Insights
The US War in Iran is the Dominant Macro Variable Shaping the Economy and Markets
Market Commentary
US economy shows slowing growth amid Iran conflict, rising recession risks, and investor concerns over AI, valuations, and global stability.
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Beyond the Will: Financial Checklist for Adult Children Managing Aging Parents’ Wealth
Financial Planning
Adult children need more than a will to manage aging parents' wealth. Get the complete financial checklist covering documents, tax strategies, healthcare costs & more.
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7702 Planning: A Tax-Advantaged Strategy for High-Income Earners Maxing Out Traditional Retirement Accounts
Financial Planning
Discover how 7702 planning creates tax-free retirement income for high-income professionals who've maxed out traditional accounts.
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How the Middle East Conflict is Disrupting Energy Markets and Raising Inflation Concerns
Market Commentary
Stock markets turned volatile as oil surged above $100 amid the Iran conflict and Strait of Hormuz disruption. What it means for inflation, growth, and investors.
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Understanding Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs): A Smart Giving Strategy for IRA Owners
Financial Planning
Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) can reduce taxable income and satisfy RMDs. Learn the rules and how to properly report them this tax season.
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Asset Location: The Tax Strategy Most Investors Overlook
Financial Planning
Learn how asset location can reduce taxes on investment returns. Discover where to hold stocks, bonds, and ETFs to maximize after-tax wealth.
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Investing in 2026: What Will Drive the Markets?
Market Commentary
After three years of double-digit gains, what’s next for the S&P 500 in 2026? Explore AI, inflation, interest rates and market risks.
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Building a Strong Financial Partnership: How Couples Can Stay Aligned for the Long Run
Financial Planning
Learn how couples can build financial alignment through better communication, shared budgeting, and clear goal-setting. Expert guidance for lasting success.
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Why Young Professionals Are Struggling with Analysis Paralysis in the Age of Information
Financial Planning
Information overload stops young professionals from acting. A comprehensive financial plan transforms knowledge into confident decision-making.
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How to Protect Your Wealth From Modern Financial Fraud: A Comprehensive Guide for High-Net-Worth Individuals
Financial Planning
Expert strategies from HBKS Wealth Advisors for high-net-worth individuals concerned about financial security.
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New York Secure Choice: What Employers Need to Know
Retirement Planning
If you're a New York business owner with 10 or more employees, you've likely received a notification about the New York State Secure Choice Savings Program. Perhaps you set it aside,...
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Many Economists Are Cautiously Optimistic the Resilient U.S. Economy Can Keep Chugging Along, But That Sentiment Will Be Tested In 2026
Market Commentary
Economists enter 2026 cautiously optimistic as inflation cools and growth holds, but labor markets, tariffs, fiscal policy, and AI risks loom.
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The Family Financial Conversation You Can’t Afford to Postpone: A Guide to Discussing Estate Plans With Aging Parents
Financial Planning
Learn how to start essential conversations about estate plans, financial documents, and final wishes with your aging parents before it's too late.
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Don’t Let Age Fool You: Why a Younger Financial Advisor Might Be Your Best Partner for Lifelong Wealth
Financial Planning
Discover 5 compelling reasons why partnering with a younger financial advisor could transform your wealth-building strategy for today's financial realities.
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Plan Now, Preserve Later: Avoiding the Long-Term Care Asset Drain
Financial Planning
Protect your assets from long-term care costs. Learn how trusts, Medicaid planning, and early estate planning can preserve your legacy.
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Three Steps for Business Owners to Prepare for 2026 401(k) Catch-Up Contributions Rule Change
Retirement Planning
Business owners must prepare for the 2026 401(k) catch-up contribution rule change. Learn the key steps to stay compliant and support impacted employees.
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Preparing the Next Generation for Inherited Wealth
Financial Planning
Preparing your heirs for wealth requires more than documents—build financial literacy, unified advice, and confident stewardship for a successful legacy transfer.
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The Continuing Care Retirement Community Tax Deduction: An Overlooked Opportunity
Financial Planning
Considering a Continuing Care Retirement Community? Learn how the little-known CCRC tax deduction can help offset costs and support lifelong care.
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Beyond the 1031 Exchange: How Deferred Sales Trusts Protect Your Wealth
Financial Planning
Learn how a Deferred Sales Trust can help you defer taxes, manage capital gains, and keep more wealth when selling a business or highly appreciated asset.
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Estate Planning Red Flags: 7 Signs Your Parents’ Financial Plan Needs Immediate Attention
Financial Planning
Spot the estate planning red flags aging parents often miss. Learn 7 warning signs that protect their wishes, health, and financial legacy.
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The Cost Of Playing It Safe: Why Too Much Cash Can Hurt Your Long-Term Goals
Financial Planning
Holding too much cash during Fed rate cuts can cost you returns. Learn why staying invested beats market timing and how HBKS helps high-net-worth investors.
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Speculation Surges: What it Means for the Profitability Premium and You
Market Commentary
Liberation Day tariffs shook markets, but global stocks rebounded, with MSCI ACWI up 18% YTD. See why optimism held and how low-profitability stocks surged.
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Missing 401(k) Contributions: Risks and Responsibilities for Employers and Employees
Retirement Planning
Missing 401(k) contributions aren’t normal. See warning signs, your ERISA remedies, and HBKS’s approach to monitoring, audits, and plan fiduciary support.
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Women and Long-Term Care Planning: Why You Can’t Afford to Wait
Financial Planning
Women and long-term care planning go hand in hand. Learn how early planning helps protect your health, finances, and future independence.
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The U.S. Economy: A Jobless Boom?
Market Commentary
The U.S. economy grows in 2025 as AI drives productivity and profits, even as jobs weaken. Discover what this “jobless boom” means for investors.
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Why Representation Matters in Financial Services and How It Builds Trust
Financial Planning
Representation in financial services builds trust. Learn how culturally fluent advisors help Hispanic and Latino families achieve financial success.
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The Role of Cash in Your Financial Plan: Finding the Right Balance
Financial Planning
Find the right cash balance in your financial plan. Learn how to keep enough for stability and opportunity without losing value to inflation.
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Credit Freeze vs. Credit Lock: Protecting Your Financial Identity
Cybersecurity
Discover how credit freezes and credit locks differ—and why a credit freeze is your best defense against rising identity theft and fraud losses.
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Cutting Through the Noise: What Actually Matters in Financial Planning
Financial Planning
Cut through financial noise and focus on what matters. Discover how consistent saving, smart planning, and disciplined investing build lasting wealth.
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Empty Nest, Full Life: The Complete Financial Planning Guide for Women After 50
Financial Planning
Take control of your empty nest years with smart strategies for retirement, investing, and lasting financial freedom.
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HBKS Wealth Advisors Recognized Among Nation’s Top RIAs by Financial Advisor Magazine
News & Awards
HBKS Wealth Advisors is proud to announce our ranking at #80 on Financial Advisor Magazine's prestigious 2025 RIA Survey & Ranking.
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HBKS Wealth Advisors Recognized Again on Barron’s Top RIA Firms List, Rising to #73
News & Awards
HBKS Wealth Advisors has been named to Barron's prestigious Top RIA Firms list for the second consecutive year, climbing #73 in 2025.
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Back to School: The Complete Guide to Choosing Your Best College Funding Strategy
Financial Planning
Don't let tuition costs derail your educational dreams. Discover the smartest funding strategies that can save you thousands.
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Closing the Confidence Gap: How Young Women Can Build Investment Courage
Financial Planning
Closing the confidence gap starts now. Learn how young women can gain investing courage, grow wealth early, and take charge of their financial future.
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Tax Savings Through Irrevocable Trust Modification
Financial Planning
Learn how modifying an irrevocable trust with a step-up in basis can reduce capital gains and create significant tax savings through collaboration.
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Are You Letting Headlines Derail Your Financial Future?
Market Commentary
Markets are hitting new highs one day and plunging the next, while headlines scream about tariff deadlines and trade wars.
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Don’t Leave Money Behind: Your Guide to Managing Retirement and Health Accounts After Job Changes
Financial Planning
Starting a new job is exciting, but amid the transition, many people overlook a critical financial task: properly managing the retirement and health savings accounts they're leaving behind. Failing to address...
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Navigating Life Insurance During and After Divorce: A Comprehensive Guide
Financial Planning
Navigate life insurance after divorce. Get expert guidance on beneficiaries, court rules, asset division, and securing your children’s future.
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Why Your Financial Advisor Needs to See Your Tax Return
Financial Planning
Discover why your financial advisor needs to see your tax return to spot hidden opportunities, avoid costly mistakes, and save thousands in taxes.
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What Real Estate Investors Should Know About Delaware Statutory Trusts (DSTs)
Financial Planning
Explore Delaware Statutory Trusts (DSTs) for passive income, 1031 exchange perks, and diversified real estate investing with ease.
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Don’t Panic, Plan: How Financial Planning Helps You Navigate Market Volatility
Financial Planning
Financial planning helps you stay calm during market volatility. Discover how a smart plan protects your goals and turns uncertainty into confidence.
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The US Economy Continues to Grow but at a Slower Pace
Market Commentary
A sense of economic doom was pervasive after President Trump announced his tariff plan on April 2, which he termed “Liberation Day”. Many forecasters responded by renewing their predictions that a...
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Tax Certainty at Last: Key Provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill
Financial Planning
The One Big Beautiful Bill (“OBBB”), signed into law by President Trump on July 4, 2025, represents the most significant tax legislation since the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017...
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Micro-Saving Strategies: How Small Habits Build Big Wealth
Financial Planning
Discover micro-saving strategies to build wealth automatically. Learn small habits that grow your savings without changing your lifestyle.
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Split Finances vs. Joint Accounts: Modern Money Management for Couples
Financial Planning
Navigate the Financial Dynamics of Dual-Career Relationships, Including How to Balance Independence with Shared Goals.
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Understanding Long-Term Care Insurance (LTCI)
Financial Planning
Explore long-term care insurance in 2025, compare policy types and costs, and use a 4-step plan to protect your retirement savings.
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The Rise of AI and the Rise of the Human Advisor
Perspectives
At HBKS, we blend AI innovation with human insight to deliver financial advice rooted in empathy, creativity, and personalized guidance.
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Invest in Foreign Stocks for Diversification, Expected Returns, and Lower Risk
Market Commentary
Invest in foreign stocks to boost diversification, reduce risk, and capture higher returns, with recent gains up to 18% in global markets.
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Consumer Spending and Employment Trends: Strength Amid Uncertainty
Market Commentary
Consumer spending and jobs remain strong in 2025. Discover key trends, risks, and insights to guide smart business and investment decisions.
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HBKS Wealth Advisors Ranks #11 Among Nation’s Top CPA Financial Planners in 2025
News & Awards
HBKS Wealth Advisors continues its strong performance among the nation's leading CPA-affiliated wealth management firms, securing the 11th position in Accounting Today's prestigious 2025 Wealth Magnets ranking.
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You’ve Graduated, Now What? A Young Professional’s Guide to Financial Success
Financial Planning
Just graduated? This financial guide for young professionals shows how to manage loans, build credit, and start investing smart from day one.
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Second Marriage, Second Chances: Estate Planning Strategies for Blended Families After Divorce
Financial Planning
Avoid estate planning mistakes in blended families. Protect your spouse and kids with smart trusts, clear plans, and expert legal advice.
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Economic Uncertainty in 2025: Hard Data vs. Soft Data
Market Commentary
Explore why 2025’s GDP drop may mislead. Brian Sommers explains the gap between soft vs. hard data and what it means for investors.
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How Automatic 401(k) Features Are Solving Small Business Retirement Plan Challenges
Retirement Planning
Automatic 401(k) plans make retirement benefits easy for small businesses. HBKS helps you cut setup time, reduce costs, and stay compliant.
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Teaching Financial Literacy to the Next Generation: A Family Approach
Financial Planning
Prepare your heirs for lasting wealth. Learn how to teach financial literacy by age and build a legacy.
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Where’s the Money? Funding A Successful Retirement
Retirement Planning
Learn how to fund a successful retirement by turning savings into reliable income. Discover strategies to manage risk and secure your financial future.
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How Women Can Take the Lead in Financial Planning: Your Path to Financial Independence and Security
Financial Planning
Learn how women can take control of their finances. Build wealth, gain independence, and plan for a secure financial future—starting today.
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Your Workplace 401(k): Your Easiest and Most Powerful Tool for Building Wealth
Retirement Planning
Discover how a workplace 401(k)—traditional or Roth—can help you build long-term wealth with ease, even if you’re just starting your career.
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Tariffs and Their Potential Impact on the Economy
Market Commentary
HBKS examines how tariffs affect inflation, business costs, and the economy, with insights from CIO Brian Sommers on trade policy and market impact.
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Long-Term Care Insurance as an Employer Benefit: A Tax-Smart Strategy Many Business Owners Overlook
Financial Planning
Business owners can deduct long-term care insurance premiums, gain tax benefits, and protect wealth. Learn how LTCI fits into your financial strategy.
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Roth IRAs: A Foundational Investment for Beginner and Expert Investors Alike
Financial Planning
Learn how a Roth IRA offers tax-free growth and withdrawals, why it’s a smart choice for retirement, and how to contribute—at any income level.
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Diverse Financial Teams: Better Outcomes for Family Wealth Transfer
Financial Planning
We are now entering an unprecedented era: the largest generational wealth transfer in history. What makes this shift particularly remarkable is that women are expected to receive the majority of this...
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Holistic Financial Planning vs. Investment Management: Which Path Is Right For You?
Financial Planning
Explore holistic financial planning vs. investment management to choose the right path for your goals, values, and financial peace of mind.
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Co-Parenting and College Planning: Financial Strategies After Divorce
Financial Planning
Discover financial strategies for co-parenting and college planning after divorce to reduce stress and support your child’s education together.
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Family Finances: Why Both Spouses Should Be Involved in Financial Planning
Financial Planning
It is typical in a family for one spouse to oversee the finances. That not only involves paying the bills, but keeping up with investments and insurance, and ensuring documents like...
