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We're passionate about keeping our clients up to date. Below you will find resources to understand the current state of the market as well as helpful articles in numerous financial topics. 

Friday, October 1, 2021

Being a woman in business today comes with many obstacles, but it may also bring some unique advantages and opportunities. By navigating challenges and taking advantage of opportunities that come their way, women can go further in...

Friday, October 1, 2021

If your 65th birthday is coming up—or if you're receiving Social Security Disability payments and are about to qualify for Medicare before age 65—you may be wondering exactly what comes next.1 Below, we discuss some...

Friday, October 1, 2021

More consumers are conducting financial transactions online and may become vulnerable to tracking, hacking, identity theft, phishing scams, and other cyberspace risks. While nothing can guarantee complete safety on the Internet,...

Friday, October 1, 2021

In 2013, a Gallup poll found that only about one in every three U.S. households maintained a budget.1 A 2021 survey of 1,000 Americans found that 80% now say they have a budget.2 Americans are budgeting more due to the pandemic....

Friday, September 3, 2021

When it comes to planning for retirement, it's easy to get overwhelmed. Putting together a financial strategy can be complicated at any time of life, what with changing regulations, ups and downs in the market, and disagreements...

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Friday, September 3, 2021

A Primer Although we all know that “time flies,” it seems to move particularly fast as we watch our children grow. Yet, in considering a college future for a newborn, it is understandable that parents might procrastinate,...

Friday, September 3, 2021

When Judy purchased her life insurance policy 10 years ago, she thought her insurance planning was complete. She assumed that if she paid her premiums on time, she could sit back and not think about life insurance anymore....

Monday, August 30, 2021

529 plans can be a great way to save for college, but they're not the only way. When you're investing for a major goal like education, it makes sense to be familiar with all of your options. Mutual funds Mutual funds are an option to...

Friday, August 20, 2021

Whether you've been investing for years or just made your first stock purchase, you may find that the more you learn, the more you realize you don't know. From capital gains taxes to dividends, how well do you know investing? Test your...

Monday, August 9, 2021

To accumulate wealth, people may choose to invest their money into various types of investments. Investing creates opportunities that otherwise would be difficult to manage due to the consistency of contributing to the investment....

Friday, July 30, 2021

It is human nature to seek advice when things aren't going well or when an unforeseen event occurs. Often, people seek financial advice from a professional only when the stock market and their investments are experiencing turbulent...

Friday, July 30, 2021

It is estimated that about 40 percent of business founders were friends before they became business partners.[1] But while starting a business with a friend can be a great way to secure your financial future, it can also put new and...

Friday, July 23, 2021

For many people, turning 65 provides one of the keys to retirement: access to affordable healthcare. Whether you're enrolling in the Medicare program for the first time or have been a Medicare enrollee for years, it's important to stay...

Monday, July 12, 2021

Retirement is inevitable, but knowing exactly when to do so is often unclear. No matter when you actually begin your retirement, you’ll benefit from planning your post-work life as early as possible. According to Gallup, the...

Friday, July 9, 2021

Strategic financial planning is important for everyone but especially for high-income earners that have their compensation tied directly to the success of the business. Executives and entrepreneurs both rely on accessing their wealth...

Friday, June 25, 2021

When you refinance your mortgage, you take out a new home loan and use some or all of the proceeds to pay off the existing one. Why refinance your mortgage? There are a variety of reasons why you may want to consider refinancing your...

Friday, June 18, 2021

In recent years, the cost of higher education has risen well ahead of inflation. At some private colleges and universities, the net cost for one year’s full-time education, including tuition, fees, and room and board, tops $40...

Tuesday, June 8, 2021

High Net-Worth executives and those that have been self-employed, can experience common problems in their financial planning journey. Often, they have missed opportunities in their financial planning because they haven’t planned...

Monday, May 17, 2021

Even if you're saving money in a 401(k), IRA, or another type of retirement account, you may not be paying much attention to the specific rules and regulations governing these accounts. After all, if you're years away from retirement,...

Thursday, May 13, 2021

Small business owners should conduct an annual assessment of their personal finances. Owners of small businesses have much the same concerns as everyone else, except they are personally responsible for the fortunes of their enterprise....

Friday, April 30, 2021

As your retirement draws closer, you will probably start to have lots of questions such as: How much Social Security will I receive? When should I retire? How will I know when to retire? Do I have enough saved? What will I need to do...

Friday, April 30, 2021

Buying a life insurance policy is something that many people push off, sometimes until it is too late. For many people, the thought of buying life insurance means thinking about their death, which is something that most people wish to...

Monday, April 19, 2021

Whether you've been wondering about boosting your investments' rates of return or are concerned that your financial affairs are a bit too complicated for your next of kin to handle, it may be time to seek advice from a financial...

