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Making smart decisions to protect your loved ones is a big part of what we try to do with financial planning. As part of that process, estate planning brings up a number of questions, one common one - ‘Do I need a trust?’

Roth conversions are so hot right now. A conversion is simply changing the tax status on a retirement account from pre-tax to Roth (after-tax) by paying the tax due on the amount converted.

Retirement planning can be tough. After all, the future is an abstract place where it can be difficult to grasp the details, and life is full of unexpected turns. We can make our best assumptions, but it’s difficult to know how much money we need and how long we will live in retirement. While we tend to focus on housing, transportation, food, entertainment, and travel costs there are 3 hidden and underestimated expenses that people overlook all of the time.

There can be misconceptions about what advisors do, who needs one, and the best time to seek one out. I’ll offer perspective based on what my practice offers as an independent advisor and CFP® professional, and the problems we help address along the way.

One of the biggest pieces to achieving success comes down to knowing - in very specific terms - what you are trying to accomplish, and then laying out the next steps to get there. It’s true that people without goals aren’t as successful as those who set them, and people who don’t write down their goals are much less likely to accomplish them.

One of the most important things you can do to prepare for retirement is to measure and understand your annual living expenses. Why is this so important? Our living expenses have an impact in a few ways; first we need to know exactly what we need to live on, and second..