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The Art of Charitable Giving: Tax-Efficient Philanthropy Strategies
Financial Planning
The Art of Charitable Giving: Tax-Efficient Philanthropy Strategies Making a Difference While Maximizing Your Tax Benefits In today's complex financial landscape, charitable giving represents more than just generosity—it's an opportunity to create meaningful...
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In Volatile Times, Cash Is King: Strategic Planning for Retirees
Financial Planning
In times of volatile markets or when unexpected events negatively impact savings, a financial advisor can provide perspective and reassurance and help adjust your retirement strategy.
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Family Meeting Strategies: Creating Effective Financial Conversations Across Generations
Financial Planning
Learn how structured family meetings can bridge communication gaps and prepare heirs for wealth stewardship amid a $124T wealth transfer over 25 years.
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Post-Tax Wealth Review: Use This Year’s Tax Return to Reduce Next Year’s Taxes
Financial Planning
Learn how a strategic tax return review with your advisor can uncover tax-saving opportunities, lower future tax liability, and identify wealth growth strategies.
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The Case for Comprehensive Wealth Management: More Investors Are Finding It More Critical
Financial Planning
At HBKS Wealth Advisors, we’ve always believed that managing your wealth involves much more than your investment portfolio.
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Market Turbulence: Historical Patterns and Proven Strategies
Market Commentary
Recent market swings have many investors feeling anxious. While uncertainty is uncomfortable, historical data provides valuable perspective that can help calm your nerves.
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Is Social Security Going Broke?
Financial Planning
Social Security remains in the news as workers and retirees worry about future solvency. Learn what recent developments mean for your retirement benefits.
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The Psychology of Markets in Distress: What Would Warren Buffett Say?
Financial Planning
Discover Warren Buffett's insights on the critical role of psychology in investing. Learn how mastering emotional discipline and behavior can boost your long-term investment success.
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Common Mistakes and Misunderstandings in Employer-Sponsored Retirement Plans
Retirement Planning
Employer-sponsored retirement plans need to be designed and regularly reviewed to avoid mistakes that cost employers and their employees savings as well as expose employers to non-compliance penalties.
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Valuing Client Satisfaction: How HBKS Wealth Advisors Achieved an 82.3 NPS
News & Awards
In the wealth management industry, where trust and personalized service are paramount, HBKS Wealth Advisors has once again demonstrated its commitment to excellence through our latest Net Promoter Score (NPS) survey...
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The Markets Today: Reasons for Optimism
Investment Management
When fear grips the market, investors often panic, selling off assets and seeking the safety of cash. But while markets often price in the worst possible outcomes in times of extreme...
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Estate Planning Essentials: Securing Your Legacy Through Wills, Trusts, and Beneficiary Designations
Estate Planning
Estate planning is a crucial component of comprehensive financial management that extends far beyond simply drafting a will. It encompasses a strategic approach to preserving and transferring wealth, minimizing tax implications,...
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How Will US Tariffs Impact Investors?
Market Commentary
On April 2 as promised, U.S. President Donald Trump implemented an executive order imposing tariffs globally.
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Navigating Financial Recovery After High-Asset Divorce: A Comprehensive Guide
Financial Planning
Divorce represents one of life's most significant transitions, particularly for high net worth individuals whose financial landscapes often include complex asset structures, business interests, and investment portfolios. While emotional healing takes...
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The Department of Labor’s Retirement Savings Lost and Found Database
Financial Planning
Have you ever changed jobs during your career and left behind retirement benefits? Now you can search a government database to find out.
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Financial Planning for Small Business Owners: Helping Secure Your Business and Personal Future
Business Owners
As a small business owner, you're not just building a company—you're creating a legacy. Yet, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration, only 50% of small businesses survive their fifth year.[1]...
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Comprehensive Financial Planning: Building the Client Relationship Over Time
Financial Planning
“If we’re just investing money and not asking questions they don’t know need to be asked, we’re not doing our job.”
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A Collaborative Approach to Wealth Management: Seamlessly Integrating Your Trusted Advisors
Financial Planning
Wealth management is deeply personal and often involves multiple trusted advisors, including attorneys, accountants, investment consultants, estate planners, and family office professionals
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Navigating Market Volatility: Challenges and Opportunities
Market Commentary
A market correction and uncertainties about the new administration’s policies have investors concerned.
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Comprehensive Wealth Management: An Ongoing Process
Investment Management
At our firm, we believe that true wealth management extends well beyond investment selection; it’s the careful orchestration of financial decisions intended to build, protect, and sustain a legacy.
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2025 Market Uncertainty: How Policy Changes Impact Economic Growth Prospects
Market Commentary
As global markets react to shifting economic policies, investors are grappling with increased volatility and a rapidly evolving landscape.
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A Young Professional’s Guide to Life Insurance: Why Now Is the Best Time to Buy
Financial Planning
Life insurance probably isn’t at the top of your financial to-do list while you’re busy building your career and planning for the future.
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Financial Empowerment Through Transition: A Family’s Guide to Financial Independence During Divorce
Financial Planning
Divorce represents one of life's most challenging financial transitions, particularly for women. Women experience a 27% drop in household income after divorce and men a 10% drop, specialized financial guidance isn't...
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Building Financial Independence: Why an Emergency Fund Matters for Next-Generation Wealth
Financial Planning
For those who come from families of means, financial literacy is more than just a skill—it’s the bridge between inherited wealth and long-term financial security.
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Comprehensive Wealth Management: A Family’s CFO
Financial Planning
For 25 years, Quinto Ambrosetti has worked with individuals and their families to oversee their finances and financial journeys. More than just managing his clients’ investment portfolios, Ambrosetti acts, in essence,...
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A Practical Guide to Managing Aging Parents’ Finances
Financial Planning
Caring for aging parents comes with many responsibilities, and managing their finances can feel overwhelming. The key is to approach it step by step with clear communication and thoughtful planning. This...
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Building Generational Wealth: Effective and Efficient Transfer to Future Generations
Financial Planning
Over the next 25 years, it is estimated that $84 trillion of wealth will be passed down to a next generation. Transferring wealth efficiently involves careful planning and consideration of...
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The Benefits of Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) From Your IRA
Retirement Planning
If you’re 70½ or older and have an IRA, there’s a smart and tax-efficient way to give back to the causes you care about: Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs).
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Private Markets: Investment Management that Transcends the Public Markets
Investment Management
Many financial firms try to attract investors by advertising that they offer more than just buying stocks and bonds.
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Planning Alert: Changes to Social Security Benefits for 2025
Financial Planning
Social security provides a stable and predictable source of income for many retirees. In 2025, social security benefits received a 2.5 percent cost-of-living adjustment with a maximum benefit increased to $4,018...
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The Division of Labor in Marriage: A Financial Perspective
Financial Planning
In any marriage, dividing responsibilities is essential to keeping things running smoothly. From breadwinning and childrearing to household chores, it’s common for each spouse to take on tasks that align with...
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Why a Career as a Financial Advisor is More Rewarding Than You Think
Financial Planning
A career as a financial advisor involves guiding clients through complex financial decisions to help them achieve their goals. This article will cover the key aspects of the role, including job...
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Navigating Inflation and Retirement Planning
Retirement Planning
Inflation was a key factor in the 2024 presidential election, perhaps the key factor. Political analysts began referring to election results as reflecting “the price of eggs,” which had doubled (or...
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Will There Be a Goldilocks Economy or Reflationary Pressures in 2025?
Market Commentary
For 2025, global markets and policymakers are considering two competing economic narratives: the potential for a “Goldilocks economy” and the risk of reflation.
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Fiduciary Financial Advisors: Your Guide to Smart Investing
Financial Planning
Are you looking for a financial advisor who is legally obligated to prioritize your best interests? It doesn’t sound logical that all financial advisors wouldn’t prioritize your best interests first, but...
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Financial Planning for Small Business Owners: Helping Secure Your Business and Personal Future
Business Owners
As a small business owner, you're not just building a company—you're creating a legacy. Yet, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration, only 50% of small businesses survive their fifth year.[1]...
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Navigating New Jersey’s New Retirement Plan Mandate: What You Need to Know
Business Owners
As of June 30, 2024, New Jersey introduced the RetireReady NJ program, a state-mandated retirement plan aimed at providing more than 1.7 million workers with access to a retirement savings option....
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2023 Year-End Tax Planning Update
Perspectives
We are coming to the end of another year filled with rising interest rates and continued market volatility, with little action from Congress to fix or extend tax provisions that could...
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Accurate Budgets and Projections Are Key to Successfully Selling Your Business
Business Owners
There’s no shortage of privately owned businesses for sale, which means potential buyers have lots of options.
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Business Owners Looking to Sell Have Options
Business Owners
Are you looking to move on from your business? Whether you want to exit gradually or immediately, you have options if your way out is to sell, including selling a minority...
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Looking to Sell Your Business? Start with the Fundamentals
Business Owners
No matter the business, no matter the industry, all business owners have one consideration in common: an exit plan. Other than turning the business over to a next generation family member,...
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Employee Stock Ownership Plan: What Business Owners Need to Understand – Part 2
Business Owners
On February 24, HBKS Wealth Advisors presented a webinar offering insights on the advantages to employers and employees of an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP). The panel of experts discussed the...
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Employee Stock Ownership Plan: Understanding the Business Succession and Financial Planning Benefits
Business Owners
On February 24, HBKS Wealth Advisors presented a webinar offering insights on the advantages to employers and employees of an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP). The panel of experts discussed the...
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2020 Year-End Tax Planning Update
Perspectives
Our colleagues at HBK CPAs & Consultants, want to ensure that our clients and colleagues are aware of the many changes that have occurred over the past year, and how these...
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Advantages and Disadvantages of Self-Employment
Business Owners
You've grown tired of commuting to a job where you sit in a cubicle and do someone else's bidding. You've got a better idea, you can build a better mousetrap, you...
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SBA Loans for Businesses Suffering Due to COVID-19
Business Owners
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) recently announced availability of low-interest disaster recovery loans for small businesses affected by the coronavirus.
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Selling Your Business? Consider a Two-Step Sale
Business Owners
Selling your business might be the most significant and impactful financial transaction of your life. You owe it to yourself to understand and consider all your options.
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2019 Year-End Tax Planning Update
Perspectives
With 2019 coming to a close, individuals and businesses may still benefit from several tax savings strategies. Our colleagues at HBK CPAs & Consultants share the many opportunities still available and...
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On Being Successful
Business Owners
An interview with Christopher N. Sorce, CFP&, Principal and Senior Financial Advisor, as we near the 20th anniversary of HBKS& Wealth Advisors.
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Leaving Your Business on Your Terms
Business Owners
There are many ways you as an owner can exit your business. It is important to understand your options and how to prepare yourself and your business for this inevitable event....
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Business Succession Planning – Buy-Sell Agreements
Business Owners
A buy-sell agreement is a legally binding contract in which the owners of a business set forth the terms and conditions of a future sale or buy back of a departing...
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Don’t Bank Your Retirement on Your Business
Business Owners
Investing in your own business makes sense; many businesses achieve significant growth each year. However, when you consider that many small businesses fold every year, it becomes clear that banking your...
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Benefit Plans for Small Businesses
Business Owners
If you own a small business, you may be finding it increasingly necessary to implement a benefit program to attract and retain employees. For small businesses, benefit plans generally consist of...
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How to Protect Your Wealth From Modern Financial Fraud: A Comprehensive Guide for High-Net-Worth Individuals
Financial Planning
Expert strategies from HBKS Wealth Advisors for high-net-worth individuals concerned about financial security.
Keep Reading
The Case for Comprehensive Wealth Management: More Investors Are Finding It More Critical
Financial Planning
At HBKS Wealth Advisors, we’ve always believed that managing your wealth involves much more than your investment portfolio.
Keep Reading
Comprehensive Financial Planning: Building the Client Relationship Over Time
Financial Planning
“If we’re just investing money and not asking questions they don’t know need to be asked, we’re not doing our job.”
Keep Reading
Comprehensive Wealth Management: An Ongoing Process
Investment Management
At our firm, we believe that true wealth management extends well beyond investment selection; it’s the careful orchestration of financial decisions intended to build, protect, and sustain a legacy.
Keep Reading
Comprehensive Wealth Management: A Family’s CFO
Financial Planning
For 25 years, Quinto Ambrosetti has worked with individuals and their families to oversee their finances and financial journeys. More than just managing his clients’ investment portfolios, Ambrosetti acts, in essence,...
Keep Reading
Comprehensive Wealth Management: It’s More Than Stock and Bonds
Financial Planning
Comprehensive wealth management is not the same as investment management. It’s a great deal broader and goes a lot deeper than your portfolio. In fact, your portfolio should be the result—and...
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Credit Freeze vs. Credit Lock: Protecting Your Financial Identity
Cybersecurity
Discover how credit freezes and credit locks differ—and why a credit freeze is your best defense against rising identity theft and fraud losses.
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Protecting Your Information with a Credit Freeze
Cybersecurity
In today's digital age, protecting your personal information has never been more critical. How do you reduce your risk in situations where your personal information has been compromised due to a...
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SEO Scam Alert: What Every Client Needs to Know
Cybersecurity
In today’s digital world, staying alert to online threats is more crucial than ever. Just like how technology is advancing, the tricks of online scammers are getting more cunning, too. Picture...
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Protect Yourself from Phishing Scams: How to Spot and Avoid Fraudsters Impersonating Financial Institutions
Cybersecurity
Phishing scams are a prevalent and persistent threat in today's digital world. According to the Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG), 2022 was a record year for phishing with more than 4.7 million...
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Was a Fraudulent Unemployment Claim Filed in Your Name? Report it.
Cybersecurity
As COVID-19 raged in 2020 and unemployment soared to record highs, the federal government increased unemployment benefits through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act. While the additional benefits...
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Scammers Pretending to be IRS, Banks, Charities
Cybersecurity
We are in the midst of a national emergency. The government is offering benefits to victims; your new way of business is requiring new, unfamiliar technology; and uncertainty is driving you...
