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Can There Be a Retirement Planning Formula?

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

For years, I’ve been on a quest to determine the optimum set of inputs to design the ideal retirement plan. And while the topic of formulas may not appeal to you, I hope you’re somewhat comforted that it does hold some appeal for me, a retirement planning guy. I’ve thought much about the ideal blend of guaranteed income sources, risk-based …

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So, What’s the Deal With Bitcoin?

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

I’m not going to suggest that being unaware of Bitcoin’s recent craze points to one’s under-rock living situation…but it’s close. The digital cryptocurrency’s meteoric rise in ‘value’ has lead many people to wonder, “Did I miss out on millions?” While the answer is likely a yes, it may be wise to learn a bit more about Bitcoin before calling it …

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Is Your Home An Asset?

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

Often in discussions of retirement planning, the home comes up as a planning item. After all, a home can represent one of the single largest items of value a person owns. But since we live in our homes, must maintain them, and constantly reinvest in them, the question for us non-Silicon Valley homeowners sometimes arises, “Is my home really an …

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UTAH FOOD BANK

In Articles, Articles: Salt Lake City Office, SLC Winter 2021 by Scott Dougan

In 2020, Elevated Retirement Group shifted our charitable focus to our own backyard by teaming up with the Utah Food Bank.  Before the pandemic, the Utah Food Bank was distributing about 2 million pounds of food a month. That need has increased to 6 million pounds per month – a 300% jump. Because most shelters and food banks can’t offer …

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In Memoriam – Celebrating the Lives Of those We Lost

In Articles, Articles: Kansas City Office, Articles: Salt Lake City Office, SLC Winter 2021, Winter 2021 by Scott Dougan

It is with great sadness that we reflect on some of the wonderful friends we lost this year. All of us at Elevated Retirement Group cherish our relationships with you as the highest purpose for our work. When we lose one of you, it affects us deeply. We hope you’ll join us in sharing our condolences with the families affected …

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Back to the Basics: The FIRE Movement

In Articles, Articles: Kansas City Office, Articles: Salt Lake City Office, Back to the Basics, SLC Winter 2021, Winter 2021 by Scott Dougan

There’s an exciting new movement among young professionals who aspire to retire from their careers early … very early. Called the FIRE Movement – or Financial Independence Retire Early – these folks are taking advantage of their high salaries and extremely frugal lifestyles to stockpile enough invested wealth to afford a retirement beginning in their 40s, and for many, in …

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Briefcase Study: From One Retiree To Another

In Articles, Articles: Kansas City Office, Articles: Salt Lake City Office, Briefcase Studies, SLC Winter 2021, Winter 2021 by Scott Dougan

Your retirement will likely look very different from that of just about anyone else’s. After all, you’re you and they’re them, right? And while I suppose that’s categorically true, there are quite a few similarities that we get to witness when talking with all of the folks we serve who’ve crossed that line into retirement from paid work. So, what …