View Post

2023 Spring Newsletter: Kansas City

In Newsletters, Newsletters: Kansas City Office, Newsletters: Kansas City Office by Scott Dougan

We did it; we made it to another spring! We should congratulate ourselves. I recently heard someone say, “If you survived February, you’re probably going to live another year.” Boy, that sure feels true when winter just doesn’t seem to want to end. As is always the case, the world remains a wild and ever-changing place. The financial consequences of …

View Post

SECURE 2.0 Act

In Articles, Articles: Kansas City Office, Articles: Salt Lake City Office, SLC Winter 2023, Tax Planning, Winter 2023 by Scott Dougan

Congress recently passed SECURE 2.0 Act, which includes over 90 new provisions for retirement plans. The goal is to help improve Americans’ retirement savings. This effort is a continuation of the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act that was signed into law back in December of 2019.    We wish to highlight just some of the notable …

View Post

Looking Forward In 2023

In Articles, Articles: Kansas City Office, Articles: Salt Lake City Office, SLC Winter 2023, Tax Planning, Winter 2023 by Scott Dougan

Let’s be blunt: 2022 was rough for many investors. With many of the year’s events unforeseen and unfavorable, this was a year we’d like to soon forget. That said, many of the opportunities in 2023 are the direct result of some of the challenges that 2022 brought us, and as we enter the new year, some of these challenges remain. …

View Post

2023 Winter Newsletter: Kansas City

In Newsletters, Newsletters: Kansas City Office, Newsletters: Kansas City Office by Scott Dougan

With 2023 upon us, I find myself wondering where 2022 went. Didn’t we just finish cleaning up from the last New Year’s party? And now we’re here again? Then I consider all that happened in 2022 and it starts rushing back in a flurry of memories that feels a bit like driving through a hailstorm. Oh, yeah…all of that. So, …

View Post

Welcome Pratik J. Mehta, CPA

In Articles: Kansas City Office, Articles: Salt Lake City Office, SLC Winter 2023, Team Spotlights, Winter 2023 by Scott Dougan

Welcome to our new Director of Tax Preparation & Tax Planning Pratik was born and raised in Mumbai, India. In June of 2002, he moved to Overland Park, Kansas. Pratik received his Bachelor of Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance as well as a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from University of Missouri, Kansas City. Pratik’s number one priority …

View Post

Back to the Basics: 10 Ways To Improve Your Family’s Future, Starting With You

In Articles, Articles: Kansas City Office, Articles: Salt Lake City Office, Back to the Basics, SLC Winter 2023, Winter 2023 by Scott Dougan

I’m yet to meet somebody who doesn’t want a brighter future for his or her family. Let’s face it; changing other people to see your point of view isn’t easy. In fact, it’s nearly impossible. Because of that sobering reality, the best chance we have to improve our family’s future is to look inward and start improving ourselves. As Gandhi …

View Post

Briefcase Study: The Aspect of Debt You May Not Have Considered

In Articles, Articles: Kansas City Office, Articles: Salt Lake City Office, Briefcase Studies, SLC Winter 2023, Winter 2023 by Scott Dougan

If you’re like many of our fellow Americans, you’re considering what rising inflation, a declining stock (and bond) market, and higher interest rates mean to you and your financial choices. And while there are a lot of varied consequences to this new ‘normal’, I think we can agree that one big change is that it’s immediately more painful to borrow …

View Post

Fall Festival

In Articles, Articles: Kansas City Office, Community Involvement, Fall 2022 by Scott Dougan

We’re looking forward to seeing you on Thursday, October 20th.  Proceeds from the evening benefit CASA of Johnson & Wyandotte Counties.  Visit online to get a peek at some our auction items or register for the event: https://bit.ly/ergfallfest We’ve set our goal @ $50,000 to help local children who have experienced abuse and neglect. We’re sure we can do it …

View Post

Back to the Basics: Financial Decision Making a Four-Year-Old Would Approve Of

In Articles, Articles: Kansas City Office, Articles: Salt Lake City Office, Back to the Basics, Fall 2022, SLC Fall 2022 by Scott Dougan

I fear that we’re all victims. All too often, we’re victim to forces that surround us that are pushing us to act in ways that appear to be rational but lack something critical: a clear purpose. In the busy-ness of daily life, we act on instinct and sometimes in haste. I do it and I suspect you do too. It’s …

View Post

Briefcase Study: The One Word Retirement Plan

In Articles, Articles: Kansas City Office, Articles: Salt Lake City Office, Briefcase Studies, Fall 2022, SLC Fall 2022 by Scott Dougan

Working in the retirement planning realm for so long has given me the opportunity to talk with hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people about what they hope to experience during retirement. Discussions of money, time, and purpose lead to so many interesting insights about what a life well-lived might look like. A simple question like, “What would you like retirement to …