Friday, April 9, 2021

When saving for retirement, it often makes sense to contribute to employer-sponsored retirement plans to take advantage of any available employer match opportunities. However, not everyone has access to an employer-sponsored plan. Even...

Monday, March 29, 2021

Only one-in-four Americans (27%) feel very confident that they will have enough money to live comfortably when they retire, according to the 2020 Retirement Confidence Survey Summary Report.⁠11 While the number is up slightly from the...

Tuesday, March 9, 2021

Most people who decide to purchase stocks, bonds, mutual funds, or other investment vehicles do so understanding that there are risks associated with investing, but believing that the potential growth they may realize over time...

Monday, March 1, 2021

In 2020, the government gave taxpayers an automatic six-month extension due to the coronavirus. Individuals who were affected by the damaging wildfires were also given additional time to meet most tax deadlines. However, in 2021, the...

Monday, February 1, 2021

While the 2020 tax year saw some significant changes to filing deadlines due to the effects of the global pandemic, the 2021 tax season seems to be set to be on track with normal filing deadlines. With the pandemic still in sight, it...

Monday, February 1, 2021

As of 2018, about 58 million Americans had a 401(k), while around one-third of households owned an individual retirement account (IRA).1, 2 Yet for as commonplace as these retirement accounts can be, the nuances of contributions are a...

Monday, February 1, 2021

For investors approaching retirement, it is important to begin thinking about retirement income planning. This involves a mindset shift from accumulating an investment portfolio designed for growth to creating a portfolio of retirement...

Monday, January 11, 2021

Tax identity theft is when someone steals your Social Security Number, files a tax return with your number, and directs a refund to their own bank account. In other cases, this type of identity theft may involve a scam artist calling...

Tuesday, January 5, 2021

New Year's is traditionally the time to review your life and make resolutions for change. In addition to thinking about working out, eating healthy, and meeting personal and professional goals, you should also think about your finances...

Tuesday, December 1, 2020

From pandemic-related stimulus payments to job losses and furloughs, for many taxpayers, next spring's tax season may be more complex than usual. With the end of 2020 rapidly approaching, you should take some time to review your tax...

Tuesday, December 1, 2020

2020 has been one of the most unprecedented years in recent history, but some things—like tax contributions and retirement deadlines—don't change much, if at all. And with the uncertainty surrounding just about everything,...

Tuesday, November 3, 2020

By the last third of the calendar year, you're likely to have a pretty good idea of what your annual income will be and whether any major expenses or big life changes await you. This can allow you to engage in more robust tax planning,...

Tuesday, November 3, 2020

According to the Identity Theft Resource Center, the number of U.S. data breaches hit a new high in 2017. Nearly 20% of breaches included credit and debit card information, a nearly 6% increase from the prior year. The actual number of...

Monday, October 5, 2020

Many of you already have estate documents, probably executed many years ago. You need an estate attorney to look over your documents every 10 years or so. Here are a dozen points to review. Do you have a will and powers of attorney for...

Monday, October 5, 2020

Financial planning is an important part of securing your current lifestyle as well as preparing yourself for what you wish to do in your eventual retirement. And while this importance may look different during each stage of your life,...

Monday, October 5, 2020

The world's events always affect the markets, and making smart investment choices requires you to look at what's happening around the world. But what about during an election year? How should you invest while the country is deciding...

Friday, September 4, 2020

What are appropriate checklists for year-end tax planning? Tax planners often develop checklists to guide taxpayers toward year-end strategies that might help reduce taxes. Typically, suggestions are grouped into several different...

Friday, September 4, 2020

As you get older and closer to retirement, your financial practices need to shift slightly as you transition from working and saving to relying on your nest egg. As you approach this stage of your life, you need to take steps to...

Monday, August 31, 2020

The fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic has made the need for a healthy savings account clearer than ever. Even before the pandemic, the U.S. Federal Reserve estimated that nearly 40 percent of Americans didn't have enough set aside to...

Wednesday, August 12, 2020

Keeping your cool can be hard to do when the market goes on one of its periodic roller-coaster rides. It's useful to have strategies in place that prepare you both financially and psychologically to handle market volatility. Here are...

Wednesday, July 15, 2020

Market Blog Based on the latest polling data, there’s growing consensus that former Vice President Joe Biden potentially may win the election and Democrats possibly may sweep Congress. Some might think this could be a negative...

Friday, July 3, 2020

Teaching Money Mindfulness to Your Children At some point in a child's development, all parents wonder: how can I best teach my child the value of money? Parents who grew up in more modest circumstances than their own children can...

Friday, July 3, 2020

Most Americans will eventually receive Social Security and Medicare benefits. Each year, the Trustees of the Social Security and Medicare Trust Funds release lengthy reports to Congress that assess the health of these important...

