In the final installment of our long-term care blog series, we are discussing your options when it comes to paying for long-term care. According to JP Morgan’s Guide to Retirement, a woman age 65 has a 73% chance of needing some type of long-term care in her lifetime and a man age 65 has a 35% chance. The average age of a person making a new long-term care claim is… Read More
Long Term Care Blog Series: Housing Options
Deciding where to live can be a challenging process no matter what our age; however, as we reach the latter stages of life, the decision-making process about where to live becomes more complicated. Much of the complexity is related to the rising concern of possibly needing long-term care at some point in the future. This is the third article in our four-part blog series looking at issues related to long-term… Read More
Long Term Care Blog Series: Emotions and Planning
As we continue our long-term care blog series, this article will focus on some of the ways we deal with decisions regarding the potential need for long-term care. While it can be challenging to think about and discuss these issues, let’s take a candid look at the way we respond when we think about long-term care. We might respond with denial and completely avoid the issue. The thinking process might… Read More
Long Term Care Blog Series: What is Long Term Care?
How is long-term care different from the traditional medical care that we receive in a doctor’s office or in a hospital setting? Long-term care could be defined as care provided during the latter stages of life that helps meet both medical and non-medical needs of people who are unable to care for themselves. Although long-term care could be needed by a person of any age, in this four-part blog series… Read More
Pleasure at the Gas Pump – Pain in Your Portfolio
Over the past year and a half, we’ve watched the price per gallon of gas steadily decline. If you’re like me, you may have smiled as you filled up your vehicle recently for less than $2 a gallon. However, over this same period of time, you’ve probably noticed your investment portfolio struggling through unusually high volatility and some sharp declines in value. Let’s take a look at some historical data… Read More
Qualified Charitable Distributions
Permanent: “lasting or intended to last or remain unchanged indefinitely.” Since 2006, Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) have been a part of the tax code. A QCD allows an IRA owner who is at least 70½ to make a distribution from his or her IRA, directly to a qualified charitable organization. As of December 15, 2015, Congress has voted to make QCDs a part of permanent tax law. This is welcomed news… Read More
Market Volatility: What Do We Control?
It has been quite a start to 2016 in the stock markets. Just 19 days into the New Year the S&P 500 was down 9.25%. Many clients ask us what to do in these volatile times, and our response is a simple one: Focus on what you can control. None of us can control the stock market and no one can know what will happen tomorrow, or this month, or… Read More
Consistency
I’m not a big New Year’s resolution guy, but for 2016 I have decided that I would make a commitment to focus on one theme or virtue per month and endeavor to apply it to my business and personal life. For January I have decided to focus on consistency. One definition of consistency is the steadfast adherence to the same principles, course, or form. With five kids and several of… Read More
What’s in the Box?
When I was a child, I was very impatient. Those of you who have energetic children and grandchildren can probably relate to the immense energy inside a young child. My impatience showed itself in guessing what was inside my Christmas presents. I loved to shake and examine my gifts, trying to figure out what was inside before I tore through the wrapping paper. Sometimes I was able to guess what… Read More
Check It Off Your List
As we enter the final month of the year, I am guessing that you probably have a lot of things you need to get done. I can imagine that a number of lists have your attention. I’m sure there are things on your list related to the Christmas season like the Christmas present list, the prepare the house for Christmas to do list, and the holiday gathering list. Many of… Read More
