Blog
Spring Has Sprung: Time to Refresh Your Retirement Plan
Spring can be a fantastic time to refresh your retirement plan and savings habits. With 2023 bringing increased limits for 401(k)s, individual retirement accounts (IRAs), Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), and other tax-advantaged...
Read More
Making the Most of Your Relationship with a Financial Professional
Heading to your first meeting with a new financial professional may be a lot like going on a blind date. Can you have anything in common? Can you click? Can you trust this other person with what's most important to you? A strong...
Read More
SVB Collapse
March 13, 2023Dear Valued Investor,Financial markets were shaken last week as Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), the California bank subsidiary of SVB Financial Group (SIVB), fell into FDIC receivership. SVB is the first FDIC-insured...
Read More
Thinking About Working in Retirement? Here's What to Consider
If you're thinking about working in retirement, you must consider a few things before making your decision. As you get older, the question of when to collect Social Security retirement benefits and how your monthly payment may be...
Read More
Women’s History Month: Retirement Focus
Ten strategies to help you take care of yourself and prepare for retirementWomen’s History Month has its origins as a national celebration in 1981 when Congress passed and authorized a resolution and requested the President to...
Read MoreShow All
Waiting for New Highs
Dear Valued Client,Financial markets have experienced quite a bit of change this year in just two short months. We started the year hopeful that stocks would benefit from a better economic and monetary policy environment by the spring,...
Read More
Re-fired Not Retired: Making The Best of the Rest of Your Life
While retirement is a time to enjoy the things you have worked hard for in life, the next chapter may leave some a little anxious. Retirement doesn't mean you have to retire from the excitement in life. In fact, it is the perfect time...
Read More
Healthcare in Retirement
What health care benefits are available in retirement? Health care in retirement is available from many sources. Government programs (such as Medicaid and Medicare) offer numerous health care benefits. However, you may need to purchase...
Read More
Creating a Business Plan for Entrepreneurs
Want to be your own boss? Ready to turn your hobby into a career? Got a great idea and thinking about launching a business? If you've answered yes to any of these questions, you are ready to become an entrepreneur. This can be an...
Read More
Retirement Investors Get Another Boost from Washington
Amid the 1,650-page, $1.7 trillion omnibus spending legislation passed by Congress last week and expected to be signed by President Biden were several provisions affecting work-sponsored retirement plans and, to a lesser degree, IRAs....
Read More
10 Tips to Develop Financial Wellness This Year
Financial wellness is a state of being when one is in control of their finances, can cover expenses, and save for future goals. Consider financial wellness as your relationship with money; it can be either healthy or unhealthy....
Read More
Your New Year’s (Financial) Resolutions
A resolution for every month to help you work towards financial independence. Cleaning up personal finances remains one of the top resolutions every New Year. But we all know what happens to most such self-promises, so...
Read More
Ways to Minimize Tax on an Investment Portfolio
Improving return by minimizing taxesAlthough we are all obligated to pay our fair share of taxes, few of us would be pleased to pay taxes unnecessarily. Because taxes lower the actual return on your investments, you should be...
Read More
Here’s How You Can Marie Kondo Your Entire Life
While this strategy is most often applied to ridding your home of your grandmother’s antiques and stacks of old CDs, you can also use this idea to rid your entire life of excess—mentally and physically.Think...
Read More
Key Numbers for 2023
Here are all of the 2023 tax reference numbers at a glance.
Read More
Countdown To Investing in the New Year: 10 Questions To Ask Yourself
If one of your New Year's resolutions involves enhancing and expanding your investment portfolio, look no further. In a true New Year's Eve countdown tradition, ask yourself these 10 questions to help review your investment plans...
Read More
Developing a Dynamic Business Plan
A well-crafted business plan can be a blueprint for entrepreneurial confidence. This multifaceted tool is as important to established business owners looking to grow their companies as it is to budding entrepreneurs.A business plan...
Read More
Family Wealth Transfer Planning: Keeping It In The Family Through Generational Giving
What is family wealth, and how do you preserve it? You have worked hard for years and accumulated wealth. You earned this money through your job, investing, and saving, and you want to preserve it for yourself and to take care of...