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Spoofers, Phishers Prey on Florida Senior Citizens
Cybersecurity
Scammers can be awfully clever — and especially convincing when they claim to be from the federal government. The latest "spoofing" scam has the caller posing as an official with the...
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Phishing Scams are Everywhere: Be Prepared
Cybersecurity
Cyber security threats are everywhere in today’s high tech world, and simply having an email account puts you at risk from the largest and fastest growing threat known as phishing.
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A Proactive Approach to Cyber Security
Cybersecurity
Implementing strong cyber security polices, protecting yourself from unauthorized access to your personal and business data, is one of the most important precautions you can take in today’s digital world. Internet...
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A Sophisticated Con Almost Nails My Dad
Cybersecurity
My father is a retired military officer with three post-graduate degrees. After 35 years of service, he continued to serve his community by testifying as an expert in toxic contamination lawsuits....
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Identity Protection Solutions
Cybersecurity
The Equifax data breaches have focused our nation’s attention on identity theft protection. Not that it hasn’t been in the news for more than a decade now, but such a large-scale...
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Estate Planning Essentials: Securing Your Legacy Through Wills, Trusts, and Beneficiary Designations
Estate Planning
Estate planning is a crucial component of comprehensive financial management that extends far beyond simply drafting a will. It encompasses a strategic approach to preserving and transferring wealth, minimizing tax implications,...
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Building Generational Wealth: Setting Up the Next Generation
Estate Planning
Generational wealth can create myriad opportunities for your descendants, enhancing their educational prospects, improving their earning potential, and increasing their chances for financial stability. The value of generational wealth can extend...
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Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris Estate Proposals
Estate Planning
Recently, Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris proposed a plan to lower housing costs that would be funded primarily with significant changes to the estate tax law and increase the corporate tax rate...
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Building Generational Wealth: Getting Started
Estate Planning
Many of my clients are not benefactors of generational wealth; however, they want to make good financial decisions in order to build their own wealth, which could then allow them to...
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Is Gen X Ready for Retirement?
Financial Planning
Born between 1965 through 1980, Generation X, often overshadowed by the larger cohorts of Baby Boomers and Millennials, finds itself at the precipice of retirement.
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Don’t Wait Another Day: Estate Planning Tips for Middle-Aged Investors
Estate Planning
When it comes to estate planning, most middle-aged investors, which we’ll define as people between the ages of 35 and 54, tend to procrastinate.
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Assigning Responsibility: Power of Attorney or Guardianship?
Estate Planning
Just as a person charged with a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty, a person over the age of 18 is presumed competent unless proven otherwise.
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Asset Protection in Estate Planning
Estate Planning
You're beginning to accumulate substantial wealth, but you worry about protecting it from future potential creditors.
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Bond Yields Are Up. Should You Buy Bonds Now?
Estate Planning
As inflation rages and the Federal Reserve steps up interest rates, many of our investment clients are inquiring about increasing their bond positions.
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Intra-family Loans: Gift Money Now, Save on Estate Taxes Later
Estate Planning
Another busy home-buying year is upon us. Much like last year, supply is low. But so are interest rates, and many of us are more than willing to sell our houses,...
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Consider Investing Your Excess Retirement Funds Like Your Heirs Would
Estate Planning
A financial plan has a beginning, but no end. As a retiree your plan is designed to accommodate your needs and goals through your retirement. But it should also consider the...
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Inheriting Wealth
Estate Planning
You should carefully evaluate your new financial position after receiving a large inheritance. Consider the tax and investment consequences of your inheritance, among other issues. HBKS Wealth Advisor Anthony Scrocco reviews...
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A Will: Everyone Should Have One
Estate Planning
Not having a will can leave your family in dire straits. Do you have one? Is it up to date? Can you provide a copy we can put on file to...
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Managing Your Real Estate Portfolio with Tax Efficiency
Estate Planning
Tom Taranto and Ben DiGirolamo discuss the advantages of managing your real estate portfolio with tax-efficiency.
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Estate Planning and 529 Plans
Estate Planning
When you contribute to a 529 plan, you'll not only help your child, grandchild, or other loved one pay for school, but you'll also remove money from your taxable estate. This...
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Gift and Estate Tax Planning: Stay Current and Avoid the Consequences
Estate Planning
Over the past 12 to 18 months, our gift and estate planning has been based on the current federal gift and estate tax exemption of $11.7 million per individual or $23.4...
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The Biden Tax Plan: Estate Planning Considerations
Estate Planning
Over the past month the Biden administration has begun outlining its tax plan, which will undoubtedly prove one of the most noteworthy policy initiatives of the president’s first term. The plan...
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Selling Your Business? It Can Get Complicated.
Estate Planning
Grantor retained annuity trusts, or GRATs, are financial tools that wealthy people use in estate planning to pass assets to their children while avoiding estate and gift taxes. A GRAT is...
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How We Are Protecting Our Aging Clients
Estate Planning
One of the challenges of living longer is combating the financial risks resulting from diminished mental capacity and elder financial abuse. Protecting our clients from these risks is one of the...
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Essential Documents to Review During Volatile Times
Estate Planning
“Risk happens fast” is an oft-quoted phrase in the world of investing and financial markets. It never happened faster than this past February and March when the U.S. stock market lost...
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When Life Changes, Change Your Beneficiary Designations
Estate Planning
We are not immortal, and eventually we will pass on, as will our assets. Who will be on the receiving end? Failing to update your beneficiaries after divorce, a death, a...
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GRATS: Passing Along Assets Free of Estate and Gift Taxes
Estate Planning
Grantor retained annuity trusts, or GRATs, are financial tools that wealthy people use in estate planning to pass assets to their children while avoiding estate and gift taxes. A GRAT is...
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Remarrying? Better Do Some Estate Planning
Estate Planning
More than half of people over 55 who lose a spouse to death or divorce are remarrying. But a word of warning — actually two words: estate planning. Whether you have...
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SECURE Act: Plan Now to Protect Your Beneficiaries
Estate Planning
Congress has passed and the president signed into law a bill that will change not only how you save for retirement, but how you'll retrieve your savings. Among its provisions, the...
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Family Matters
Estate Planning
No one wants to think about, much less talk about, parents being unable to care for themselves or dying. But avoiding the conversation can leave a family in chaos in a...
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Business Succession Planning – Buy-Sell Agreements
Business Owners
A buy-sell agreement is a legally binding contract in which the owners of a business set forth the terms and conditions of a future sale or buy back of a departing...
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Revocable Living Trust
Estate Planning
A revocable living trust can be a useful and practical estate planning tool for certain individuals but not for everyone. This type of trust is as a way to maintain management of...
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Estate and Protection Planning: Don’t Fall Victim to These Common Pitfalls
Estate Planning
It's ironic that one of the most impactful — and costly — components of a well-executed financial plan pertains to benefits the owner will likely not live to enjoy. However, anyone...
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Inheriting Retirement Accounts: The Other IRAs
Estate Planning
Dealing with the passing of a family member or close friend is never easy. The emotions we feel and the ways we cope with loss can vary dramatically depending on our...
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Estate Planning: Covering Your Bases, Part 3
Estate Planning
As critical as estate planning is, assuring your estate will be distributed as you wish is far from difficult or complicated. For most of us, estate planning boils down to executing...
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Estate Planning: Covering Your Bases, Part 2
Estate Planning
As critical as estate planning is, assuring your estate will be distributed as you wish is far from difficult or complicated. For most of us, estate planning boils down to executing...
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Estate Planning: Covering Your Bases, Part 1
Estate Planning
As critical as estate planning is, assuring your estate will be distributed as you wish is far from difficult or complicated. For most of us, estate planning boils down to executing...
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Gifting and the Family Dynamic
Estate Planning
It is a good problem. You've done well enough in your business to amass a significant amount of wealth. Now you must decide how it will be distributed when you are...
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Beyond the Will: Financial Checklist for Adult Children Managing Aging Parents’ Wealth
Financial Planning
Adult children need more than a will to manage aging parents' wealth. Get the complete financial checklist covering documents, tax strategies, healthcare costs & more.
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7702 Planning: A Tax-Advantaged Strategy for High-Income Earners Maxing Out Traditional Retirement Accounts
Financial Planning
Discover how 7702 planning creates tax-free retirement income for high-income professionals who've maxed out traditional accounts.
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Understanding Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs): A Smart Giving Strategy for IRA Owners
Financial Planning
Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) can reduce taxable income and satisfy RMDs. Learn the rules and how to properly report them this tax season.
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Asset Location: The Tax Strategy Most Investors Overlook
Financial Planning
Learn how asset location can reduce taxes on investment returns. Discover where to hold stocks, bonds, and ETFs to maximize after-tax wealth.
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Building a Strong Financial Partnership: How Couples Can Stay Aligned for the Long Run
Financial Planning
Learn how couples can build financial alignment through better communication, shared budgeting, and clear goal-setting. Expert guidance for lasting success.
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Why Young Professionals Are Struggling with Analysis Paralysis in the Age of Information
Financial Planning
Information overload stops young professionals from acting. A comprehensive financial plan transforms knowledge into confident decision-making.
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How to Protect Your Wealth From Modern Financial Fraud: A Comprehensive Guide for High-Net-Worth Individuals
Financial Planning
Expert strategies from HBKS Wealth Advisors for high-net-worth individuals concerned about financial security.
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The Family Financial Conversation You Can’t Afford to Postpone: A Guide to Discussing Estate Plans With Aging Parents
Financial Planning
Learn how to start essential conversations about estate plans, financial documents, and final wishes with your aging parents before it's too late.
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Don’t Let Age Fool You: Why a Younger Financial Advisor Might Be Your Best Partner for Lifelong Wealth
Financial Planning
Discover 5 compelling reasons why partnering with a younger financial advisor could transform your wealth-building strategy for today's financial realities.
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Plan Now, Preserve Later: Avoiding the Long-Term Care Asset Drain
Financial Planning
Protect your assets from long-term care costs. Learn how trusts, Medicaid planning, and early estate planning can preserve your legacy.
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Preparing the Next Generation for Inherited Wealth
Financial Planning
Preparing your heirs for wealth requires more than documents—build financial literacy, unified advice, and confident stewardship for a successful legacy transfer.
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The Continuing Care Retirement Community Tax Deduction: An Overlooked Opportunity
Financial Planning
Considering a Continuing Care Retirement Community? Learn how the little-known CCRC tax deduction can help offset costs and support lifelong care.
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Beyond the 1031 Exchange: How Deferred Sales Trusts Protect Your Wealth
Financial Planning
Learn how a Deferred Sales Trust can help you defer taxes, manage capital gains, and keep more wealth when selling a business or highly appreciated asset.
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Estate Planning Red Flags: 7 Signs Your Parents’ Financial Plan Needs Immediate Attention
Financial Planning
Spot the estate planning red flags aging parents often miss. Learn 7 warning signs that protect their wishes, health, and financial legacy.
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The Cost Of Playing It Safe: Why Too Much Cash Can Hurt Your Long-Term Goals
Financial Planning
Holding too much cash during Fed rate cuts can cost you returns. Learn why staying invested beats market timing and how HBKS helps high-net-worth investors.
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Women and Long-Term Care Planning: Why You Can’t Afford to Wait
Financial Planning
Women and long-term care planning go hand in hand. Learn how early planning helps protect your health, finances, and future independence.
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Why Representation Matters in Financial Services and How It Builds Trust
Financial Planning
Representation in financial services builds trust. Learn how culturally fluent advisors help Hispanic and Latino families achieve financial success.
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The Role of Cash in Your Financial Plan: Finding the Right Balance
Financial Planning
Find the right cash balance in your financial plan. Learn how to keep enough for stability and opportunity without losing value to inflation.
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Cutting Through the Noise: What Actually Matters in Financial Planning
Financial Planning
Cut through financial noise and focus on what matters. Discover how consistent saving, smart planning, and disciplined investing build lasting wealth.
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Empty Nest, Full Life: The Complete Financial Planning Guide for Women After 50
Financial Planning
Take control of your empty nest years with smart strategies for retirement, investing, and lasting financial freedom.
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Back to School: The Complete Guide to Choosing Your Best College Funding Strategy
Financial Planning
Don't let tuition costs derail your educational dreams. Discover the smartest funding strategies that can save you thousands.
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Closing the Confidence Gap: How Young Women Can Build Investment Courage
Financial Planning
Closing the confidence gap starts now. Learn how young women can gain investing courage, grow wealth early, and take charge of their financial future.
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Tax Savings Through Irrevocable Trust Modification
Financial Planning
Learn how modifying an irrevocable trust with a step-up in basis can reduce capital gains and create significant tax savings through collaboration.
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Don’t Leave Money Behind: Your Guide to Managing Retirement and Health Accounts After Job Changes
Financial Planning
Starting a new job is exciting, but amid the transition, many people overlook a critical financial task: properly managing the retirement and health savings accounts they're leaving behind. Failing to address...
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Navigating Life Insurance During and After Divorce: A Comprehensive Guide
Financial Planning
Navigate life insurance after divorce. Get expert guidance on beneficiaries, court rules, asset division, and securing your children’s future.
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Why Your Financial Advisor Needs to See Your Tax Return
Financial Planning
Discover why your financial advisor needs to see your tax return to spot hidden opportunities, avoid costly mistakes, and save thousands in taxes.
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What Real Estate Investors Should Know About Delaware Statutory Trusts (DSTs)
Financial Planning
Explore Delaware Statutory Trusts (DSTs) for passive income, 1031 exchange perks, and diversified real estate investing with ease.
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Don’t Panic, Plan: How Financial Planning Helps You Navigate Market Volatility
Financial Planning
Financial planning helps you stay calm during market volatility. Discover how a smart plan protects your goals and turns uncertainty into confidence.
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Tax Certainty at Last: Key Provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill
Financial Planning
The One Big Beautiful Bill (“OBBB”), signed into law by President Trump on July 4, 2025, represents the most significant tax legislation since the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017...
