The Benefits of Indexed Universal Life Insurance
As you get older, threats to your financial security increase. Factors such as inflation, market volatility, and soaring healthcare costs are challenging to control for, and we never know what…
Safeguarding Your Finances During Layoffs
A couple of weeks ago, I was on LinkedIn and read a post about how a guy was laid off after more than a decade of work at the same…
Navigating Employee Stock Options
Employee Stock Options (ESOs) are a great way to incentivize employees as they directly connect one’s performance to their compensation through company equity. In essence, the harder you work, the…
Maximizing Your 401k in a Volatile Market
Maximizing the potential of your 401k amidst market volatility may seem daunting, but you can achieve it by employing shrewd investing methods. In this article, discover how to navigate uncertain…
Military Pay is Going Up in 2023!
As a financial advisor and former military member, I am always looking for ways to help my fellow service members achieve their financial goals and build solid financial plans for…
How to build a retirement safety net
There is a famous picture from 1932 of steelworkers eating lunch atop a skyscraper. I’m sure you’ve seen it in a history book at one point in your life. It…
How to protect your savings from inflation in 2023
Inflation can quickly erode the buying power of your hard-earned money. To stay ahead of inflation in 2023, you’ll need to employ a plan that can help you protect your…
How inflation affects retirement
An oft-repeated anecdote by members of our older generations is how much it used to cost to go to the movie theater. The ticket was a dollar, popcorn was 20…
Americans aren’t saving enough money
By the time you get to retirement age, you want to have as much saved up as possible. Unfortunately, Americans just aren’t hitting their savings objectives. It’s complicated because you…
Should Virginians convert to Roth?
I was breaking a sweat on the treadmill at my favorite gym in Virginia Beach last week (the Hilltop Orange Theory Fitness next to Chick-fil-A, which I definitely didn’t go…
Veteran Taxes in Virginia Beach
You’ll be hard-pressed to find a more patriotic group of people than us here in Virginia. Maybe it’s because of our enormous Naval Station Norfolk, our Virginia War Museum, or…
Where is the best place to retire? Virginia Beach!
One of the most critical questions any soon-to-be retiree must ask is, “Where is the best place to retire?” Those living in more expensive parts of the country may want…
How to accelerate your ability to save for retirement
According to data from the most recent Federal Reserve Study of Consumer Finances (2019), Americans between the age of 55-64 have on average $134,000 in retirement savings. The average retirement…
The two biggest risks you face in retirement (and how to get rid of them)
Most people spend their entire lives planning for their retirement. You work day in and day out with the goal in mind that one day you will never have to…
How to use leverage to make more money
When you have a lot of assets, it is very easy to borrow money. Lenders will practically hand over huge sums of cash, at favorable (low) rates, because they know…
Understanding the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP)
Your Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) is a unique retirement account for all service members and, just like most things in life, there are many ways to work it. To take…
How to live a tax free retirement
One of the biggest challenges to preparing for retirement is planning for taxes. After diligently saving year after year, if you haven’t anticipated your tax obligation, taxes could cost you…
Using the IUL for Tax-Free Retirement (and to put your kids through college!)
Life insurance is not the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about ways to save for retirement. Most people recognize the need to protect their family in the…
The biggest expense you’ll pay in retirement
You have spent hard-earned years saving for retirement. You put a plan in place when you were young, and have had the financial discipline and mental fortitude to follow through.…
How much money should you put away every month?
It may surprise you to discover that Financial Advisors recommend saving 20% of your take-home pay every month. In fact, your personal savings rate is more important than any investment…
Financial Planning Basics for All Service Members
Just as you begin your military career getting the basics in place, you should start your path to financial independence with the basics too. Being in the military, you are…