Read More
A Look at Tax Planning for Retirement
After years of saving and planning for their golden years, many people nearing retirement fail to consider the tax burden they may face on income they receive after they stop working. While you will likely see a reduction in the amount...
Read More
Giving Back to Your Community While Improving Your Bottom Line
Regardless of size, companies can benefit when the community in which they do business thrives. For entrepreneurs, giving back to the community may be more than just a charitable act; it can also make good business sense. If you have...
Read More
LPL Research’s Outlook 2023: Finding Balance
Through all the challenges, newfound opportunities, and every high and low we’ve experienced during the last couple of years, it’s no surprise why we might be striving for more balance. Whether it’s about the markets...
Read More
Tips for Talking to Your Kids About Your Finances
Communicating openly can help everyone prepare and plan for the futureMany parents may find it uncomfortable, or even believe it is unnecessary, to inform their children about personal finance matters. Yet, communicating openly with...
Read More
The 12 Days of Year-End Planning: Things to Consider Going into “The New Year" (Year-End Planning Ch
The end of the year is necessary to reflect on your financial picture, review the last 12 months, and plan for the future. With all that is involved, it can seem overwhelming. Consider breaking up the responsibilities over twelve days,...
Read More
4 Reasons to Do Your Shopping on Small Business Saturday
When Thanksgiving rolls around, the holiday shopping season comes into full swing. While many people prepare their strategy for Black Friday shopping, a lot of them forget about the second shopping holiday that weekend: Small Business...
Read More
A Year-End Wealth Planning Guide
As we approach the end of the year, you may want to review areas that may impact your wealth and estate planning next year. In this year-end planning guide, we examine four critical areas to consider that may affect your finances:...
Read More
A Guide to Incorporating Philanthropy into Your Financial Planning
If you're considering giving back to society or a cause as part of your financial planning, there are many ways you can do so. You can make an impact while receiving tax benefits by including philanthropic giving as part of a holistic...
Read More
Enduring Market Volatility With a Financial Plan
If you hope to retire soon and are concerned about what the future may hold for your investments, you are not alone. Inflation has many retirees and soon-to-be retirees worried about outliving their savings and investments.1 What...
Read More
A Letter To Our Clients: Looking Ahead
Dear Valued Clients,October is now behind us and it has delivered on its track record as a historically favorable month for stocks, offering some respite for investors as major equity indices rose for the month. The downside pressure...
Read More
5 Expensive Long-Term Care Planning Mistakes to Avoid
The vast majority of Americans need long-term care. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 70% of people over age 65 may need some long-term care during their lives.1 Unfortunately, planning for long-term care...
Read More
Three Things to Know About Recessions
If the U.S. economy enters a recession, the causes and potential outcome will be hotly debated. At LPL Research, our starting point is always looking at history. This week’s commentary will remind us of three things we know about...
Read More
How Financial Planning Can Help Prepare for LTC Costs
With the cost of long-term care (LTC) increasing year over year, considering how the costs of long-term LTC will impact your financial plan is essential. According to insurance company Genworth, the price of LTC services increased...
Read More
LOW BAR FOR EARNINGS SEASON
Expectations are very low for this earnings season. The challenges are many, with intense cost pressures and slowing economic growth at the top of the list. The chorus of analysts and strategists calling for big cuts to estimates has...
Read More
6 Important Components of Estate Planning
Basic estate planning is something that everyone should do, regardless of your age, marital status, the value of your assets, and if you’re a parent or not. According to a 2021 poll by Gallup, less than half of U.S. adults...
Read More
Ten Things You Must Know About Medicare
Heading into your retirement years brings a slew of new topics to grapple with, and one of the most maddening may be Medicare. Figuring out when to enroll, what to enroll in and what coverage will be best for you can be daunting. To...
Read More
POCKETS OF VULNERABILITIES
As Federal Reserve (Fed) officials continue to emphasize the Fed’s commitment towards restoring price stability, the dollar marches ever higher. Markets are currently pricing in another 75-basis point rate hike at the November 2...