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Micro-Saving Strategies: How Small Habits Build Big Wealth
Financial Planning
Discover micro-saving strategies to build wealth automatically. Learn small habits that grow your savings without changing your lifestyle.
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Split Finances vs. Joint Accounts: Modern Money Management for Couples
Financial Planning
Navigate the Financial Dynamics of Dual-Career Relationships, Including How to Balance Independence with Shared Goals.
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Understanding Long-Term Care Insurance (LTCI)
Financial Planning
Explore long-term care insurance in 2025, compare policy types and costs, and use a 4-step plan to protect your retirement savings.
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You’ve Graduated, Now What? A Young Professional’s Guide to Financial Success
Financial Planning
Just graduated? This financial guide for young professionals shows how to manage loans, build credit, and start investing smart from day one.
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Second Marriage, Second Chances: Estate Planning Strategies for Blended Families After Divorce
Financial Planning
Avoid estate planning mistakes in blended families. Protect your spouse and kids with smart trusts, clear plans, and expert legal advice.
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Teaching Financial Literacy to the Next Generation: A Family Approach
Financial Planning
Prepare your heirs for lasting wealth. Learn how to teach financial literacy by age and build a legacy.
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How Women Can Take the Lead in Financial Planning: Your Path to Financial Independence and Security
Financial Planning
Learn how women can take control of their finances. Build wealth, gain independence, and plan for a secure financial future—starting today.
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Long-Term Care Insurance as an Employer Benefit: A Tax-Smart Strategy Many Business Owners Overlook
Financial Planning
Business owners can deduct long-term care insurance premiums, gain tax benefits, and protect wealth. Learn how LTCI fits into your financial strategy.
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Roth IRAs: A Foundational Investment for Beginner and Expert Investors Alike
Financial Planning
Learn how a Roth IRA offers tax-free growth and withdrawals, why it’s a smart choice for retirement, and how to contribute—at any income level.
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Diverse Financial Teams: Better Outcomes for Family Wealth Transfer
Financial Planning
We are now entering an unprecedented era: the largest generational wealth transfer in history. What makes this shift particularly remarkable is that women are expected to receive the majority of this...
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Holistic Financial Planning vs. Investment Management: Which Path Is Right For You?
Financial Planning
Explore holistic financial planning vs. investment management to choose the right path for your goals, values, and financial peace of mind.
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Co-Parenting and College Planning: Financial Strategies After Divorce
Financial Planning
Discover financial strategies for co-parenting and college planning after divorce to reduce stress and support your child’s education together.
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Family Finances: Why Both Spouses Should Be Involved in Financial Planning
Financial Planning
It is typical in a family for one spouse to oversee the finances. That not only involves paying the bills, but keeping up with investments and insurance, and ensuring documents like...
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The Art of Charitable Giving: Tax-Efficient Philanthropy Strategies
Financial Planning
The Art of Charitable Giving: Tax-Efficient Philanthropy Strategies Making a Difference While Maximizing Your Tax Benefits In today's complex financial landscape, charitable giving represents more than just generosity—it's an opportunity to create meaningful...
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In Volatile Times, Cash Is King: Strategic Planning for Retirees
Financial Planning
In times of volatile markets or when unexpected events negatively impact savings, a financial advisor can provide perspective and reassurance and help adjust your retirement strategy.
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Family Meeting Strategies: Creating Effective Financial Conversations Across Generations
Financial Planning
Learn how structured family meetings can bridge communication gaps and prepare heirs for wealth stewardship amid a $124T wealth transfer over 25 years.
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Post-Tax Wealth Review: Use This Year’s Tax Return to Reduce Next Year’s Taxes
Financial Planning
Learn how a strategic tax return review with your advisor can uncover tax-saving opportunities, lower future tax liability, and identify wealth growth strategies.
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The Case for Comprehensive Wealth Management: More Investors Are Finding It More Critical
Financial Planning
At HBKS Wealth Advisors, we’ve always believed that managing your wealth involves much more than your investment portfolio.
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Is Social Security Going Broke?
Financial Planning
Social Security remains in the news as workers and retirees worry about future solvency. Learn what recent developments mean for your retirement benefits.
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The Psychology of Markets in Distress: What Would Warren Buffett Say?
Financial Planning
Discover Warren Buffett's insights on the critical role of psychology in investing. Learn how mastering emotional discipline and behavior can boost your long-term investment success.
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Navigating Financial Recovery After High-Asset Divorce: A Comprehensive Guide
Financial Planning
Divorce represents one of life's most significant transitions, particularly for high net worth individuals whose financial landscapes often include complex asset structures, business interests, and investment portfolios. While emotional healing takes...
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The Department of Labor’s Retirement Savings Lost and Found Database
Financial Planning
Have you ever changed jobs during your career and left behind retirement benefits? Now you can search a government database to find out.
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Financial Planning for Small Business Owners: Helping Secure Your Business and Personal Future
Business Owners
As a small business owner, you're not just building a company—you're creating a legacy. Yet, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration, only 50% of small businesses survive their fifth year.[1]...
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Comprehensive Financial Planning: Building the Client Relationship Over Time
Financial Planning
“If we’re just investing money and not asking questions they don’t know need to be asked, we’re not doing our job.”
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A Collaborative Approach to Wealth Management: Seamlessly Integrating Your Trusted Advisors
Financial Planning
Wealth management is deeply personal and often involves multiple trusted advisors, including attorneys, accountants, investment consultants, estate planners, and family office professionals
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A Young Professional’s Guide to Life Insurance: Why Now Is the Best Time to Buy
Financial Planning
Life insurance probably isn’t at the top of your financial to-do list while you’re busy building your career and planning for the future.
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Financial Empowerment Through Transition: A Family’s Guide to Financial Independence During Divorce
Financial Planning
Divorce represents one of life's most challenging financial transitions, particularly for women. Women experience a 27% drop in household income after divorce and men a 10% drop, specialized financial guidance isn't...
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Building Financial Independence: Why an Emergency Fund Matters for Next-Generation Wealth
Financial Planning
For those who come from families of means, financial literacy is more than just a skill—it’s the bridge between inherited wealth and long-term financial security.
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Comprehensive Wealth Management: A Family’s CFO
Financial Planning
For 25 years, Quinto Ambrosetti has worked with individuals and their families to oversee their finances and financial journeys. More than just managing his clients’ investment portfolios, Ambrosetti acts, in essence,...
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A Practical Guide to Managing Aging Parents’ Finances
Financial Planning
Caring for aging parents comes with many responsibilities, and managing their finances can feel overwhelming. The key is to approach it step by step with clear communication and thoughtful planning. This...
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Building Generational Wealth: Effective and Efficient Transfer to Future Generations
Financial Planning
Over the next 25 years, it is estimated that $84 trillion of wealth will be passed down to a next generation. Transferring wealth efficiently involves careful planning and consideration of...
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Planning Alert: Changes to Social Security Benefits for 2025
Financial Planning
Social security provides a stable and predictable source of income for many retirees. In 2025, social security benefits received a 2.5 percent cost-of-living adjustment with a maximum benefit increased to $4,018...
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The Division of Labor in Marriage: A Financial Perspective
Financial Planning
In any marriage, dividing responsibilities is essential to keeping things running smoothly. From breadwinning and childrearing to household chores, it’s common for each spouse to take on tasks that align with...
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Why a Career as a Financial Advisor is More Rewarding Than You Think
Financial Planning
A career as a financial advisor involves guiding clients through complex financial decisions to help them achieve their goals. This article will cover the key aspects of the role, including job...
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Will There Be a Goldilocks Economy or Reflationary Pressures in 2025?
Market Commentary
For 2025, global markets and policymakers are considering two competing economic narratives: the potential for a “Goldilocks economy” and the risk of reflation.
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Fiduciary Financial Advisors: Your Guide to Smart Investing
Financial Planning
Are you looking for a financial advisor who is legally obligated to prioritize your best interests? It doesn’t sound logical that all financial advisors wouldn’t prioritize your best interests first, but...
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Navigating the Post-Fed Rate Cut Environment: What’s Next for Cash, Bonds, Equities?
Financial Planning
With the Federal Reserve’s recent 50-basis-point rate cut in September followed by a 25-basis-point rate cut in November, many investors are wondering how it will impact cash, bonds, and equities.
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Haunted by Debt? Overcoming Financial Obstacles to Secure Your Retirement
Financial Planning
Managing debt is not just about paying off what you owe; it’s about creating a sustainable financial future. This involves understanding the types of debt you carry, the interest rates, and...
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529 Plan Leftovers: A New Option
Financial Planning
The U.S. Government has developed a qualified savings plan model that allows parents to stash away money and let it grow tax-free for their children’s educations.
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Building Generational Wealth: Getting Started
Estate Planning
Many of my clients are not benefactors of generational wealth; however, they want to make good financial decisions in order to build their own wealth, which could then allow them to...
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7 Financial Planning Essentials You Shouldn’t Ignore
Financial Planning
Financial planning often revolves around immediate priorities like budgeting, saving, and investing, but a comprehensive approach encompasses so much more.
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Financial Planning Insights for Same-Sex Couples
Financial Planning
In 2015 the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on marriage equality provided considerable financial clarity and security to LGBTQ+ couples. Brittany Taylor discusses some financial considerations to make.
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Building a Foundation for Financial Literacy
Financial Planning
The importance of financial literacy cannot be overstated in today’s ever-changing financial landscape. Financial literacy is more than a buzzword; it’s the foundation for creating a life of freedom and choice—untangled...
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It’s an Election Year. Do the Markets Care?
Financial Planning
It’s an election year and investors are nervous, fearing the impact on their portfolios of the next elected president. Many consider this election one of most important in history, and given...
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President Biden’s Tax Proposal: Unveiling the Details
Financial Planning
As we approach another national election, evaluating the candidates involves examining their proposals, among the most popular being those that impact taxes.
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Navigating Financial Planning Pitfalls
Financial Planning
While everyone aims for financial security, the detailed planning needed to make it a reality often goes unnoticed.
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Financial Markets and Investor Expectations
Financial Planning
This year started with another leg up in an ongoing stock market rally, led primarily by large-cap U.S. tech stocks, including Nvidia, Meta, Netflix, Amazon, and Microsoft. The increases build on...
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Comprehensive Wealth Management: It’s More Than Stock and Bonds
Financial Planning
Comprehensive wealth management is not the same as investment management. It’s a great deal broader and goes a lot deeper than your portfolio. In fact, your portfolio should be the result—and...
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Balancing the Scales: The ‘Magnificent Seven’ and Strategic Portfolio Diversification
Financial Planning
The year 2023 saw a rise in seven stocks that far outpaced the performance of other U.S. equities. When you see that only seven stocks were responsible for 76 percent of...
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Building Tomorrow’s Wealth Today: A Guide to the 401Kids Savings Act
Financial Planning
The importance of financial literacy and early savings cannot be overstated, especially for our children.
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Disability Insurance: Why as a Resident You Should Consider It Now
Financial Planning
The outset of a career as a medical professional is incredibly demanding, financially as well as professionally. Residents spend 60 to 70 hours a week honing their skills, and at an...
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10 Essential Financial Considerations for Retirees
Retirement Planning
The occasion of a new year can inspire us to renew our commitment to ensuring all areas of our lives are in order. Of course, I’m focused on my clients’...
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Tax Havens & Trust Laws: The Times May Be A-Changin’
Financial Planning
Tax-haven states have been around since the dawn of America, and for decades, Delaware has been reputed as the tax haven for the ultra-wealthy and corporate entities. But there is new...
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You’re the Beneficiary of a Financial Windfall! What Do You Do Now?
Financial Planning
A relative of a friend of mine had a run-in with serious wealth. His favorite numbers finally hit in his state lottery. He hired a limousine to show up in style...
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Financial Resolutions for the New Year: 10 Tips to Start the Year off on the Right Foot
Financial Planning
The beginning of a new year can bring excitement and a renewed sense of purpose. Resolutions are often made as many of us reflect on the past and contemplate positive changes...
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Private Markets: Why Isn’t Everyone Invested?
Financial Planning
Private equity, illiquidity, hedge fund, venture capital: terms that to some translate as risky, to others are incomprehensible, and to others the sound of opportunities worth salivating over.
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Is Gen X Ready for Retirement?
Financial Planning
Born between 1965 through 1980, Generation X, often overshadowed by the larger cohorts of Baby Boomers and Millennials, finds itself at the precipice of retirement.
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Exploring Florida 529 Plans
Financial Planning
A child’s education can be costly. Preparing and saving early is advisable for most people.
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New York State Provides Pregnancy Disability Benefits
Financial Planning
Many employers offer paid leave to women during the final weeks of their pregnancy and for a period after the birth of their child. But many others offer only unpaid leave.
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The Future of Finance Is Female: Why Wealthy Women Are Leading the Charge
Financial Planning
What would happen if you were mentally or physically unable to take care of yourself or your day-to-day affairs? You might not be able to make sound decisions about your health...
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Saving for Future College Costs
Financial Planning
tudent loan availability has changed over the last 20 years. Options for future generations are more limited. As well, costs continue to increase, an average of 3.11 percent annually from 2010...
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New Parents Face New Financial Challenges
Financial Planning
Becoming a parent is one of life’s greatest joys. It can also bring the most significant changes to your priorities, goals, and daily schedule that you will ever experience.
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For Gen Zers, an Unfriendly Financial Climate
Financial Planning
As a Gen Zer, you’re waking up these mornings to an unfriendly financial climate. As you are graduating from school and taking on life, you’re dealing for the first time with...
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Recency Bias in Investing: Something to Avoid
Financial Planning
Traditional economic theory held to the concept that investors act rationally, that we make rational choices in our effort to maximize profitability and achieve our investment goals.
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The Cost of Cashing Out: Understanding the Consequences of 401k Early Withdrawals
Financial Planning
Just as a person charged with a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty, a person over the age of 18 is presumed competent unless proven otherwise.
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Assigning Responsibility: Power of Attorney or Guardianship?
