Every year, thousands of retirees relocate to new states seeking better weather, lower costs, or a fresh start. But three financial planning considerations can catch even sophisticated retirees by surprise—areas where a seemingly smart move can quietly undermine years of careful planning. From hidden tax traps to obscure property laws, here's what often gets overlooked.
There is something deeply comforting about a bowl of homemade cream of tomato soup. Mackey’s recipe transforms simple ingredients into a flavorful soup that is worlds away from any canned version.
In a world where success is often measured by accumulation, there’s a growing recognition among accomplished individuals that true fulfillment comes from contribution. The question isn’t joust “How much can i earn?” but “How much can I impact?”
This shift represents the difference between charity and philanthropy, between reactive giving and purposeful impact
The fourth quarter of 2025 is just getting started, but blink and it will be over—now is the time to take stock of your financial picture and make strategic adjustments before the calendar flips to 2026.
Every October, financial professionals and organizations across the country come together to observe National Financial Planning Month. This annual initiative, established by the Financial Planning Association (FPA), serves as a powerful reminder that financial wellness isn't just about having money—it's about having a plan.
On April 13, 2018, Kentucky legislation passed a new tax bill into law. Instead of reading the thousands of pages of the new tax law, which I know many of you enjoy dearly, I thought a summary of some of the main highlights would be useful. This does not include every single change in the tax law and is only intended to summarize the changes that will have a wider impact.
Our economic indicators continue to run positive for the first quarter of 2018. Consumer spending, business investments and residential fixed investments rose at a 4.6% annual rate. Gross Domestic Product (GDP), a broad measure of the nation’s overall economic activity has shown consistent growth over the past three quarters; up 3.2% in 2017’s 3rd quarter, 2.9% in the 4th quarter and 2% in the 1st quarter of 2018.
While the economic news is positive, there is now a concern the economy is potential overheating. The period of easy money has come to an end. The Fed is raising interest rates, albeit slowly. However, there are growing employment pressures which have impelled economists and market watchers to voice concern over the potential for rapid inflation. In addition to this, global trade rhetoric and the risk of political gridlock, have marked the return of stock market volatility.
The Eurozone economy finished 2017 with a bang showing growth at the fastest pace since 2007. Year-over-year, GDP in the region grew at a 2.6% pace with Germany and Italy having picked up the pace. The German economy rose 0.8% on the quarter while France, the 2nd largest economy, and Italy both grew at 0.5% on the quarter and 2.2% annualized. However, the economic machine has throttled back to neutral. The tariff debate and other political concerns are primarily to blame. Whether or not this is a passing condition remains to be seen.
Sometimes keeping up with the Jones’ can be exhausting. It is human nature to often fall into the same traps as our friends and neighbors. If they go on exotic vacations, I must go on an exotic vacation. If they join the country club down the street, I must join. Truth is there are many kinds of fun that don’t cost money–a lot of the things that people did years ago before the advent of 3D movies, gourmet restaurants, traveling soccer teams and endless consumerism.
In honor of Ignacio Zaragoza’s amazing victory at the Battle of Puebla, let’s celebrate with 5 Money Must-Do’s for May.
April is Financial Literacy month in the United States. In 2003, Congress finally supported the idea of financial literacy month. Because it was officially recognized by Congress, a big push was made from various non-profits and government agencies (National Financial Educators Council, Financial Literacy and Education Commission, and National Endowment for Financial Education) generated tools and courses for families to utilize to improve your financial situation.
Investment markets have reared their ugly head since early February. After a time of prolonged quiet in the markets, investors are back to reacting to the news of the day. The week of March 18th yielded good economic news, a positive outlook by the Federal Reserve, yet a 5.9% retreat in the S&P 500 due to the talk of tariffs. Let’s look at an example to see if we should truly fear the day-to-day, or if we can achieve success even when we truly do have economic fears to be concerned about.
There’s a new scam going around we want you to be aware of. If you receive a call from someone who says they are from the IRS, and you need to pay a tax bill with a credit card immediately or go to jail, it’s a scam! It may sound obvious to you, but unfortunately, thousands of people have lost millions of dollars and their personal information to tax scams.
As always, don’t give any personal information on the phone. Be aware that calls of this nature are not legitimate, no matter how official they sound. The IRS will never call you about taxes due; they send official notices only by U.S. mail. Additionally, they will never threaten you with law enforcement or demand payment without the opportunity to ask questions or appeal the amount owed.
After reaching all-time highs on January 26, 2018, the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 went into a two-week slide that saw both stock indexes drop by more than 10%, a decline that is typically considered a market correction.1
Analysts have been saying for several years that the long, booming bull market was overvalued and due for a correction, so the drop was not a surprise in the big picture.2 And even after the 10% plunge, the Dow was up 19% over the previous 12 months, and the S&P 500 was up 12.5%.3
It's natural to be concerned about this kind of shift, but more important to maintain perspective and focus on your long-term goals. It may be helpful to consider some of the reasons behind the surge of market volatility.