Tuesday, June 2, 2020

Investing with an eye toward promoting social, political, or environmental concerns (or at least not supporting activities you feel are harmful) doesn’t mean you have to forgo pursuing a return on your money. Socially...

Tuesday, June 2, 2020

In times of crisis, you don't want to be shaking pennies out of a piggy bank. Having a financial safety net in place can ensure that you're protected when a financial emergency arises. One way to accomplish this is by setting up a cash...

Wednesday, May 20, 2020

Stocks have weakened as various global concerns keep popping up. Stretched valuations, weakening technicals, and increased tensions between the United States and China have investors on edge. This week, the LPL strategists discuss...

Wednesday, May 13, 2020

More bad economic data A record 20.5 million people lost their jobs in April, well above the previous record of 2 million during World War II. This is further confirmation of how quickly our economy stopped, and the LPL strategists...

Thursday, May 7, 2020

Stocks hit a rough patch the last week of April, as the historic rally could be tiring. The news was heavy and the economic data continued to be very weak, but central banks are doing all they can to help weather the storm. Central...

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Section 529 plans are popular education savings vehicles. To choose the type of 529 plan that's right for you, it's important to understand how 529 savings plans and 529 prepaid tuition plans work and the differences between them. Who...

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

As the United States desperately tries to flatten the contagion curve for the coronavirus, many state governors have mandated the closure of an unprecedented number of businesses and issued stay-at-home orders to their citizens. The...

Friday, May 1, 2020

In these trying times, even those with veins of steel can find themselves nervous about the market's direction and what it could mean for one's financial future. And the unprecedented nature of the novel coronavirus—and its...

Wednesday, April 29, 2020

Over the past couple of weeks, we have thankfully witnessed new cases of COVID-19 in the US trending lower. Increasingly, we are also seeing governors implementing plans to re-open their state economies in phases. If the US economy...

Thursday, April 23, 2020

With 22 million jobs lost in the past four weeks, a record drop in retail sales, and huge drops in industrial production and housing starts, it is safe to say we are likely in a recession. Even the Federal Reserve (Fed) in the recent...

Friday, April 17, 2020

The economic data keeps getting worse, yet stocks have been in the midst of one of the greatest multi-week rallies ever. As the LPL Chart of the Day shows, the S&P 500 Index gained 27.2% in the 15 days after the March 23 lows, the...

Thursday, April 9, 2020

Stocks have rallied nicely off the March 23 lows on the back of a bold policy response from the Federal Reserve (Fed) and lawmakers in Washington, DC, which was followed by signs that a peak in growth of COVID-19 cases may come soon....

Tuesday, April 7, 2020

You just finished your taxes, but it's not too early to make plans for next year. It's important that as you build your plan, you think about some strategies to reduce or defer your taxes now or in the future. Here are some strategies...

Thursday, April 2, 2020

“Could there be another depression” is one of the top questions we’ve received over the past week. “Yes, we are in a recession and many are worried if things may get much worse before they get better,”...

Wednesday, April 1, 2020

The United States has more cases of the coronavirus than any other country, and in an attempt to stop the spread of this disease, states have closed schools and businesses throughout the country. These unprecedented shutdowns have...

Wednesday, April 1, 2020

Now that the $2 trillion coronavirus relief bill has passed. There are huge implications within this bill that we want to make sure our clients and community understand, especially when it comes to retirement accounts. We’ve...

Friday, March 27, 2020

The world continues its battle to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, which now has likely impacted, either directly or indirectly, nearly every person on Earth. This is far more than just a health crisis—this is a human crisis. Its...

Wednesday, March 25, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented volatility in recent weeks that has investors and traders scrambling to assess the economic and market impact of the aggressive containment measures. This past week the CBOE Volatility...

Wednesday, March 18, 2020

The market volatility continues, as the S&P 500 Index has closed either up or down 4% or more for a record 7 consecutive days. With the S&P 500 Index down 30% from the highs, it has officially moved into a bear market. Yesterday, we...

Thursday, March 12, 2020

COVID-19 related fear has gripped markets, driving the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 Index into bear territory. As difficult as these markets are for all of us, there are reasons to be reassured coming out of China,...

Friday, March 6, 2020

The managers of well-run businesses usually name "backups" to keep things going smoothly -- just in case. That's also a smart plan for your personal finances, where you risk experiencing financial losses or other difficulties if you...

Thursday, March 5, 2020

What is tax planning for income? Tax planning for income usually involves strategies for minimizing your taxable income. In particular, the timing and the method by which your income is reported become paramount. Effective planning...

Thursday, March 5, 2020

What is business tax planning? When starting a business, you must consider a number of tax-related issues. Although business tax planning is a complicated area, it is essential to understand three major topics: tax consequences when...

