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From where did you learn most of your life skills? How did you learn to brush your teeth, read, write, or drive a car? Personally, I learned these things from my parents and teachers. Here is a topic that affects just about every facet of our lives and many parents have limited knowledge of it and it is often not covered in school: finances! Finances are consistently listed as one of the top reasons for divorce, and money is one of the biggest causes of stress for Americans.

Before claiming social security there are some things you should know. When do you meet your full retirement age because that impacts how much you collect. Take a look at your longevity, your Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA) and your spousal benefits. Lastly, keep in mind that there may be taxes and penalties that come with claiming too soon. We realize that this is a complex subject and encourage you to work with a financial planner, CFP® or ChFC® who is proficient in retirement planning.

One of the biggest challenges when saving for retirement is understanding how to invest your 401k. There are very few quick and easy ways to know for sure that you are making the right decisions

"During this time of stimulus spending, tax cuts, and bond-buying by the federal reserve, I find myself wondering what the consequences of all of this debt will be? In this article, I will cover possible consequences of the debt we have accumulated (and continue to accumulate), as well as factors that will either help or hinder our ability to manage this debt load."

"From a financial standpoint, the government's response to COVID-19 has been quick and dramatic, to say the least. The federal reserve has slashed interest rates and has committed to “unlimited” asset purchases. Additionally, the bipartisan “C.A.R.E.S. Act” was passed on March 27th which will provide $2.2 trillion in stimulus. The Federal Reserve, State Governments, and the Federal Government seem ready and willing to do whatever it takes to ease the pain of this Pandemic. All of this effort and stimulus combined with the fact that the stock market has proven to be resilient leads us to believe humanity and markets will emerge from this pandemic all the wiser."

It is no secret that 2020 is an election year. It is hard to escape all the buzz. We are constantly bombarded with opinions from social media, TV and radio. In this article, I would like to focus on facts; facts about how markets have performed historically during election years. I will do my best to set my opinions aside so we can take an honest look at what history can tell us about election years. I think the best way to do this is to ask (and answer) additional questions. Here we go!

Do – Diversify your portfolio. This may sound cliché but it is vitally important. Diversification acts as an insulator against the ups and downs of the market. If you own too much in any one company, economic sector, asset type, or country you are unnecessarily exposing yourself to additional risk. True diversification is when you own several different types of stocks (e.g. US, international, emerging market, large cap, mid cap and small cap), bonds (e.g. US, international, Floating rate, inflation protected, high yield, short term, etc.) and alternative asset classes (e.g. real estate, precious metals, oil/gas, etc.).

"I grew up in a small town outside of Flint, Michigan called Swartz Creek. Many of the people in our community worked for one of the “Big Three” automakers, including my uncle, all three of my best friends’ dads, and many of my extended family. These companies were a classic example of a typical 20th-century employer. Right out of high school you could get a good job and make a very good living. It was certainly not easy work but if you stuck with it for 30 years you would be well taken care of with an opportunity for early retirement, a good pension and excellent health care benefits. Today, things are very different."