Blog
How the Internet Gamed Wall Street's Short Sellers
You may have heard the news about stocks for certain companies suddenly ballooning, quickly going from lunch money prices to several hundred dollars a share. In one case, the shares rose over 1700% since December 2020.1 So, what gives?...
Read MoreHere’s What Financial Freedom Really Means — and 8 Steps to Get There
Maybe you dream of waking up next to the ocean on a gorgeous piece of land you own, surrounded by nature, with zero internet because you never need to work again. Or maybe you dream of waking up somewhere other than your childhood...
Read MoreRebalancing Your Portfolio
Rebalancing Your Portfolio Everyone loves a winner. If an investment is successful, most people naturally want to stick with it. But is that the best approach? It may sound counterintuitive, but it may be possible to have too much of a...
Read MoreCOVID-19 Relief Bill Signed into Law
A new $900 billion COVID-19 stimulus package passed by Congress was signed into law by President Trump on December 27, 2020. What's most important about the legislation is what's not in it. It does not extend the CARES Act provisions...
Read MoreNovember Is Long Term Care Month
Addressing the potential threat of long-term care expenses may be one of the biggest financial challenges for individuals who are developing a retirement strategy. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that 70% of...
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Some Long-Term Care Thoughts from a Long-Time Subscriber
" I had a comment about LTC coverage, my mom had a number of health issues and required institutional 24/7 "memory" care the final year of her life. My dad found out the hard way how expensive the care costs in 2017. It was over $12...
Read MoreDON'T LET HEADLINES GET YOU DOWN
Even in “normal” times, the news can be depressing. But these days, it can seem like there’s an awful lot to worry about. Here’s a sampling of the types of headlines I’ve seen recently: Why US hospitals...
Read MoreWeathering The Storm
Carol Schmidlin Presents Live Webinar! Weathering the Storm A lot has changed since the beginning of 2020. There are slogans we've all heard like "We're all in this together" and "This is our new normal". While this may be true, we...
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The Average Social Security Beneficiary Is Getting a 7% "Raise" in 2020
Stimulus Check Payouts Will Put More Green Into Seniors' Pockets This Year As of a little more than a week ago, there were in excess of 2.2 million confirmed cases of this respiratory illness worldwide, with more than 153,000 deaths...
Read MoreMonthly Market Insights | April 2020
The spread of COVID-19 sent stocks tumbling, as the healthand economic costs of the pandemic continue to mount. Click HERE for important information.
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Rattled By The Market Drop? You're Not Alone
We have witnessed some extraordinary moves in the financial markets during the past few trading sessions. In recent days, the Standard & Poor’s 500 index has fallen by over 7 percent more than once. Ongoing concerns over the...
Read MoreCorona Virus and Market Downturn
Corona Virus and Market Downturn For those who may have missed Carol's live webinar, please click here and then download to access. The Corona Virus Pandemic is an unprecedented event that has impacted everyone in some way or another....
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CORONA VIRUS AND THE MARKETS
Key Takeaways The Wuhan coronavirus has unnerved global equity markets so far in 2020. While still early, compared to the SARS outbreak in late 2002/early 2003, investors are concerned about the possible impact to economies and on...
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The Bucket Plan
THE BUCKET PLAN According to The Bucket Plan, one of the worst behavioral mistakes you can make as an investor is panicking during times of volatility and selling your holdings. The Bucket Plan approach can help take emotion out of the...
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ESTATE LIQUIDITY PLAN
ESTATE LIQUIDITY PLAN During client review meetings, we’ve noticed that a number of our clients are ending up with a slight gap in their estate plan. There are a few ways to manage your final expenses when you pass away. However,...
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Six Key Retirement Changes of the Secure Act
Six Key Retirement Changes of the Secure ActBy: Carol Schmidlin January 2, 2020/0 Comments/in Uncategorized /by Karen Dzierzynski The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement (SECURE) Enhancement Act was signed into law by President...
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Eighteen Years' Worth of Days
The average retirement lasts for 18 years, with many lasting even longer. Will you fill your post-retirement days with purpose? Imagine this: it’s your last day on the job. A whole career behind you. You say goodbye to your...
Read MoreHow Will the U.S. and Iran Conflict Affect Oil?
HOW WILL THE U.S. AND IRAN CONFLICT AFFECT OIL? Historically, a Middle East crisis has led to spikes in the oil market, which have been followed by recessions. However, record domestic oil production has made the U.S. less dependent on...
Read MoreSix Key Retirement Changes of the Secure Act
Six Key Retirement Changes of the Secure Act By: Carol Schmidlin The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement (SECURE) Enhancement Act was signed into law by President Trump on December 20, 2019. This is the most extensive retirement...
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QCD RULES FOR 2020 YOU NEED TO KNOW
TEN QCD RULES FOR 2020 YOU NEED TO KNOW If you are charitably inclined and have an IRA, you might want to consider doing a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) for 2020. In addition to the gift you are making to the charity, there...
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Potential for a Market Correction When Drawing Income From Your Retirement Accounts
There are Many Risks in Retirement, But, With Today’s Market Valuation, One of The Biggest Risks is The Potential for a Market Correction While You Are Drawing Income From Your Retirement Accounts. Academically, this risk is...
Read MoreAre you taking advantage of tax breaks through qualified charitable distributions?
Everyone who is subject to Required Minimum Distributions who gives to a charity should use Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs), but must qualify by being age 70 ½ or over. Say for example you give $10,000 to your church...
Read MoreThe Rally in 2019
A TALE OF TWO ASSETS BY: KEZIA SAMUEL, CAIA INVESTMENT COMMITTEE MEMBER SENIOR VP, CHIEF PORTFOLIO STRATEGIST So far, 2019 has proven to be a very different year in markets compared to 2018. Prospects of a U.S./China trade deal and a...
Read MoreHow to prepare for tax season
THE TAX CUTS AND JOBS ACT The countdown begins. Once the clock rolls us into 2019, tax season gets underway. The old calendar year, 2018, will have been put officially to rest.Deductions from your paychecks and other income sources...
Read MoreNow is the time to seize the day
Last January, the feature articles in our newsletter were “Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Roth IRA”, and “Highlights of the Trump Tax Plan”. Many of you have taken advantage of funding Roth IRAs and...
Read MoreAccumulation, Preservation & Distribution Planning
In speaking to hundreds of people approaching retirement each year, I very rarely hear people understanding the three phases of money. Let’s start with the accumulation phase. When we are accumulating assets, we are typically...
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