Thursday, August 15, 2019

If you ask an economist what makes them toss and turn at night, chances are they’ll tell you, “Fear of missing the warning signs of a recession.” After all, for anyone who studies the economy for a living, few things...

Tuesday, August 6, 2019

China has introduced a new weapon to use in the trade war with the United States. That weapon? Its own currency. On Thursday, August 1, President Trump proposed a new slate of tariffs on Chinese goods. In response, the Chinese central...

Thursday, July 11, 2019

LPL Research released their Mid-Year Outlook for 2019! We are pleased to announce the release of the LPL Research Midyear Outlook 2019: FUNDAMENTAL: How to Focus on What Really Matters in the Markets, with investment insights and...

Thursday, April 11, 2019

There's more to retirement planning than putting money in your 401(k) or IRA. In fact, retirement planning is one of the most important financial goals you'll undertake during your lifetime. Do it right and you'll enjoy the things you...

Wednesday, March 27, 2019

Well, tax season has (almost) come and gone. For adults like us, this time of year can be like a second Christmas. The stress of filing will soon be over, and some of us will have our tax refunds to look forward to. The question is:...

Thursday, February 7, 2019

The first half of February is typically full of hearts, flowers and candies. After Valentine's Day, we are reminded that Tax Day isn't that far away. Give yourself some love and make sure you are organized and prepared for this tax...

Wednesday, January 9, 2019

The new year brings new opportunities for a fresh start, and many people have hopes of changing habits in their life in the upcoming year. Intentionally addressing your finances during the new year can allow you more freedom to live...

Monday, December 17, 2018

As a new year approaches, many of us will reflect on the year that has passed. Personal and professional accomplishments may take center stage. And we may take stock of any disappointments and re-calibrate as 2019 approaches. But in...

Monday, November 26, 2018

“A player surprised is a player half-beaten.” – Chess Proverb The World Chess Championship is currently being played in London, and for the first time in decades, an American could be crowned as champion. But this...

Thursday, November 1, 2018

I present you with two quotes: “Democracy is the form of government in which the free are rulers.” – Aristotle “I tell you, all politics is applesauce.” – Will Rogers Whichever quote best describes...

Thursday, October 18, 2018

What we don't know can hurt us. When it comes to investing, investing too conservatively for our goals may be just as damaging as investing too aggressively. How can individuals strike the balance between risk and return in selecting...

Friday, September 14, 2018

Is your spouse in your investment loop? There was a famous fast-food TV commercial in the 80's in which Clara Peller asked, "Where's the Beef?" We suggest a much more important question: "Where's Your Spouse?" Of the tasks to deal with...

Tuesday, June 26, 2018

Even if you’re not sure whether you’re going to retire at the age of 65, it’s still a good deadline to set to have your retirement plans in place, for when the time comes. That may require some careful calculations...

Wednesday, May 2, 2018

If your final day at the office is fast approaching, chances are you are experiencing some retirement anxiety. That anxiety can come from a number of sources- saying goodbye to your career and coworkers, embarking on an uncertain...

Wednesday, April 18, 2018

The headlines are filled with rumors of a trade war between the United States and China. You’ve probably heard by now that both nations have announced tariffs on many of each other’s goods. This has many economists...

Monday, March 26, 2018

Retirement can sound like a permanent vacation. When you awake on Monday, you will wake up when you want to wake up. No more alarm clocks and no more commutes to the office. One of our goals as financial advisors is to help put our...

Thursday, March 8, 2018

Please open your economic textbooks to page forty-seven, class, because it's time to talk about something you probably haven't thought of since college: tariffs. On Thursday, March 1, President Trump announced a new plan to institute...

Wednesday, February 28, 2018

360 Financial Acquires True North Capital Alliance Press Release 360 Financial acquired True North Capital Alliance as of February 7, 2018. “The 360 Financial team approach, enhanced capabilities, and fiduciary standard will...

Wednesday, February 7, 2018

Linda and Peter are worried about their financial future. "We want our one-year-old son, Raymond, to go to college, but we're concerned that in 17 years, the cost might be more than we can afford," says Peter. "We also need to save for...

Monday, January 22, 2018

If you are preparing to change jobs, do you know what your choices are for managing the money in your current employer's retirement plan? Although many people choose to take a cash distribution, there are other options that may benefit...

Sunday, December 3, 2017

As the giving season approaches, there is one important item to add to your to do list: Create a holiday budget. Before the gift shopping and wrapping begins, take control of your wallet through financial preparation. Remember, you can...

Wednesday, November 1, 2017

If you have a family, by now you’ve probably already put together a basic last will and testament. That’s a good start, but when was the last time you took a close look at your will? Since initially penning your will...