View Post

Employee Spotlight: Liz Kirkby

In Articles, Articles: Salt Lake City Office, SLC Summer 2019, Team Spotlights by Scott Dougan

Liz Kirkby Client Relationship Manager Liz is a native Utah girl, although she has spent many years living in California and Nevada as well. She received her Bachelors in Math Education from BYU and is currently working on a Masters in Management and Leadership. Liz currently lives in Saratoga Spring and has 6 children. She enjoys singing karaoke, eating chocolate, …

View Post

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 …

View Post

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 …

View Post

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 …

View Post

Love Is A Verb: Caring For Others By Helping Them Plan

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

A friend’s grandmother, Mary, recently passed away at the age of 99. A kind, service-oriented woman who packed two lifetimes into her one, she exemplified what it means to have lived a good life. It’s clear that she served others, and living to 99 required that she also be served. If there’s any doubt that love is action, you should …

View Post

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 …

View Post

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? …