In 2020, the Setting Every Community Up for Security Enhancement (SECURE) Act increased the age for required minimum distributions (RMDs) from 70½ to 72. The purpose of RMDs is to…

Unbelievably, this year marks 25 years that I have been helping people plan for their retirement – most of that as a retirement financial advisor here in Columbia, SC. Over…

When you invest money, you are putting it at risk — all investments can lose money. The key is to gauge your risk, and to not put more money at…

In a recent survey by the American Psychological Association, more than 80% of American adults said they were feeling increased financial stress due to: Higher inflation (87%) Ongoing supply chain…

Global turmoil and rising inflation have presented today’s investors with some pretty daunting risks. But remember, this is the situation for which you built a long-term asset allocation strategy. If…

As with any major global conflict, we learn things. The pandemic taught the U.S. the importance of reshoring manufacturing jobs, so we aren’t beholden to other nations, like China, for…

Retirement planning was historically a little easier. For instance, the average life expectancy in 1950 was 68 years old.  If you retired at age 62, your retirement plan might need…

Have you ever thought about what you would do if a windfall dropped in your lap? It’s not that unusual. After all: The U.S. is experiencing the greatest wealth transfer…

When Putin invaded Ukraine in late February 2022, President Biden announced sanctions targeting Russian banks, the country’s sovereign debt and Russian oligarchs, warning that Russia would pay an even steeper…

It’s been two years since COVID-19 hit U.S. shores, but are we anywhere near pre-pandemic normal yet? It doesn’t look like it. The stock market, while volatile, recovered nicely from…

Retirement Planning A recent survey found that about 50% of couples do not agree on how much money they should have saved by retirement. However, new research shows that couples…

Municipal bonds are popular among retirees and near-retirees as they seek to reduce market risk and position assets for a lower tax bill. One way to diversify across this sector…

In mid-to-late January, investors experienced one of those common but utterly nerve-wracking pullbacks in the stock market. An accumulation of factors — inflationary pressure, potential adjustments to monetary policy, geopolitical…

In recent months, Procter & Gamble has raised prices for its Tide, Gain, Downy and Bounce product portfolio. It recently announced that this spring, consumers also will start paying more…

As America’s work environment continues to evolve, one thing that has become evident is that — in many cases — the work-from-home (WFH) model has proved to be effective and…