Estate Planning
Just as a person charged with a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty, a person over the age of 18 is presumed competent unless proven otherwise.
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Planning for Incapacity
Financial Planning
Unless you're prepared, incapacity could devastate your family, exhaust your savings, and undermine your financial, tax, and estate planning strategies. Planning ahead can ensure that your health-care wishes will be carried...
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Taking a Bucket Approach to Asset Allocation in Retirement
Financial Planning
Managing investments in retirement is challenging enough, but steering them through volatile and uncertain times, in particular in a post-COVID world, can be harrowing.
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Have You Conducted Your Annual Financial Health Check-Up?
Financial Planning
Your annual physical is an important appointment, a preventive care visit focused on detecting conditions that could compromise your health before they take hold.
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Providing for Children with Special Needs
Financial Planning
There are state and federal benefits available to help parents and their child with special needs while the child is young.
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Use A Personal Financial Notebook To Keep Family Records Organized and Accessible.
Financial Planning
Imagine having to leave your home quickly because of a fire or a natural disaster. Besides the kids, what would you grab?
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Understanding the Rising Costs of Homeowners Insurance in Florida
Insurance
Homeowners in Florida have been facing a significant financial burden as the cost of homeowners insurance continues to skyrocket.
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New York State Provides Pregnancy Disability Benefits
Financial Planning
Many employers offer paid leave to women during the final weeks of their pregnancy and for a period after the birth of their child. But many others offer only unpaid leave.
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Social Security for 2023: A Real Increase
Insurance
If you do not have access to employer-sponsored healthcare coverage, and do not yet qualify for Medicare, your most affordable healthcare option is likely to be through the federal or state...
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Ladies: Don’t Be Uninsured or Underinsured
Insurance
According to the 2021 Insurance Barometer Study by Life Happens, a nonprofit that encourages life insurance ownership, and LIMRA, a financial services trade association, just 47 percent of women own life...
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Increases to Medicare Premiums, Deductibles and Monthly Adjustment Amounts
Insurance
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the 2022 premiums, deductibles and coinsurance amounts for the Medicare Part A and Part B programs.
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Buying Health Insurance on the Marketplace? Talk to Your Financial Advisor
Insurance
If you do not have access to employer-sponsored healthcare coverage, and do not yet qualify for Medicare, your most affordable healthcare option is likely to be through the federal or state...
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Disability Income Insurance for Business Owners
Insurance
A disability can create substantial economic hardship for individuals and their families. As a business owner, both your personal finances and your business could be at risk. If you were to...
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Is Long-Term Care Insurance a Necessity or Luxury?
Insurance
While long-term care insurance can lighten your cash outlay should you need extended care, not everyone can afford the expense. As financial planners, we help clients understand what insurances make sense,...
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Disability Insurance: Things to Consider Before You Buy
Insurance
No one wants to think about needing disability insurance. But consider that, according to the Social Security Administration, the probability a person born in 2000 will become disabled before age 60...
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Life Insurance 101: The Basics
Insurance
Many financial experts consider life insurance to be the cornerstone of sound financial planning. We at HBKS consider it a part of risk management, one of the pillars of financial planning.
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Who Needs Disability Insurance? You Do.
Insurance
Do you have a plan for supporting yourself and your family, paying your bills, or saving for the future if you can’t go to work and earn your income? Most people...
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Long Term Care Insurance: Should I Pay the Increased Premium or Reduce My Benefits?
Insurance
Early misjudgments on actuarial tables means increased premiums for long-term care insurance holders. Should you pay these premiums or reduce benefits?
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Health Insurance and COBRA: Sometimes You Can Take It with You
Insurance
If you're like most Americans, you count on your employer for health insurance coverage. But what would happen to your health insurance if you suddenly stopped working or no longer qualified...
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Seeking Financial Advice? Avoid Conflicts of Interest
Financial Planning
Several well-known insurance companies have begun tapping into the financial advisor space through their respective Insurer and Broker-Dealers (IBDs). At the same time, the Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) Board’s new code...
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Health Insurance and Divorce: How Will One Affect the Other?
Insurance
During marriage, it's common for one spouse to maintain health coverage for the entire family through his or her group health insurance plan at work. After a divorce, coverage for the...
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Life Insurance and Life: How Your Needs Change
Insurance
Your need for life insurance change as your life changes. When you're young, you typically have less need for life insurance, but that changes as you work and marry, your family...
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Modern Retirement: Potential Areas of Trouble
Insurance
Given the unique characteristics of every family, conducting a detailed retirement feasibility study is imperative as anyone nears retirement. While a detailed examination of personal financial circumstances is crucial, the...
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Let’s Talk About the Future
Insurance
Thanks to medical science, what we’ve learned about taking care of ourselves, and perhaps old-fashioned evolution, people are living longer. It has spawned an entirely new concern for us humans: how...
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Do You Need Travel Insurance?
Insurance
Soon you'll be on your way, taking that trip you've looked forward to for ages--but suppose something happens. If you get sick, lose your suitcase, or have to cut your trip...
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Should You Keep Paying Your Life Insurance Premiums?
Insurance
Buying a life insurance policy is often a one-and-done transaction. That is, unlike the counsel of your financial advisor who works with you on an ongoing basis, buying life insurance from...
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Cash Value Life Insurance
Insurance
Cash value, or permanent, life insurance is life insurance that is designed to be kept until your death — whenever that may be. What are the benefits of this type of...
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Estate and Protection Planning: Don’t Fall Victim to These Common Pitfalls
Estate Planning
It's ironic that one of the most impactful — and costly — components of a well-executed financial plan pertains to benefits the owner will likely not live to enjoy. However, anyone...
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Guard What You Have and Those You Love: Disability Insurance
Insurance
Business owners and their employees meticulously plan for retirement because they consider it an achievement, but some fail to plan for death or disability. Although it can be uncomfortable to think...
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Benefit Plans for Small Businesses
Business Owners
If you own a small business, you may be finding it increasingly necessary to implement a benefit program to attract and retain employees. For small businesses, benefit plans generally consist of...
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Long Term Care Insurance
Insurance
Long-term care is a pressing concern for many families. And perplexing. It’s hard to know what to do about it or even find out what your options are. Even when you...
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Long-Term Care Insurance: When and What is Right?
Insurance
As a product, long-term care insurance has suffered growing pains. When it was first developed — with no experience on which to base premium rates — insurers’ actuaries had little to...
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Insurance Company Insolvency: Are You Protected?
Insurance
In March 2016, a large national insurance company, Genworth Financial, announced it would stop accepting applications for traditional life insurance and some annuity products. While Genworth's management assures holders of their...
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Insurance Series: Insurance as a Part of Your Financial Plan
Insurance
When it comes to achieving your financial objectives, both growing your wealth and protecting it, you benefit from counsel that understands your entire financial condition - your needs, the needs of...
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The Markets Today: Reasons for Optimism
Investment Management
When fear grips the market, investors often panic, selling off assets and seeking the safety of cash. But while markets often price in the worst possible outcomes in times of extreme...
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Comprehensive Wealth Management: An Ongoing Process
Investment Management
At our firm, we believe that true wealth management extends well beyond investment selection; it’s the careful orchestration of financial decisions intended to build, protect, and sustain a legacy.
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Private Markets: Investment Management that Transcends the Public Markets
Investment Management
Many financial firms try to attract investors by advertising that they offer more than just buying stocks and bonds.
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Small Cap Stocks: It’s Their Time to Shine
Investment Management
You might not recognize the names of these companies or hear them talked about on the financial news networks, but small capitalization stocks (“small caps”) are an important part of an...
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Sustainable Investing: Carbon Credits or Carbon Offsets?
Investment Management
In the current environment of sustainable investing, we encounter two nearly interchangeable terms: carbon offsets and carbon credits.
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Rebalancing Your Portfolio Is Key to Successful Financial Planning
Investment Management
Rebalancing is necessary because portfolios will naturally deviate from their intended allocations over time. You can become unintentionally more aggressive or more conservative as capital markets and economic climates shift.
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China Is Losing Its Place As World’s Leading Manufacturer
Investment Management
Dong Xiaoping, the de facto leader of the People’s Republic of China from 1978 to the early 1990s, introduced a “free market” concept to China with his December 1978 Open Door...
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Inflation, Interest Rate Hikes Creating New Market Considerations
Financial Planning
After years of markets rising on historically low interest rates, low inflation, and an extremely accommodative Federal Reserve (Fed), we are now seeing how assets prices can be negatively impacted by...
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No-Load, No-Commission Annuities Attract Savers With Flexibility, Low Fees
Investment Management
In decades past, it was common for an American worker to be employed by the same company throughout his or her entire work life.
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Why Haven’t Bonds Lived Up to Their Traditional Role?
Investment Management
Investors have been accustomed to their core fixed income allocation serving as a counterweight to a weak stock market.
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The Shape of Economic Recovery
Investment Management
On June 8, 2020, the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), which has official responsibility for determining U.S. business cycles, announced that February 2020 marked the end of an expansion that...
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The Lasting Impact of Investing Principles from the 1940s
Investment Management
British-born American Economist Benjamin Graham’s The Intelligent Investor was published in 1949 and remains among the most respected books ever written on investing. Warren Buffet, who first read the book at...
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Income-Based Student Loan Repayment: What Are Your Options?
Investment Management
Student loans and the ways we go about repaying them remain in the news because, in one way or another, they affect so many of us. Whether in debt to their...
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Investing for a Minor: Consider Your Options
Investment Management
Financial planning for clients who have amassed wealth often includes addressing their desire to make a financial impact on their minor children’s or grandchildren’s futures.
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A Look at How Markets Move During Midterm Election Years
Investment Management
With 2022 being a midterm election year, it is interesting to look back over the years at how the equity markets have fared as both parties vie for additional seats in...
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Why Markets Move: The Impact of Emotion on your Investment Decisions
Investment Management
With all the media attention given to the markets on a daily basis, we can lose sight of what we are actually experiencing when investing in various assets.
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The Fed Pivots to Fight Inflation
Investment Management
On December 15, 2021, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) of the Federal Reserve System made a significant shift in monetary policy in response to rising inflation.
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Exchange an Idle Non-Qualified Annuity for Tax-Free Long Term Care Coverage
Investment Management
The rising costs associated long-term care (LTC) insurance tend to be a stumbling block for those considering purchasing coverage. But if you own a non-qualified annuity, there could be a way...
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Investing in 2022: Inflationary Pressures and a Mix of Headwinds and Tailwinds
Investment Management
We have learned from experience how our stock market-related investments act as long-term hedges against inflation. As the economic recovery from the COVID shutdowns continues to move forward, we’re seeing how...
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Tax Havens & Trust Laws: The Times May Be A-Changin’
Investment Management
Tax-haven states have been around since the dawning of America, and for decades, Delaware has been reputed as the tax haven for the ultra-wealthy and corporate entities. But there is new...
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Options, Short Selling, GameStop, and the Squeeze
Investment Management
The COVID lockdown era will be remembered for many things, not least for the explosion of interest in the stock market across all reaches of society.
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Target Date Funds: Antidote to Our Instincts?
Financial Planning
As the financial industry has evolved, it has yet to find a way to help the individual investor be more successful without the support of professional guidance. One could argue that,...
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Rising Interest Rates and the Bond Markets
Investment Management
As capital markets continue their strong recovery from their pandemic-influenced lows in March 2020, all eyes are on the Fed with regard to increasing the federal funds rate. HBKS Wealth Advisor,...
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Going Solo: A Non-Traditional Retirement Savings Plan
Investment Management
Many small business owners are unfamiliar with what their retirement plan options may be. And even those who are contributing may not realize that there is another choice available: the ‘Solo...
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The VIX: Wall Street’s Fear Index and Valuable Investment Tool
Investment Management
Everyone knows that financial markets are unpredictable. Still, there are tools investors use to make general observations about how stock values will move. One of the most useful is the VIX,...
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Bitcoin: A Wildly Speculative Play
Investment Management
If you watch business television channel CNBC, you’ve undoubtedly seen the insert tracking the rises and falls of the wildly speculative bitcoin currency play. Cryptocurrency technology is interesting, but until bitcoin...
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My Favorite Stock Market Chart (or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Embrace Market Volatility)
Investment Management
HBKS Wealth Advisor Chris Zehner relies on this S&P chart to help remind him that volatility in stocks is common and should be expected to a degree every year.
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What the Markets Are Saying About the 2020 Elections
Investment Management
Prior to the 2020 national elections, many people were concerned about how the victory by one presidential candidate or the other might affect the markets. That’s not unusual. Concerns always seem...
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Elections and the Markets: Comparing 2020 with 2000
Investment Management
The year 2020 has been quite a bumpy ride, and after a very contentious election season, it doesn’t look like the ride will smooth out anytime soon. The ongoing pandemic, protests...
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Diversify Your Portfolio with an Emerging Market Fund
Investment Management
While there are reasons to be cautious, emerging markets can generate greater than average returns, enough that I usually recommend that an investment portfolio should include some exposure to that asset...
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Federal Reserve’s Unprecedented Move Stabilized the Markets
Investment Management
The Fed has three main tools it uses to achieve its goals: adjusting the discount rates it charges on loans to banks and increasing or lowering bank reserve requirements are two....
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What Drove April’s Unprecedented Negative Oil Price?
Investment Management
On April 20, the market price of West Texas Intermediate Crude (WTI) dropped to negative 40 dollars a barrel. More than remarkable, the fact that "sellers" of oil had to pay...
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Balance Portfolio Risk with a Fixed Index Annuity
Investment Management
An erratic stock market has caused many investors to question their risk tolerance as they look for ways to protect their portfolios. The challenge many of us face is balancing risk...
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Investing: It’s About More than Returns
Investment Management
While the private client industry has evolved significantly over the last two decades, traditional commission selling still exists, buying and selling investments for clients and charging a commission for each transaction....
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Risk Tolerance: How Much Investment Risk Can You Take?
Investment Management
Investing is not supposed to give you ulcers. It should be your way of building wealth in order to help achieve your financial objectives. Still, it’s natural to get nervous about...
