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Back to the Basics: Total Value

In Articles, Articles: Kansas City Office, Articles: Salt Lake City Office, Back to the Basics, Fall 2019, SLC Fall 2019, Tax Planning by Scott Dougan

So much attention gets paid to the growth (or decline) of the stock market that I fear we can become hypnotized by it and fall prey to sloppy fundamentals from time to time. How do I know this? Because many of the people we work with admit to receiving each investment statement and simply doing the ol’ “Is it up …

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Briefcase Study: “So, compared to others, how are we doing?”

In Articles, Articles: Kansas City Office, Articles: Salt Lake City Office, Briefcase Studies, Fall 2019, SLC Fall 2019 by Scott Dougan

This question came up recently and it comes up often and I love it when people have the courage to ask. Don’t you secretly want to know if you’ve saved more than your friends or if your income is higher? It’s easy to tell if your house is bigger or if your car is more expensive. But when it comes …

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2019 Fall Festival Raffle Silent Auction

In Articles, Articles: Kansas City Office, Community Involvement, Fall 2019 by Scott Dougan

We look forward to seeing you on Tuesday, October 29 for the 2019 Fall Festival Raffle & Silent Auction at Boulevard Brewing Company. Our goal this year is to raise $10,000.00 for Make-A-Wish! Evening Agenda 6:00-7:00pm Cocktails & Appetizers – Introduction, Silent Auction, Raffle 7:00pm Dinner 8:00pm Raffle, Silent Auction Winners Announced 9:00pm Evening Concludes Raffle & Silent Auction: Items …

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27 Retirement Risks: Which Is (Arguably) Most Damaging

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

Life is fraught with danger; everybody knows this. When we take a closer look at one particular slice of life, retirement, we begin to see more clearly what those risks are. This recognition allows us to begin hedging against risks as best we can, through prudent planning. Before we get started, we must first agree on the desired outcome of …

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Briefcase Study: The Tax Torpedo

In Articles, Articles: Kansas City Office, Articles: Salt Lake City Office, Briefcase Studies, SLC Summer 2019, Summer 2019, Tax Planning by Scott Dougan

In a recent meeting with a family we serve, the conversation – as it often does – turned to Social Security. The question was, once again, whether it was best to begin receiving Social Security benefits at age 62 or wait until age 66 and 6 months, their Full Retirement Age (FRA) with Social Security. I was reminded how important …

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Back to the Basics: Seven Factors in Determining Retirement Age

In Articles, Articles: Kansas City Office, Articles: Salt Lake City Office, Back to the Basics, Retirement, SLC Summer 2019, Summer 2019 by Scott Dougan

Retirement means something a bit different to everyone. To some, it’s a financial finish line. To others, retirement represents a transition from paid work to volunteer work. Whatever it means to you and those close to you, retirement happens, whether by choice or by force. As a person nears ‘retirement age’ a litany of decisions arise that must be carefully …

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How Statistics Can Lead Us To A Faulty Conclusion

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

There’s a great expression that goes something like this: 84% of statistics are made up on the spot. See what happened there? We’ll often see statistics being used for persuasive purposes, but what if there’s more to most stats than meets the eye. What if the story being sold isn’t the real story at all? What’s more, how often are …