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[Video] Being Thankful
STEPHEN SMALENBERGER, EA & MICHELLE SMALENBERGER, CFP® What reminds you of Thanksgiving? Is it gathering around the table with family? Is it going to grandma’s house? Is it football or pumpkin pie? Think back to the very first Thanksgiving, when the pilgrims left England with everything they had in the boat. They still celebrated, because…
Solid Ground Market & Britain’s Former Prime Minister
Solid Ground Market The past couple of weeks we have seen volatility return to the market. In the wake of this volatility we start to question the strength of what the market is standing on. In fact we see that 2018-2019 has a solid ground in the market projections! This past week was the annual…
Volatility Ahead In Tax Reform
Volatility Ahead In Tax Reform Remember this post from back in July? “Caution: Speed Bumps Ahead” The items mentioned in that post just months ago sure seem familiar today. This is a fair look at how the cycle of politics is ever-spinning and the effect it can have on the market. In July, the political…
[Video] What Needs To Happen Before 12/31
What Needs To Happen Before 12/31 As we approach the end of the year what things do we need to be thinking about? What HAS to happen before 12/31? We’ve created a list of these items that you can download at our website, but right now we are going to talk through each of these…
What A Difference A Day Makes
What A Difference A Day Makes This last week brought many news headlines. One day in particular, Thursday, Nov. 3rd, brought many of those headlines. Let’s look into these stories to understand how our portfolios will be affected. Fed Governor Jerome Powell nominated as Federal Reserve Chair Mr. Powell is expected to largely follow in…
[Video] Complete Your RMD’s
What are RMD’s and how can you make sure they are complete? Another item on your year-end checklist is making sure that your required minimum distributions are completed. There can be a variety of different types of accounts that this affects so we really want to make sure that we don’t forget about something. This…
Everything That Can Keep The Market Moving Forward Can Also Pull It Back
Everything That Can Keep The Market Moving Forward Can Also Pull It Back Lately, we’ve heard about the good things that can keep this bull market moving higher. However, these same things can also pull it back. Let’s examine two areas where this holds true. Tax Reform Keeps Market Moving Higher: There is optimism that…
Hurry Up And Wait [Federal Reserve Chair – Bull Market]
Hurry Up And Wait! The Senate voted to pass the budget which now paves the way for tax reform in the bull market we are in. Optimism is growing that tax reform can get done before year-end but only time will tell. We are remaining hopeful that we see meaningful progress toward tax reform in…
[Video] Maximize Annual Retirement Contributions
Maximize Annual Retirement Contributions One of the items at year-end that we need to be thoughtful of is how much money we’ve put into your retirement accounts available to us. This is one item that is part of our year-end tax planning checklist. In this video, we discuss maximizing your annual retirement contributions: MICHELLE SMALENBERGER,…
Third Quarter Earnings Are In Full Swing (Unlike The Cubs)
Third Quarter Earnings Are In Full Swing (Unlike The Cubs)! Just like we watched our beloved Chicago Cubs inch out wins during the playoffs, quarterly corporate earnings keep us watching with anticipation. Corporate earnings are reported each calendar quarter and provide us with insight to how a company is operating. The earnings number represents how…
[Video] Consolidating Retirement Accounts
What To Consider When Consolidating Retirement Accounts Are you nearing retirement or maybe in retirement? Or have you had a 401(k) at an old employer and now need to decide what to do with the different accounts? Can you consolidate them, move them, or need to just leave them where they are? To move a…
Tax Reform & Portfolio Protections
What kind of news have we heard this past week that is impacting the financial markets? TAX REFORM First, we’ve seen progress toward tax reform. The House of Representatives passed the 2018 Fiscal Budget which will now move to the Senate for a vote. This step has to happen in order for overall tax reform…