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The Benefits of a Globally Diversified Portfolio Approach
Investment Management
HBKS believes that a globally diversified portfolio that utilizes alternatives provides for the highest probability of success in meeting our clients' investment goals.
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Behavioral Insights
Investment Management
Research — and there’s plenty of it — suggests a gap between what investors want from a financial advisor and what a financial advisor should provide. Both sides want the same...
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Hedge Funds
Investment Management
In terms of most investments, hedge funds are a relatively new idea. Still they've been around for almost 70 years and have proven a viable option for investors looking to diversify...
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Three Ways to Build Wealth in a Down Market
Financial Planning
Over the past few months, every time I turn on the TV it seems the stock market is in the red for the day. A lot has been written about how...
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The Beat Goes On
Investment Management
Global stock markets continued their upward trend in the third quarter of 2017 thanks to a near-perfect environment for risk assets. Stocks in foreign developed and emerging markets also outperformed domestic...
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The Power of Independence
Investment Management
In September 2016 Wells Fargo, one of the nation's largest banks, was fined $185 million by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau for covertly opening millions of unauthorized deposit and credit card...
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Active Funds or Passive Funds?
Investment Management
When investing, investors can choose either passively managed funds or actively managed funds. Passively managed funds invest in a portfolio that simply mirrors a market index. In contrast, actively managed funds...
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Slow and Steady Wins the Race
Investment Management
At the time of this writing the DOW has officially surpassed the 20,000 mark. Should we sit back and enjoy this historical landmark or is it a cause for anxiety? Should...
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Financial Planning vs. Investment Management
Financial Planning
As election night 2016 came to its surprising end, investors were understandably confused. Some panicked using the earliest foreign exchanges to open to dump stocks. Prognosticators had predicted a precipitous fall...
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The US War in Iran is the Dominant Macro Variable Shaping the Economy and Markets
Market Commentary
US economy shows slowing growth amid Iran conflict, rising recession risks, and investor concerns over AI, valuations, and global stability.
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How the Middle East Conflict is Disrupting Energy Markets and Raising Inflation Concerns
Market Commentary
Stock markets turned volatile as oil surged above $100 amid the Iran conflict and Strait of Hormuz disruption. What it means for inflation, growth, and investors.
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Investing in 2026: What Will Drive the Markets?
Market Commentary
After three years of double-digit gains, what’s next for the S&P 500 in 2026? Explore AI, inflation, interest rates and market risks.
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Many Economists Are Cautiously Optimistic the Resilient U.S. Economy Can Keep Chugging Along, But That Sentiment Will Be Tested In 2026
Market Commentary
Economists enter 2026 cautiously optimistic as inflation cools and growth holds, but labor markets, tariffs, fiscal policy, and AI risks loom.
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Speculation Surges: What it Means for the Profitability Premium and You
Market Commentary
Liberation Day tariffs shook markets, but global stocks rebounded, with MSCI ACWI up 18% YTD. See why optimism held and how low-profitability stocks surged.
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The U.S. Economy: A Jobless Boom?
Market Commentary
The U.S. economy grows in 2025 as AI drives productivity and profits, even as jobs weaken. Discover what this “jobless boom” means for investors.
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Are You Letting Headlines Derail Your Financial Future?
Market Commentary
Markets are hitting new highs one day and plunging the next, while headlines scream about tariff deadlines and trade wars.
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The US Economy Continues to Grow but at a Slower Pace
Market Commentary
A sense of economic doom was pervasive after President Trump announced his tariff plan on April 2, which he termed “Liberation Day”. Many forecasters responded by renewing their predictions that a...
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Invest in Foreign Stocks for Diversification, Expected Returns, and Lower Risk
Market Commentary
Invest in foreign stocks to boost diversification, reduce risk, and capture higher returns, with recent gains up to 18% in global markets.
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Consumer Spending and Employment Trends: Strength Amid Uncertainty
Market Commentary
Consumer spending and jobs remain strong in 2025. Discover key trends, risks, and insights to guide smart business and investment decisions.
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Economic Uncertainty in 2025: Hard Data vs. Soft Data
Market Commentary
Explore why 2025’s GDP drop may mislead. Brian Sommers explains the gap between soft vs. hard data and what it means for investors.
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Tariffs and Their Potential Impact on the Economy
Market Commentary
HBKS examines how tariffs affect inflation, business costs, and the economy, with insights from CIO Brian Sommers on trade policy and market impact.
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Market Turbulence: Historical Patterns and Proven Strategies
Market Commentary
Recent market swings have many investors feeling anxious. While uncertainty is uncomfortable, historical data provides valuable perspective that can help calm your nerves.
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How Will US Tariffs Impact Investors?
Market Commentary
On April 2 as promised, U.S. President Donald Trump implemented an executive order imposing tariffs globally.
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Navigating Market Volatility: Challenges and Opportunities
Market Commentary
A market correction and uncertainties about the new administration’s policies have investors concerned.
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2025 Market Uncertainty: How Policy Changes Impact Economic Growth Prospects
Market Commentary
As global markets react to shifting economic policies, investors are grappling with increased volatility and a rapidly evolving landscape.
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Will There Be a Goldilocks Economy or Reflationary Pressures in 2025?
Market Commentary
For 2025, global markets and policymakers are considering two competing economic narratives: the potential for a “Goldilocks economy” and the risk of reflation.
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The Possibility of an Economic Soft Landing: Could This Time Be Different?
Market Commentary
The U.S. Federal Reserve cut interest rates at their September meeting by 50 basis points to keep the economy growing and stabilize a weakening job market.
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Is the Fed Too Late, or Still on Target?
Market Commentary
July started with a return of market volatility, although markets finished the month on the upside.
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Economic Growth Continues, But Recent Economic Data Releases Show a U.S. Economy That is Slowing
Market Commentary
Growth in the U.S. economy strengthened during the second quarter of 2024, and it looks set to continue into the third quarter despite many economists predicting a recession by now. Indeed,...
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The Markets, The Fed, and When Bad News Is Good News
Market Commentary
The financial markets pulled back in April on stronger than expected inflation data.
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The U.S. Economy is Strengthening, but it is too Early for the U.S. Federal Reserve to Declare Victory
Market Commentary
The economic shutdown during the pandemic and subsequent stimulus by the Federal Government caused many supply shocks and other disruptions to economic activity.
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Beyond the Horizon: A Strategic Outlook for 2024
Market Commentary
Highlights from the January 25,2024 webinar featuring Brian Sommers, CFA, HBKS Principal and Chief Investment Officer.
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Everything Went Right for the Economy in 2023, But Signs Still Point to a Recession in 2024
Market Commentary
s 2023 ended, the U.S. economy's performance was even more robust than what was projected by the most optimistic economists. Amazingly, the economy remained resilient, even after the U.S. Federal Reserve...
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The U.S. Economy Has Enjoyed a Soft Landing So Far, but a Recession is Still Probable in 2024
Market Commentary
For much of this year, the U.S. Federal Reserve’s rate hikes have caused economic growth to slow just enough for inflation to fall substantially from its peak while the employment situation...
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Will a Recession in the United States be Avoided?
Market Commentary
Earlier this year, I wrote that we expected the Federal Reserve’s rate hikes to bring about a recession around the fourth quarter of 2023.
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HBKS Economic and Market Overview
Market Commentary
Highlights from the May 4, 2023, webinar featuring Brian Sommers, CFA, HBKS Principal and Chief Investment Officer.
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A Recession Again Appears Imminent in 2023
Market Commentary
The first quarter of 2023 was marked by so many changes in the outlook for the economy that it reminds me of last year’s most awarded movie.
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Addressing the Silicon Valley Bank Collapse
Market Commentary
On March 8th Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), the 16th-largest bank in America, announced that it was seeking to raise $2.5 billion to provide capital after its clients had been withdrawing their...
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Be Like Water.
Market Commentary
An ode to Bruce Lee and investors in a post-Covid, hawkish Fed, rising geopolitical tension era
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The Economy and Markets in 2023: The Consensus is Usually Wrong, Could it Be Right This Year?
Market Commentary
In trying to discern what will happen in the economy and stock market in 2023, it is easy to simply fall in line with consensus thinking.
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Interest Rates and Inflation: It’s All About the Fed in 2023
Market Commentary
At the beginning of 2022 a bullish outlook on corporate profits created expectations for a higher market, though not likely a better performance than the previous two years.
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The Fed Will Likely Cause a Recession As It Fights Inflation
Market Commentary
On September 21, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell announced a Fed Funds rate hike of another 75 basis points to a 3.00 to 3.25 percent range and signaled the Fed would...
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3rd Quarter 2022 Economic Commentary
Market Commentary
The U.S. economy probably posted little to no growth in the second quarter, with most estimates landing between a slight contraction to very small growth. This follows a first quarter in...
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HBKS 2022 Economic and Investment Outlook
Market Commentary
Highlights of the May 5, 2022 webinar, a Q&A featuring HBK Principal and Chief Investment Officer Brian Sommers.
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The Federal Reserve May Not Need to Raise Rates as Aggressively as Feared to Bring Down Inflation
Market Commentary
During the first quarter of 2022 the world was forced to endure multiple shocks which caused the outlook for global economic growth this year to deteriorate.
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The Investment Implications from Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine Should Be Short-Lived
Market Commentary
After a lot of speculation that accompanied Russia’s build-up of military forces outside Ukraine, Vladimir Putin has initiated a full-scale invasion of Ukraine despite diplomatic efforts and threats of sanctions from...
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The Stock Market Could Resume Climbing Higher as The Economic Recovery Continues
Market Commentary
After relative calm in the stock market last year, volatility has returned in 2022. At the close of business on January 27th, the S&P 500 Index was down 9.7 percent from...
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Economic Growth Expected to Moderate This Year
Market Commentary
Last year, many looked forward to a return to some semblance of normalcy after more than a year of challenging modifications in their daily lives due to the pandemic. Unfortunately, just...
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It Remains Unclear if Economic Growth Will Remain Above Trend or Trail Off
Market Commentary
The global economy has already made enormous progress as more countries reopen but regaining the growth lost during the Pandemic still has a long way to go.
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Commentary on the U.S. Economy, Q3: The Global Economy Has Already Made Enormous Progress as More Countries Reopen
Market Commentary
The global economy has already made enormous progress as more countries reopen but regaining the growth lost during the Pandemic still has a long way to go.
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Active Fund or Passive Funds?
Market Commentary
When investing, investors can choose either passively managed funds or actively managed funds. Passively managed funds invest in a portfolio that simply mirrors a market index. In contrast, actively managed funds...
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HBKS 2021 Economic and Investment Outlook
Market Commentary
HBKS Chief Investment Officer Brian Sommers, CFA, was interviewed by HBKS Principal and Senior Financial Advisor Matthew Costigan, CFP, CPA/PFS on the economic outlook for 2021.
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Economic Recovery and Growth in the Second Quarter
Market Commentary
Most recent economic data shows that economic growth is recovering from the pandemic-induced lockdowns faster than many economists expected. The ISM manufacturing index in March rose to its highest level in...
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Will 2021 Bring A Return to “Normal”?
Market Commentary
Last year will be remembered as one of the most traumatic years in history. It was a year of many changes, and while some things may return to the way they...
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Stocks’ Rally from the Depths of the Sell-Off Has Been Led by a Small Handful of Stocks
Market Commentary
During the third quarter the S&P 500 Index rallied sharply, reaching new highs before giving back some of the gains in September. This year stocks have rebounded from the depths of...
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Elections and the Stock Market: Should You Get Out Now?
Market Commentary
With a presidential election quickly approaching, one of the most discussed concerns of investors is how the election will affect their portfolios. Historically, predicting how market returns will be impacted by...
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Economic Activity Rebounding, But Questions Linger
Market Commentary
In early April, it seemed likely that the shutdowns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic would lead to a severe but short U.S. recession. More than three months later we are in...
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It’s Been a Wild Ride
Market Commentary
Entering 2020, the economy was on solid footing. We were adding to a record 10-year economic growth cycle. Corporate profits and the markets continued to rise. But by March conditions had...
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Finding Fair Value
Market Commentary
In the current bear market, as in all bear markets, finding fair value is extremely difficult. The uncertainty over profits and a lack of corporate guidance lowers demand for stocks and...
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Watch: The Impact of COVID-19 on Global Economics and Markets
Market Commentary
A special webinar hosted by Brian Sommers, Chief Investment Officer at HBKS about the effects of COVID-19 on the markets.
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Continued Volatility, Market Bottoms and Climbing The Wall of Worry
Market Commentary
As an investor, understanding the psychology of the markets will be important as we continue through the volatility, look for a market bottom and ultimately climb out of the crisis.
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Maintaining Our Disciplined Investment Process
Market Commentary
The HBKS investment philosophy prepares our clients' portfolios so they don’t have to be reactive to the current market conditions. Our clients’ portfolios are diversified across asset classes, maintain a global...
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What’s Going on in the Bond Market?
Market Commentary
As business activity has slowed dramatically due to the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses have found it difficult to get the funding they need for their daily operations because banks stopped extending the...
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What Would Our Greatest Generation Do?
Market Commentary
While we can’t predict when or where the capital markets will find their bottom, history tells us that we will look back on this time as a great buying opportunity for...
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The Market’s Epidemic
Market Commentary
No one expected an epidemic to trigger the next bear market—or cause an economic slowdown. But it is important to recognize that we have been here before. While the cause is...
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Market Volatility Continues
Market Commentary
Over the last couple of weeks, volatility in global stock markets has spiked higher, with extreme up or down movements occurring on almost a daily basis. These swings in market prices...
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Our Perspective on the Coronavirus Epidemic
Market Commentary
Global equities fell more than 4 percent over a three day period in late February 2020 before stabilizing. The selling was driven by concerns about the spread of the Coronavirus outside...
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Outlook for 2020: Global Economic Growth Expected to Strengthen
Market Commentary
2020 started with uncertainty in the markets and many may be tempted to make reactive changes to their portfolios. In this quarter's market commentary Chief Investment Officer, Brian Sommers, CFA,...
