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Election Year Thoughts Worth Thinking About

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

During a recent meeting, and then at another meeting, and another…the question came up: “With an election coming up, what should we be doing about our investments?” Here we are, in the midst of a presidential election season, and we’re all searching for answers. People are asking themselves, “Why on earth would someone in their right mind vote for that …

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Does a Presidential Election Really Affect the Markets?

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

It’s time to discuss the elephant in the room, the upcoming election. I’m regularly hearing concerns during meetings about the upcoming election and its possible effects on the stock market. While I wish I could just tune out politics entirely, I suppose we can spend an article on elections and then get back to our regular programming soon enough. Here …

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Cash is Undefeated

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

Have you ever gazed upon an heirloom-quality piece of furniture, a new gourmet kitchen, or a stunning sports car and thought to yourself, “The glue-work is simply exquisite.” Probably not. I know I haven’t. But what would that object look like if it wasn’t fastened together correctly, or at all? It’d be little more than a pile of individual parts …

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Can You Make Retirement Planning…Easier?

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

We often talk about building a retirement plan that allows you to sleep well at night, free from the worry of the markets, economy, and scary headlines. And while this will continue to be our goal as retirement planning professionals, what about actual sleep habits? If you’ve ever been to leadership training, you know that’s where you’ll find some of …

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Holiday Open House Event a Success

In Articles, Articles: Salt Lake City Office, SLC Winter 2024 by Scott Dougan

We are delighted to share the joyous success of our recent Holiday Open House at our new office space! The festive spirit was in full swing as colleagues, clients, and friends gathered to celebrate the season together. Attendees enjoyed a delightful array of seasonal treats and beverages, spreading cheer and camaraderie throughout the evening. The event not only showcased our …

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Back to the Basics: Ways To Maintain Or Improve Your Lifestyle In Retirement

In Articles, Articles: Kansas City Office, Articles: Salt Lake City Office, Back to the Basics, SLC Winter 2024, Winter 2024 by Scott Dougan

Approaching retirement age is an exciting time for most. The opportunity to spend more time doing the things you enjoy, and may have put off, leads many aspiring retirees to dream about the future like they haven’t in years. While this new phase of life can be deeply satisfying, it can also result in new and unique fears. Retiring at …

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Briefcase Study: Plan like you will live forever, live like you will die tomorrow

In Articles, Articles: Kansas City Office, Articles: Salt Lake City Office, Briefcase Studies, SLC Winter 2024, Winter 2024 by Scott Dougan

Plan like you will live forever, live like you will die tomorrow. Retirement planning is one of the great balancing acts: you suspect you’re not going to live forever, but what if you do? And maybe forever isn’t really forever, but what if it’s to 112 years old? Are you ready for that, at least financially? It turns out that …

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62 Is So Passé. It’s 70 Now.

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

As I scan the retirement advice landscape, I’m noticing more and more ‘gurus’ pushing a work-‘til-you’re-70 narrative. The reason? The vast majority of American workers will need to work longer than they may have anticipated because of lack of savings and retirement assets, while also living longer lives (making for a longer retirement). And while delaying retirement may be a …

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Estate Planning for the Rest of Us

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

I’ve had the pleasure of teaching many retirement and tax classes at colleges and universities. 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 …