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Report: Proactive Retirement Planning

In Retirement, Special Reports, Special Reports: Kansas City Office, Special Reports: Salt Lake City Office, Tax Planning by Scott Dougan

The New Secure Act & Proactive Retirement Planning The House of Representatives passed the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act on May 23. The next step is to pass through the Senate and be signed by the President. With strong bipartisan support and the Senate already considering changes for retirement plans, industry expert Bob Keebler (CPA, MST of …

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Diversification: Always Something To Celebrate (And Apologize For)

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

This may feel like an old, well-worn topic, but please bear with me; I hope to present a new twist. Diversification is a time-tested way for investors to manage the inherent risks of investing by owning lots of different kinds of assets. Diversification takes many forms, but often looks like this example: owning 60% of a portfolio in stocks and …

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Healthcare May Be Broken, But Your Retirement Plan Doesn’t Need To Be

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

Live on less than you earn, pay less interest on debts than you receive on your assets, mind your taxes, and you’ll be fine. It sounds so simple, and it is. Similarly, eat fewer calories than you burn, exercise regularly, avoid running red lights in your car, and you’ll be fine. It sounds so simple, and yet it’s not. Why? …

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HARVESTERS EVENT

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

We are so proud of our clients, family and friends that donated most needed items for our food drive and those that were able to participate in the Child Feeding BackSnack Program this past Saturday at Harvesters. We had a little over 40 folks who worked four assembly lines and put together approximately 3135 backpacks filled with nutritious, child-friendly foods …

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Back to the Basics: Revisiting an Enduring Strategy

In Articles, Articles: Kansas City Office, Back to the Basics, SLC Spring 2019, Spring 2019 by Scott Dougan

In a recent email from a very well-known firm in our industry, the subject line stated, ‘[this person] Shares A New Retirement Strategy.’ Always eager to add a new tool to the toolbox, I read further. What the article was sharing was a strategy that isn’t ‘New’, but it’s one that we’ve been using since the day Elevated Retirement Group’s …

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Briefcase Study: Those Pesky Remaining Debts

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

Before retirement, most people would like to pay off any remaining debts, so they can feel good going into that next phase of life all tidied-up. That makes a lot of sense, both financially and psychologically. In a recent meeting, we not only discussed this but put a plan together that was well received by the family, so we thought …

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2019 Spring Newsletter: Kansas City

In Newsletters, Newsletters: Kansas City Office by Scott Dougan

ELEVATED INSIDER Here we are ushering in another spring, a new season ripe with opportunities. For whatever reason, this is the time of year when I look ahead and do my clearest thinking. It’s in these moments when I ask myself, “What lies ahead for me and for us?” And it’s a question that I hope you’re asking for yourself. …

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Retirement Plan Buyer’s Guide

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

Car buyers use them and so do people shopping for appliances. The buyer’s guide can be an extremely valuable resource for the person who wishes to compare and contrast the options available to them. But what about retirement plans? Is it possible to test-drive various options for converting one’s nest egg into an income for life? While I’m not aware …

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Is Estate Planning Only For Rich People?

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

I recently had the pleasure of teaching two classes called ‘Your Retirement And Taxes.’ In the classes, we sought to deepen our understanding of how our tax system works as it pertains to investments and income sources, as well as consider some strategies available to a retiree to pay only their fair share of taxes during retirement. While the subject …