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The One Word Retirement Plan

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

If you could choose just a single descriptor for what you’d like for the next 30 years of your life, what would it be? For some, flexibility may be the word, for others, family. Here are words that may strike a chord with you: Flexibility Family Faithfulness Activity Travel Peacefulness Contentment Regret-Free (does a hyphen qualify it as one word?) …

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Retirement Elevated Classes in 2022

In Articles, Articles: Salt Lake City Office, SLC Winter 2022 by Scott Dougan

Gain the right knowledge today to create a well-planned retirement for tomorrow.  The ebbs and flows of being able to continue hosting our in-person Retirement Elevated classes has been ever-changing the past two years.  With that, going into 2022, we will be monitoring things as best we can to ensure our educational events are still being taught at a location …

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2022 Winter Newsletter: Salt Lake City

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

We made it through the holidays and into another year.   Welcome 2022! Here’s to hoping for brighter, healthier days ahead for all. The holidays at our home are often busy.  Our children, Coraline and Michael, are still young, so the holidays include little parties, school programs and many traditions that remain magical.  My in-laws live nearby, so our home …

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Client Corner: Don and Lauri

In Articles, Articles: Salt Lake City Office, SLC Winter 2022 by Scott Dougan

“All our planning has paid off, and retirement is just as much fun as we always dreamed!” As happily retired folks, Don and Lauri decided to visit Boston to visit Lauri’s nephew and his family and tour the surrounding area.  While they are seasoned travelers, neither of them had previously been to Boston; and so, they were excited for the …

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A Box of Catharsis

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

Catharsis is defined as “a purification or purgation that brings about spiritual renewal or release from tension” (source: Merriam-Webster). In other words, make the bad stuff go away and begin feeling better. If there’s one gift we should all give ourselves, it’s a nice catharsis.  If you’ve ever rented a dumpster in order to finally clear the clutter from your …

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Back to the Basics: The Forced Savings Solution

In Articles, Articles: Kansas City Office, Articles: Salt Lake City Office, Back to the Basics, SLC Winter 2022, Winter 2022 by Scott Dougan

If you were to ask retirees what was the single biggest factor in their ability to retire, the answer might lie in the fact that they began saving early, saved consistently, and didn’t stop saving.  Sure, some people have retirement saved for them, in the form of a pension, but the reality is that nobody lives off of their money …

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Briefcase Study: Financial Independence is a Myth

In Articles, Articles: Kansas City Office, Articles: Salt Lake City Office, Briefcase Studies, SLC Winter 2022, Winter 2022 by Scott Dougan

‘Financial Independence’ is a wonderful goal, a beautiful aspiration, a worthy pursuit. But it’s impossible. If true financial independence is the point at which we have enough money to be free from needing to serve or be served by other people, then we’ve missed the point entirely. If we look at a pile of wealth – money, property, possessions – …

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Retire in 1991 – Why Timing is Everything

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

Do you know one of those people who seem to hit every green light on the boulevard of life? Everything they touch seems to work out exceedingly well? If so, they’re the person who’s likely to have retired in a year like 1991. Why? For one, the stock market began its almost-unbelievable rise through the 1990s, replenishing their retirement nest …