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Recessions are a Normal Part of the Business Cycle
Market Commentary
After 10 years of substantial expansion, the global economy began to stall in the middle of 2018. Now more than a year later, global growth continues at a slower pace.
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Fears of an Impending Recession Are Overblown
Market Commentary
Global stock markets surged higher in June, pushing the All-Country World Index (ACWI) up 16.2 percent for the first half of 2019. This performance occurred as global economic growth continued to...
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Outlook for Economic Growth Brightens
Market Commentary
For most of the first quarter of 2019, many economists were pessimistic about the prospects for global economic growth the rest of the year. Concern was mounting that global growth would...
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Thoughts on the Vanguard Market Call
Market Commentary
Global investment powerhouse Vanguard sharply cut the expected returns for U.S. stocks in the next decade. If the forecast proves to be accurate, the implications could be significant for retirement-plan sponsors,...
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Welcome to the Fourth Industrial Revolution
Market Commentary
To say we are living through a period of unprecedented change in innovation and technology is an understatement. The rapid convergence and development of technological advancement is being driven by three...
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Don’t Try to Time the Market
Financial Planning
I noticed a recent headline in Financial Advisor Magazine that reminded me of a basic investing truth that I have observed throughout my 30-year career: It's virtually impossible to time the...
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Time In vs. Timing
Market Commentary
When the market goes up, we want in; when it goes down, we want out. It's called behavioral bias, or in the case of the markets, behavioral finance. More specifically, it...
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HBKS 2019 Market and Economic Outlook
Market Commentary
Stock Market Volatility Likely to Continue in 2019, but a Recession is Unlikely
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Investors Should Remain Focused on Their Long-Term Investment Plan During Stock Market Turmoil
Market Commentary
The correction in global stock markets that began this past September accelerated this week, putting most major stock indices into negative territory for the year. In the United States, the S&P...
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Market Capitulation and Chasing Returns: Where Investors Go Wrong
Market Commentary
As financial advisors, we are frequently asked to justify one investment over another that is earning a higher return at that particular time. There are a lot of answers to such...
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Economic Fundamentals Drive Markets More Than Mid-Term Elections
Market Commentary
Equity markets faltered substantially in October as investors wrestled with many concerns. In addition to an ongoing trade war with China and the U.S. Federal Reserve's rate hikes, investors wondered how...
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The Recent Volatility in Stock Markets Could Indicate That Stock Market Leadership is Shifting
Market Commentary
After reaching new highs in September of this year, stock markets in the United States and abroad have been falling. Stock prices deteriorated more rapidly on Wednesday and Thursday before stabilizing...
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Keeping Up with the Indices
Market Commentary
How do you judge the performance of your investments? Many investors like to compare the movement in their portfolios with the S&P 500 or the Dow. Some people feel like they...
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Commentary on the U.S. Economy, Q2: Resist the Urge to React to Hypothetical Rhetoric
Market Commentary
Global stock markets remained volatile in the second quarter despite solid corporate profits, as investors began to focus on slower growth in many parts of the world.
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Trade Tensions Spook Investors
Market Commentary
Stock markets tumbled late last week, with most market observers attributing it to President Trump’s announcements of a number of tariffs on goods imported into the United States. News headlines quoted...
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Investor Anxiety Returns to Roil Stock Markets
Market Commentary
On Monday the MSCI All Country World Index (ACWI), a measure of global stock markets, was down 3 percent, after dropping 3.4 percent last week. Last night and early Tuesday morning...
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Market Risks are Growing
Market Commentary
Global stock markets turned in another solid performance in 2017, driven by continued improvement in economic growth. In the United States, the S&P 500 Index was up 21.8 percent, including dividends....
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Global Stock Markets Continue to Climb in Second Quarter 2017
Market Commentary
During the past nine years many central banks around the world have been supplying monetary stimulus in order to lift global economic growth. These expansionary policies have enabled...
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HBKS Wealth Advisors Named a Top RIA by Financial Advisor Magazine
Market Commentary
HBKS® Wealth Advisors’ ranked 100 in the $1 billion and over asset category.
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Uncertain Political Environment Weighing on Global Stocks
Market Commentary
Stocks continued to surge for most of the first quarter of 2017 before treading water in March. While there is no shortage of political uncertainty around the world, during the first...
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HBKS Wealth Advisors Recognized Among Nation’s Top RIAs by Financial Advisor Magazine
News & Awards
HBKS Wealth Advisors is proud to announce our ranking at #80 on Financial Advisor Magazine's prestigious 2025 RIA Survey & Ranking.
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HBKS Wealth Advisors Recognized Again on Barron’s Top RIA Firms List, Rising to #73
News & Awards
HBKS Wealth Advisors has been named to Barron's prestigious Top RIA Firms list for the second consecutive year, climbing #73 in 2025.
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HBKS Wealth Advisors Ranks #11 Among Nation’s Top CPA Financial Planners in 2025
News & Awards
HBKS Wealth Advisors continues its strong performance among the nation's leading CPA-affiliated wealth management firms, securing the 11th position in Accounting Today's prestigious 2025 Wealth Magnets ranking.
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Valuing Client Satisfaction: How HBKS Wealth Advisors Achieved an 82.3 NPS
News & Awards
In the wealth management industry, where trust and personalized service are paramount, HBKS Wealth Advisors has once again demonstrated its commitment to excellence through our latest Net Promoter Score (NPS) survey...
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Barron’s 2024 Survey Ranks HBKS Wealth Advisors Among Elite U.S. RIAs
News & Awards
Again this year, HBKS Wealth Advisors (HBKS) has been recognized as among the nation’s most prominent registered investment advisories (RIAs) by multiple industry surveys. Most recently, Barron’s, one of the most respected...
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HBKS Wealth Advisors Honors Professionals With 2024 Promotions
News & Awards
HBKS CEO Christopher M. Allegretti and COO Scott Cross are pleased to announce the following HBKS professionals have earned promotions.
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Financial Advisor Magazine Ranks HBKS Wealth Advisors Among the Leading U.S. Registered Investment Advisories
News & Awards
Again this year, HBKS Wealth Advisors (HBKS) is being recognized as a one of the nation’s most prominent registered investment advisories (RIAs). The recently released study by Financial Advisor magazine ranks...
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HBKS Wealth Advisors Again Among Nation’s Largest CPA Financial Planners
News & Awards
HBKS Wealth Advisors (HBKS) remains one of the nation’s largest CPA financial planners according to Accounting Today magazine’s ranking of CPA firms by assets under management (AUM).
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Barron’s 2023 Survey Ranks HBKS Wealth Advisors Among Elite U.S. RIAs
News & Awards
HBKS Wealth Advisors (HBKS) remains one of the nation’s largest CPA financial planners according to Accounting Today magazine’s ranking of CPA firms by assets under management (AUM).
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HBKS Wealth Advisors Promotes Professionals to Senior Financial Advisor and Portfolio Manager
News & Awards
Chris P. Allegretti and Denise Williams promoted to Senior Financial Advisor, Ethan Berkebile to Portfolio Manager.
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HBKS Among Largest in Financial Advisor Magazine’s Annual RIA Rankings
News & Awards
HBKS has placed among the top 20 percent of registered investment advisories in the U.S. in size by Financial Advisor Magazine.
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Accounting Today Ranks HBKS Among Nation’s Largest CPA Financial Planners
News & Awards
HBKS Wealth Advisors (HBKS) remains one of the nation’s largest CPA financial planners according to Accounting Today magazine’s ranking of CPA firms by assets under management (AUM).
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Barron’s Annual Survey Ranks HBKS Wealth Advisors Among Elite U.S. RIAs
News & Awards
Again this year, HBKS Wealth Advisors (HBKS) has been recognized as among the nation’s most prominent registered investment advisories (RIAs) by multiple industry surveys. Most recently, Barron’s, one of the most...
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HBKS Wealth Advisors Promotes Four Professionals to Senior Financial Advisor Status
News & Awards
HBK Managing Partner and CEO Christopher M. Allegretii has announced 2022 HBKS promotions of Will Chase, Donna Kline, Anthony Scrocco, and Zachary Allegretti to Senior Financial Advisor.
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HBKS Again Among Top Advisory Firms in National Rankings
News & Awards
Again this year, HBKS Wealth Advisors (HBKS) is being recognized as a one of the nation’s most prominent registered investment advisories (RIAs). Recently released rankings by Financial Advisor Magazine and Accounting...
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Elite Life Management to Merge with HBKS Wealth Advisors
News & Awards
HBKS Wealth Advisors (HBKS) announced it is expanding its presence in Southwest Florida through a merger with Sarasota-based Elite Life Management (Elite).
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HBKS Named to CNBC FA 100 List
News & Awards
HBKS Wealth Advisors has again been named as a top firm in the CNBC FA 100 list. HBKS ranked 73rd in the CNBC FA 100, which was unveiled on October 6....
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Financial Advisor Magazine, Accounting Today, Barron’s Surveys Rank HBKS Among Top U.S. Wealth Advisories
News & Awards
Three of the world’s most important financial publications have released their annual wealth advisory rankings and HBKS Wealth Advisors (HBKS) is among the highly ranked and moving higher.
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Barron’s Recognizes HBKS Wealth Advisors as Top 100 RIA Firm
News & Awards
HBKS Wealth Advisors ranks 67th in Barron’s September 14 edition which released its 2020 study of the Top 100 U.S. registered investment advisories. The weekly magazine, which covers financial news and...
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HBKS Names Kerri Goldsmith and Genevieve George Senior Financial Advisors
News & Awards
Kerri Goldsmith, CFP®, CRPS®, AIF®, and Genevieve George, CPA, CFP®, CFE, have been promoted to HBKS Senior Financial Advisors.
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Chris Hines Named Principal at HBKS Wealth Advisors in Philadelphia
News & Awards
HBKS Wealth CEO and Managing Principal Christopher M. Allegretti, CPA, today announced the promotion of Chris Hines of the Philadelphia office of HBKS Wealth Advisors to Principal.
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HBKS® Wealth Advisors Ranked Among Largest by Accounting Today
News & Awards
August 10, 2020 — In its recently released 2020 Top Firms by AUM survey, Accounting Today magazine ranks HBKS ninth in assets under management (AUM) among CPA...
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HBKS Among the Elite in Financial Advisor Magazine’s Annual RIA Rankings
News & Awards
August 7 – HBKS has placed among the top 20 percent of registered investment advisories with over $1 Billion in assets in the U.S. by Financial Advisor Magazine in the August...
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HBKS Among Elite FT300 Firms for 7th Consecutive Year
News & Awards
August 3 – For the seventh consecutive year, HBKS® Wealth Advisors (HBKS) has been named to the Financial Times’ FT 300 Top Registered Investment Advisers. The survey, also in its seventh...
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HBKS Principal Dean Piccirillo Earns Master of Science in Financial Services from The American College of Financial Services
News & Awards
HBKS Wealth Advisors congratulates R. Dean Piccirillo, CFP, CRPS, AIFA, on earning his Master of Science in Financial Services (MSFS) from the Richard D. Irwin Graduate School at The American College...
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The Families First Coronavirus Response Act: What You Need To Know
News & Awards
On March 18, 2020, the President signed into law the Emergency Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“Bill”), which provides relief related to the coronavirus to employers with fewer than 500. Here...
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Breaking News: April 15 Tax Deadline Has Been Extended
News & Awards
Federal tax filing deadline has been extended to July 15th. Most states are expected to follow.
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HBKS Again Among Elite FT300 Firms
News & Awards
July 2, 2019 – For the sixth consecutive year, HBKS® Wealth Advisors (HBKS) has been named to the Financial Times’ “FT 300 Top Registered Investment Advisers.” The competition, which is also...
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HBKS® Wealth Advisors Ranked Among Largest by Accounting Today
News & Awards
June 6, 2019 — Erie, Pennsylvania. In its recently released 2019 survey, the May 2019 edition of Accounting Today magazine ranks HBKS® 9th in amount of assets under management (AUM) among...
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2018 Year-End Tax Update
News & Awards
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2018 substantially and significantly changes how you will plan for and pay your taxes this year. To help you get ready to file your...
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Happy Holidays from HBKS Wealth Advisors
News & Awards
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Taylor, Mallette and Taranto Earn Principal Status
News & Awards
HBKS® Wealth Advisors (HBKS®) announced today that Brittany Taylor, Brian Mallette and Tom Taranto have been named Principals in their respective offices. The announcement was made by CEO and Managing Principal...
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HBKS® Wealth Advisors Among Top 100 in Assets Under Management
News & Awards
July 18, 2018 – HBKS® Wealth Advisors (HBKS®) is one of the nation’s top 100 registered investment advisors (RIAs) as measured by assets under management. With more than $3.5 billion under...
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HBKS is a Financial Times Top Registered Investment Adviser
News & Awards
June 28, 2018 – HBKS® Wealth Advisors (HBKS) is pleased to announce it has been named to the 2018 edition of the Financial Times 300 Top Registered Investment Advisers. The list...
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HBKS Wealth Advisors Ranked Among Largest by Accounting Today
News & Awards
June 10, 2018 — In its recently released 2018 survey, the June 10,2018 edition of Accounting Today magazine ranks HBKS® 11th in amount of assets under management (AUM) among CPA firm's...
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HBKS Wealth Advisors acquires stake in K·Coe Wealth Management LLC.
News & Awards
April 26, 2018 — HBKS® Wealth Advisors(HBKS) acquires a minority stake in K·Coe Isom LLP’s subsidiary K·Coe Wealth Management LLC. “Our firms have a great deal in common, from our regard for...
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Locust Capital Management Merges with HBKS Wealth Advisors
News & Awards
Philadelphia - October 9, 2017 — HBKS® Wealth Advisors(HBKS) announced today it has completed a merger agreement with Locust Capital Management. Under the agreement, the Philadelphia-based wealth management firm will operate...
