Posts by Craig Brown

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, creating the first draft of your federal and state income…

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. 1. Do you have a will and powers of attorney for health care and property? These are part of every complete…

In the past, boomers and generation Xers often held on to jobs for 10 or more years. Some professionals stayed with the same company for most of their working lives. The Great Recession changed this for many. Now, people have become more comfortable moving from job to job. Millennials are especially adept at this. They…

Many self-improvement goals focus on stability and personal growth — and financial goals are often no different. From buying your first home to saving for retirement, planning your finances can also help you work toward your personal goals. Learn more about why self-improvement is so important and how good financial planning will complement the goals…

The abrupt end to the 2019-2020 school year in many parts of the U.S. left parents and students alike struggling to establish healthy routines. As many students prepare to head back to the classroom (or the remote classroom) this fall, what steps can parents take now to get their houses in order? Learn how dependent…

Whether you’re a millennial, baby boomer, Gen X or Gen Z, you face financial questions besides just getting through to next payday. Here’s a simple two-step Nike-inspired checklist to help you start planning with your money. Just Plan. Critical for long-term success, your financial plan doesn’t need to be complicated, but it does need to…

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 for stocks, as a higher corporate tax rate that reduces earnings could be part of the Democratic platform. Early…

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 programs. The newest reports, released on April 22, 2020, discuss the current financial condition and ongoing financial challenges that both programs…

In the wake of turbulence in the financial markets, it’s worth reviewing the legal protections available for assets held by banks, credit unions, and securities dealers. Bank/savings and loan deposit accounts Generally, deposit accounts at banks and savings and loans insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation  (FDIC) are insured up to $250,000 per depositor…