook Chavers, Client Services Associate Brooke moved to Kansas City to study music and literature at the University of Missouri – Kansas City. She is a St. Louis native and visits home often to attend baseball games with her family, at Busch Stadium. Her favorite thing about Kansas City is its rich artistic culture. She enjoys going to the symphony …

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Back to the Basics: The Great Decluttering

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

For everything there is a season. For many of you, it’s time to declutter. Nobody is forcing you to declutter, but you’re probably feeling that desire on some level. Sitting in your home due to quarantine, there’s never been a better time! Looking back, we spent an entire childhood wishing for more things like bikes, games, our own room. Then …

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Briefcase Study: What Is Your First Memory Of Money?

In Articles, Articles: Kansas City Office, Briefcase Studies, Spring 2020, Tax Planning by Scott Dougan

What Is Your First Memory Of Money? A few years ago, I was talking with a man who was contemplating retirement. He and his wife had worked very hard for a long time and had accumulated considerable assets and carried no debt. As we ran and re-ran the numbers, tweaking and questioning all assumptions and variables, he continued to struggle …

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If Taxes Rise In The Future, Are You Prepared?

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

Much has been written and said about taxes. Nobody likes paying them, but pay them we must. Few people would volunteer to have a detailed discussion about taxes, but here we are, deciding whether to keep reading or just hit delete and hope the next Weekly is of a kinder and gentler nature. In light of the un-exciting nature of …

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The Home Improvement Dilemma

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

There must be something in the air. Maybe it’s just the home improvement stores’ relentless advertising. Or could it be that we’re getting excited for spring to arrive? Whatever it is, quite a few of you are gearing-up for big home improvement projects. But before the roofers start swinging hammers and the bathroom contractors begin ordering cabinets, a number of …

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Secure Act Passed by Congress

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

What Steps Can You Take To Protect Yourself and Your Loved Ones? On December 19th, Congress passed a spending bill that includes seismic changes to IRAs and retirement plans. The SECURE Act will reshape how IRAs are handled both during life and after death, creating an enormous tax impact for families who don’t plan ahead. Congress and the President have …