Plain-language articles on investing, taxes, retirement income, market context, and planning updates from our CFP® team.
If you are currently receiving paper checks in the mail for your Social Security, disability and other benefits this will stop as of March 1st, 2013. If you are currently receiving paper checks in the mail for your Social Security, disability and other benefits this will stop as of March 1st, 2013. You either need […]
Most investors tend to have a high level of angst regarding their stock and stock mutual fund investments. When the investing public is euphoric, investors buy stocks, driving the market higher; and when they panic, they sell stocks, causing it to plunge in value. Over short time frames of one, five, and even ten years, […]
Start 2014 off right by making your 401(k) plan work for you. 1. Take the free money! Make sure you are taking advantage of your employer match. Employer matches have been increasing, with most offering a dollar-for-dollar match for the first 6% of employee deferrals (up from $0.50 per $1.00) according to the 2013 AON […]
Our Annual 2014 Numbers Unlimited sheet is now available in PDF form. Click here to get the latest.
Devin Wolf, CFP® will be teaching three finance classes at Whatcom Community College for the Winter ’14 Quarter. If you or anyone you know would benefit from these classes definitely pass the information along! Class 1: Social Security Made Simple Whatcom Community College Thursday Feb. 6 6:30-8:30 pm Deciding how and when to claim Social […]
As of 12/18/2015 Congress has made the QCD (Qualified Charitable Distribution) permanent. Previously the “IRA Charitable Rollover” had a termination date and Congress had to annually approve the QCD. With this most recent legislation the termination date has been removed, effectively making the QCD permanent. Although the article below references years 2012 and 2013 the information […]
Book Review: The Total Money Makeover 3rd Edition, by Dave Ramsey Reviewed by: W. Devin Wolf, CFP® Dave Ramsey is a well-known financial author, radio host, TV personality, and public speaker whose message focuses on getting out of debt and building wealth. I have been asked my opinion on Ramsey’s philosophies by a number of clients, prompting […]
Forefront in many of our minds lately has been the looming “Fiscal Cliff.” Over the past few months we’ve received a lot of questions from people, maybe even you, about whether they should be making financial moves in anticipation of the “cliff.” Our answer was always the same, and sounded something like this: “We don’t know […]
In mid-September, Financial Plan Inc. received the Best Practices Award for being a “top innovator” from Investment News; a fairly major publication in the finance world. They identified their winners based on a series of surveys and interviews and awarded the top 6 advisory firms from around the country. As part of accepting this […]
Today’s Powerball estimated jackpot of $500 million has created a fair amount of buzz in the media. We all know how it works. You buy a ticket and instantly begin fantasizing about what you will do when you win. We’ve crunched some numbers to help optimize your daydreams. Lump Sum or Annuity? With a $500 […]
