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Can Financial Planning Improve Your Health and Vitality?

In Articles, Articles: Kansas City Office, Articles: Salt Lake City Office, Back to the Basics, Fall 2025, SLC Fall 2025 by Scott Dougan

When most people think of financial planning, they imagine spreadsheets, retirement projections, or investment accounts. But a well-designed financial plan does more than grow your net worth; it can improve your health, reduce stress, and even add vitality to your life. Let’s explore how. 1. Financial Planning Reduces Stress and Anxiety One of the most immediate and noticeable health benefits …

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The Widowhood Curve: Why Retirement Planning Must Include the ‘After’

In Articles, Articles: Kansas City Office, Articles: Salt Lake City Office, Briefcase Studies, Fall 2025, SLC Fall 2025 by Scott Dougan

We recently helped a widowed client navigate the heartbreaking process of getting her affairs in order after the untimely death of her husband. Naturally, these experiences leave us all a bit raw. So, when I saw these statistics, I was stopped in my tracks: 80% of men die married. 80% of women die single. And among those who live to …

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Client Corner: Kent and Karla

In Articles, Articles: Salt Lake City Office, SLC Summer 2025 by Scott Dougan

Retirement at 65 had always been our goal. We felt confident we were financially prepared and wouldn’t need to change our lifestyle. Still, it wasn’t until we sat down with Chris Cordova that we received the confirmation we needed to move forward with peace of mind. Thanks to Melissa Ceballos, Elevated Retirement’s Director of Talent and Business Acquisition, we connected …

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2025 Summer Newsletter: Salt Lake City

In Newsletters, Newsletters: Salt Lake City Office by Scott Dougan

As with most summers, my family and I have been busy, and mostly with baseball. We just got home after spending a week in Cooperstown, New York (upstate). Our son, Michael, played in the famous 12-year-olds-only national Cooperstown tournament. He, his teammates and us coaches got to stay in a bunkhouse together for a week at one of the most …

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Briefcase Study: Is Status-Chasing Affecting Your Retirement?

In Articles, Articles: Kansas City Office, Articles: Salt Lake City Office, Briefcase Studies, SLC Summer 2025, Summer 2025 by Scott Dougan

Have you ever stopped to reflect on how much status influences your decisions? In professional life, it’s easy to see – titles like supervisor, director, or CEO make it clear who sits where in the hierarchy. But status doesn’t just live in the office. It quietly shapes the cars we drive, the neighborhoods we choose, the vacations we take, and …

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Back to the Basics: Is Retirement Still All-Inclusive?

In Articles, Articles: Kansas City Office, Articles: Salt Lake City Office, Back to the Basics, SLC Summer 2025, Summer 2025 by Scott Dougan

Not Exactly – But It Can Be Well-Planned Who doesn’t love the ease of an all-inclusive vacation? You choose your destination, book your excursions, pack your bags, and when you arrive – voilà! Everything is already planned, paid for, and ready to enjoy. No surprises, no extra decisions. Just follow the plan and relax. Wouldn’t it be nice if retirement …

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2025 Spring Newsletter: Salt Lake City

In Newsletters, Newsletters: Salt Lake City Office by Scott Dougan

It’s the best time of the year:  baseball season!  Not only has my favorite (though usually heartbreaking) team, the Boston Red Sox, started playing, but high school baseball season has started, and my 12-year-old son has already played over 20 games this year.  I live for this!  I’m an assistant coach for both my son’s team and for our local …

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Back to the Basics: In Retirement Planning, Time Waits for No One

In Articles, Articles: Kansas City Office, Articles: Salt Lake City Office, Back to the Basics, SLC Spring 2025, Spring 2025 by Scott Dougan

If there is one asset that has become more valuable than all others, it is time. It is finite, making it scarce. It is fluid, making it difficult to grasp. It is often misunderstood, allowing it to escape our attempts at mastery. In fact, time is the very asset we would willingly trade all others for—if only we could have …