Read More
Facing Your Financial Fears: 4 Ways to Avoid Budget Planning Scares
Nearly 75% of American adults report that they don't regularly follow a budget, while 10% have no budget at all.1 A lucky few may earn enough, or have low enough expenses, making budgeting unnecessary. But for the rest of us, the...
Read More
8 Things Financial Planning Can Help You Address
Financial planning is unique for each person; no two financial plans look the same because everyone's life and personal goals are different. Regardless of what your goals are, financial planning can help you work towards achieving them...
Read More
Everything You Need to Know About FAFSA
Each year, the U.S. Department of Education distributes more than $150 billion in grants, loans, and work-study awards to millions of college students. With these financial aid programs, tuition, room and board, books, and other...
Read More
Why It May Be Time to Take Advantage of Higher Yields
The LPL Research Strategic and Tactical Asset Allocation Committee is increasing its recommended interest rate exposure in its tactical allocation from underweight to neutral. Now that interest rates have moved substantially higher, we...
Read More
Planning Ahead for Life Insurance Proceeds
Why did you purchase life insurance? If you're like most people who buy life insurance, you're looking to provide a source of income for someone (e.g., a spouse, parent, or child) after you die. Buying the policy was the first step....
Read More
An Essential Guide to Estate Planning Preparedness
A recent survey by Caring.com found that a whopping two in three American adults do not have an estate plan1—an alarming statistic, considering that an estate plan can protect your assets and ensure that they go to the right...
Read More
The Ultimate Home Financing Guide
Congratulations! You’re ready to buy a home. But before you start scouring the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), you need to secure a home loan. Use this guide to learn about some of the most common types of mortgages and which one...
Read More
5 Tips for Navigating Medicare in Retirement
One of the main concerns about retirement is health care. As healthcare costs continue to rise, medical bills may quickly derail your retirement plan. The good news is when you turn 65, you will be able to apply for Medicare, which...
Read More
Estimating College Costs
What is the forecast for college cost increases?A college education is expensive. All those benefits of personal growth, expanded horizons, and increased lifetime earning power come at a price, a price that increases every year....
Read More
The Basics of the 401(k)
Thoughts from a financial professionalMost often, the first question a prospective employee will ask is about your company’s benefit program. And in my experience, the two most often-asked questions are about...
Read More
September’s Calendar Cruelty for Stocks
The difficult 2022 for stocks may not get much easier because as we now wait for better news on the inflation front, we have to contend with a seasonally weak month of September. While we got some welcome news in Friday’s jobs...
Read More
Here’s Why Your Credit Score Matters and How to Improve It
Credit can be a scary subject to approach, whether or not you want to jump into it isn’t an option in most cases; credit determines a lot, but it can also be a great financial tool when used properly. When your credit score is...
Read More
Five Keys to Investing for Retirement
Making decisions about your retirement account can seem overwhelming, especially if you feel unsure about your knowledge of investments. However, the following basic rules can help you make smarter choices regardless of whether you...
Read More
4 Tips and Resources to Help Seniors During Periods of High Inflation and Market Volatility
In 2022, U.S. inflation hit a 40-year high, with prices for food, housing, gasoline, and other key staples increasing by nearly 10% over the previous year.1 During these uncertain times, stocks have continued a roller-coaster ride...
Read More
Basic Strategies for Stocks
Equities have a history of producing higher returns than most other types of investment over time, though past performance is no guarantee of future results and there also have been extended periods in which they have not outperformed....
Read More
3 Factors That Could Change the Inflation Course
For the past year, supply-related problems contributed more to inflation than demand-related imbalances, but that may be changing soon. There are at least three factors that could change the course of inflation. First, the improvement...
Read More
Are You Retirement Ready? 5 Ways to Help Your Parents Prepare for Retirement
The sandwich generation is a term commonly used to describe those between the ages of 40 and 59 who are responsible for raising their family and are also often helping their aging parents manage their ongoing needs. Those members of...
Read More
Wellness in Retirement: The Benefits of Social Wellness for Retirees
Social isolation makes people more susceptible to illness and death.1 While retirement is a time for relaxation and enjoyment from a lifetime of work, it may lead to a lack of purpose if you have depended on work for...
Read More
LPL Research Midyear Outlook 2022: Navigating Turbulence
Markets rarely give us clear skies, and there are always threats to watch for on the horizon, but the right preparation, context, and support can help us navigate anything that may lie ahead. So far, this year hasn’t seen a...
Read More
4 Financial Lessons from America’s Founding Fathers
America’s Founding Fathers created the foundation of a nation like no other. Each had goals and dreams, many with high expectations of what the United States of America could become. For today’s citizens, it may be possible...
Read More
Saving Tips for Younger Adults
Today, younger adults face a variety of challenges in their pursuit of financial independence. Some of these challenges are similar to those faced by previous generations, while others are unique to the times. Here are five financial...
Read More
Relief at the Pump and for Portfolios?
2022 has been rough all-around for the American consumer. Not only are we battling decades-high inflation, but investors’ portfolios are off to one of the worst starts to a year in history as we near the halfway point. Our...
Read More
Bear Market Q and A
The bear market that started on June 13 has left the S&P 500 Index 23.5% below its January 3 high. After the initial positive reaction to the Federal Reserve’s first 0.75% rate hike since 1994 and tough talk on inflation,...
Read More
6 Tennis Tips To Help Make Your Retirement a Grand Slam
6 Tennis Tips To Help Make Your Retirement a Grand Slam Whether you make tennis one of your leisure activities during retirement or just enjoy watching the sport, you may not realize that the same strategies used in a tennis match may...
Read More
Sun, Fun, and Summer Savings: 5 Thrifty Tips for Summer Traveling
Summer is here, and it could be time to hit the road on a new adventure. If you’re on a tight budget, you don’t have to give up your summer vacation dreams. Here are a few tips you may be able to use to create the perfect...
Read More
Tips to Shape Up Your Fiscal Fitness this Summer
A regular program of disciplined financial practices can help you in the long-run Many people realize that the best way to stay in shape is to develop an appropriate fitness regimen and then stick with it. If you start a fitness...
Read More
Is the 60/40 Portfolio Dead?
This year has been tough for investors, not just because stocks have fallen but also because bonds have not helped mitigate those losses as they have historically done. Below we discuss the outlook for diversified portfolios of stocks...
Read More
Fixed vs. Variable Annuities
Annuity products have grown more sophisticated over the years to meet the demands of today's more sophisticated investors. Just as mutual funds grew in popularity as an alternative to certificates of deposit, the variable annuity was...
Read More
The Economy Is Slowing But Not Shrinking
Many pundits are issuing recession warnings and saying the economy is heading for a hard landing. Amid the cacophony of voices, we think the economy is slowing just like central bankers want but not shrinking. Further, we argue that a...
Read More
Financial Aid Resources for Your Incoming Freshman
College is expensive for many people. The average tuition and fees at a college or university for the 2019 to 2020 academic year at a four-year institution was $9,4001. This may include the cost of tuition, books, and housing. For some...
Read More
Looking through the Clouds
At the risk of sounding cliché, making the case for stocks to stage a second half rally back to the prior highs requires investors to see through some heavy cloud cover. If you prefer another market cliché, it’s times...
Read More
Understanding Your Homeowners Policy
Reading a homeowners insurance policy for the first time can be intimidating. With all the jargon, exclusions, and conditions you'll encounter, you may start thinking that Mom was right--you should have gone to law school after all....
Read More
Congratulations, Graduates! What are your next steps, financially?
What recent graduates (and their parents) need to think aboutSpring is here, summer weather has begun (in many places), and graduation time has arrived. Across the country, students are finishing their high school, college, and...
Read More
The Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise: How Exercising During Retirement Can Pay Off
Read More
Health Is Wealth: How Improving Your Physical Health May Benefit Your Finances
Read More