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HBKS Wealth Advisors Named a Top 300 RIA by Financial Times
News & Awards
Financial Times included HBKS® Wealth Advisors in its fourth annual listing of an “elite group” of advisors.
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Financial Times Ranks HBKS Among Top U.S. RIAs
News & Awards
June 22, 2017 — For the fourth consecutive year, HBKS® Wealth Advisors(HBKS) has been named to the Financial Times 300 Top Registered Investment Advisors (RIA).
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HBKS Wealth Advisors Ranked Among Largest by Accounting Today
News & Awards
August 18, 2017 — Erie, Penn.... In its recently released 2017 survey, the June 1,2017 edition of Accounting Today magazine ranks HBKS 15th in amount of assets under management (AUM) among...
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HBKS Wealth Advisors’ Managing Principal/Chief Executive Officer Christopher M. Allegretti & Chief Operations Officer Scott Cross were recently interviewed by Charles Schwab
News & Awards
HBKS® Wealth Advisors’ Managing Principal/Chief Executive Officer Christopher M. Allegretti and Chief Operations Officer Scott Cross were recently interviewed by Charles Schwab as contributors to their white paper entitled Forward Momentum:...
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HBKS Wealth Advisors Named a 100 Fastest Growing RIA Firm Over Ten Years by Forbes Magazine
News & Awards
Forbes magazine showcases the wealth management firms by growth in assets over the past ten years with a majority of the firms accruing more than $1 billion in assets.
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HBKS Wealth Advisors Announces Promotion of Firm Leaders
News & Awards
Erie, PA - HBKS® Wealth Advisors announced today the promotions of two of its key leaders. Senior Financial Advisors Steven Rinn, CFP, of the firm’s Erie, Penn., office, and David Darwish,...
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HBKS Wealth Advisors voted Southwest Florida’s “best” financial advisory firm in a readers’ choice poll conducted by Gulfshore Business magazine
News & Awards
Fort Myers, Fla. - HBKS® Wealth Advisors was voted Southwest Florida’s “best” financial advisory firm in a readers’ choice poll conducted by Gulfshore Business magazine. The firm was honored for its...
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HBKS Wealth Advisors Ranked Among Largest by Accounting Today
News & Awards
July 12, 2016 - In its recently released 2016 survey, the June 2016 edition of Accounting Today magazine ranks HBKS® Wealth Advisors 14th in amount of assets under management (AUM) among...
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HBKS Wealth Advisors Named a Top RIA by Financial Advisor Magazine
News & Awards
HBKS® Wealth Advisors ranked 102 in the $1 billion and over asset category.
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Financial Times Ranks HBKS Among Top U.S. RIAs.
News & Awards
HBKS® Wealth Advisors was pleased to be included in Financial Times 2016 Top 300 Registered Investment Advisers for the third consecutive year.
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HBKS Wealth Advisors Named a Top 300 RIA by Financial Times
News & Awards
Financial Times included HBKS® Wealth Advisors in its third annual listing of an “elite group” of advisors.
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HBKS Wealth Advisors Completes Merger Agreement with Comprehensive Wealth Solutions
News & Awards
Fredonia, New York - HBKS® Wealth Advisors announced today it has completed a merger agreement with Comprehensive Wealth Solutions (CWS). Under the agreement, the Fredonia, New York-based wealth management firm began...
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HBKS Wealth Advisors Announces the Signing of a Definitive Merger Agreement with Global Wealth Consultants
News & Awards
Naples, Florida - HBKS® Wealth Advisors announced today the signing of a definitive merger agreement under which Global Wealth Consultants (GWC) of Naples, Fla., will join its multidisciplinary financial services firm.
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HBKS Wealth Advisors Principal and Senior Financial Advisor Stephen Schramm featured in Treasure Coast Newspaper
News & Awards
HBKS® Wealth Advisors takes a holistic view of working with each individual client. This distinguishes the firm, which has offices in Stuart and other Florida locations as well as in Ohio...
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HBKS Wealth Advisors Principal and Senior Financial Advisor Dean Piccirillo featured on GoErie.com
News & Awards
Erie native Piccirillo finds success in Florida.
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HBKS’s Director of Asset Management, Brian Sommers, CFA, quoted in The Wall Street Journal
News & Awards
Brian Sommers, CFA - Director of Asset Management for HBKS® Wealth Advisors was quoted in The Wall Street Journal about the rise and fall of liquid-alternative funds.
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HBKS Wealth Advisors Announces “People of the Year” Finalist
News & Awards
HBKS® Wealth Advisors is proud to announce that Dean Piccirillo, CFP®, CRPS®, AIFA® has been named one of three finalists for Southwest Florida’s News-Press “People of the Year” award. The program...
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The Rise of AI and the Rise of the Human Advisor
Perspectives
At HBKS, we blend AI innovation with human insight to deliver financial advice rooted in empathy, creativity, and personalized guidance.
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2023 Year-End Tax Planning Update
Perspectives
We are coming to the end of another year filled with rising interest rates and continued market volatility, with little action from Congress to fix or extend tax provisions that could...
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Markets and Recessions: The Facts Might Surprise You
Perspectives
Recessions are a natural part of the business cycle started by imbalances in the economy during market corrections. As well, periods of declining GDP often signal an impending recession. Both scenarios...
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Oil Production, Consumption, and Reserves: A March 31, 2022 Perspective
Perspectives
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has caused significant stress on a variety of fronts and our hearts go out to the Ukrainian people. The crisis conditions extend to global oil prices with...
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Considering a New Employment Opportunity
Perspectives
In the past, workers stayed with the same company for years and years, working their way up in the company. However, times have changed. Businesses facing hard economic times restructure, forcing...
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Brittany Taylor Reflects on 20 Years in Financial Services
Perspectives
It is hard to believe that almost 20 years ago I started at, what was then HBK Sorce Financial, as an intern working in the basement of an 1800’s-era home. As...
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2020 Year-End Tax Planning Update
Perspectives
Our colleagues at HBK CPAs & Consultants, want to ensure that our clients and colleagues are aware of the many changes that have occurred over the past year, and how these...
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A Conversation on the Economy
Perspectives
Principal and Chief Investment Officer Brian Sommers, CFA and Chief Economist from First Trust Advisors, Brian Wesbury have a conversation on the economy.
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Recent Market Slides Create Opportunities for Long-Term Investors
Perspectives
The global response to the COVID-19 pandemic has caused an unprecedented shock to most economies in the world. Social distancing and business shutdowns, while necessary to curb the growth of new...
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A COVID-19 Roundtable Discussion: Advisors Address Client Concerns
Perspectives
An interview with HBKS Advisors Christopher N. Sorce, CFP, Principal and Senior Financial Advisor; Ryan Furtwangler, CFP, Principal and Senior Financial Advisor; and Gus Repetto, MST, CFP, Principal and Senior Financial...
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A COVID-19 Roundtable Discussion: CPAs & Financial Advisors Working Together to Address Client Concerns
Perspectives
An interview with HBKS Advisor Matthew Costigan, CFP, CPA/PFS, Principal and Senior Financial Advisor, Pittsburgh; and HBK CPAs & Consultant’s Jeremy Hartzell, JD, MBA, Principal-in-Charge, Pittsburgh.
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Watch: Paycheck Protection Program, Loan Forgiveness, and SBA EIDL Changes: What You Need to Know
Perspectives
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Bear Market Recoveries: Stay Invested
Perspectives
The effects of the COVID-19 crisis have been abrupt and wide ranging. As of March 23, the S&P 500 had declined nearly 30 percent from its highs just a few weeks...
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By The Numbers: A Statistical Look at Market Timing
Perspectives
Statistics tell us a lot about whether or not we should try to time the markets, in particular in periods of high volatility, like those we're seeing in conjunction with the...
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The Next Right Thing
Perspectives
We have seen market downturns several times in history and what we have learned is the "next right thing" has been to stay calm. Now is not the time to make...
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Small Community Supports Small Business Disrupted by COVID-19
Perspectives
The Fredonia, New York community has come together to support their neighbors and local small business owners.
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Redefining Success in Turbulent Times
Perspectives
The current circumstances, variously labeled as a health pandemic, financial pandemic, health crisis, etc., have become a call for us to reevaluate how we support ourselves, get in service, and to...
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COVID-19 Is Not Our Only Sinister Foe
Perspectives
In trying to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus, we are waging a war with an invisible and unrelenting enemy: a microscopic pathogen. But that is not the only invisible...
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Planning for What’s to Come
Perspectives
In just a couple of months since the first reported case of COVID-19 in the U.S. life has changed dramatically for most of us. No one planned or prepared for a...
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Important Updates About Firm Operations During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Perspectives
Our CEO, Chris Allegretti, shares the latest information about how HBKS is responding to the Coronavirus.
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HBKS Wealth Advisors COVID-19 Preparedness Update
Perspectives
Our CEO, Chris Allegretti, shares important information about how HBKS is responding to the Coronavirus.
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2019 Year-End Tax Planning Update
Perspectives
With 2019 coming to a close, individuals and businesses may still benefit from several tax savings strategies. Our colleagues at HBK CPAs & Consultants share the many opportunities still available and...
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New York Secure Choice: What Employers Need to Know
Retirement Planning
If you're a New York business owner with 10 or more employees, you've likely received a notification about the New York State Secure Choice Savings Program. Perhaps you set it aside,...
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Three Steps for Business Owners to Prepare for 2026 401(k) Catch-Up Contributions Rule Change
Retirement Planning
Business owners must prepare for the 2026 401(k) catch-up contribution rule change. Learn the key steps to stay compliant and support impacted employees.
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Missing 401(k) Contributions: Risks and Responsibilities for Employers and Employees
Retirement Planning
Missing 401(k) contributions aren’t normal. See warning signs, your ERISA remedies, and HBKS’s approach to monitoring, audits, and plan fiduciary support.
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Don’t Leave Money Behind: Your Guide to Managing Retirement and Health Accounts After Job Changes
Financial Planning
Starting a new job is exciting, but amid the transition, many people overlook a critical financial task: properly managing the retirement and health savings accounts they're leaving behind. Failing to address...
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How Automatic 401(k) Features Are Solving Small Business Retirement Plan Challenges
Retirement Planning
Automatic 401(k) plans make retirement benefits easy for small businesses. HBKS helps you cut setup time, reduce costs, and stay compliant.
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Where’s the Money? Funding A Successful Retirement
Retirement Planning
Learn how to fund a successful retirement by turning savings into reliable income. Discover strategies to manage risk and secure your financial future.
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Your Workplace 401(k): Your Easiest and Most Powerful Tool for Building Wealth
Retirement Planning
Discover how a workplace 401(k)—traditional or Roth—can help you build long-term wealth with ease, even if you’re just starting your career.
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Common Mistakes and Misunderstandings in Employer-Sponsored Retirement Plans
Retirement Planning
Employer-sponsored retirement plans need to be designed and regularly reviewed to avoid mistakes that cost employers and their employees savings as well as expose employers to non-compliance penalties.
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The Department of Labor’s Retirement Savings Lost and Found Database
Financial Planning
Have you ever changed jobs during your career and left behind retirement benefits? Now you can search a government database to find out.
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The Benefits of Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) From Your IRA
Retirement Planning
If you’re 70½ or older and have an IRA, there’s a smart and tax-efficient way to give back to the causes you care about: Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs).
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Navigating Inflation and Retirement Planning
Retirement Planning
Inflation was a key factor in the 2024 presidential election, perhaps the key factor. Political analysts began referring to election results as reflecting “the price of eggs,” which had doubled (or...
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Navigating New Jersey’s New Retirement Plan Mandate: What You Need to Know
Business Owners
As of June 30, 2024, New Jersey introduced the RetireReady NJ program, a state-mandated retirement plan aimed at providing more than 1.7 million workers with access to a retirement savings option....
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Retirement Strategies High Earners Can’t Afford to Ignore
Retirement Planning
For high earners such as doctors, lawyers, and small-business owners, the immediate focus often revolves around managing an expanding career, overseeing business operations, or providing top-notch patient or client care. However,...
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Make A Will: Ensure Your Assets Are Distributed As You Wish
Retirement Planning
According to Caring.com, in 2024 only 32 percent of Americans have a will. That’s surprising and alarming because a will is how you can be sure your assets will be distributed...
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Retirement Planning for Divorced Couples
Retirement Planning
Fifty percent of marriages end in divorce. When it comes to second and third marriages, the divorce rate is much higher. How an ex-spouse’s pension will be distributed can have substantial...
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Balancing Retirement Spending: Enjoy Now or Save for Later
Retirement Planning
The debate between spending in retirement and saving for retirement is a critical one.
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Match Your “Wealth Span” to Your “Health Span”
Retirement Planning
One of the ways we look at our job at HBKS Wealth Advisors is to prepare our clients for three potential life situations: dying too early, becoming disabled, and living longer...
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Empowering Strategies for Effective Retirement Planning for Women
Retirement Planning
While retirement planning is crucial for everyone, women often grapple with financial nuances that call for a customized approach
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Startup Retirement Plan Tax Credits: A Substantial Benefit You Might Not Know About
Retirement Planning
Do you know that the federal government will pay an employer to open a retirement plan for their employees? If you don’t, you’re far from alone. Responding to a recent survey...
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Leftover 529 Funds: A Retirement Savings Option
Retirement Planning
As the year 2022 was drawing to a close, the U.S. Congress passed the SECURE 2.0 Act, an update to the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act of...
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State Sponsored Long-Term Care Plans and Taxes: New York’s Proposal
Retirement Planning
In the realm of fiscal uncertainties, one glaring example stands out: the precarious state of Social Security. As workers diligently contribute to this safety net, the harsh reality revealed in the...
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Building Tomorrow’s Wealth Today: A Guide to the 401Kids Savings Act
Financial Planning
The importance of financial literacy and early savings cannot be overstated, especially for our children.
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Disability Insurance: Why as a Resident You Should Consider It Now
Financial Planning
The outset of a career as a medical professional is incredibly demanding, financially as well as professionally. Residents spend 60 to 70 hours a week honing their skills, and at an...
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10 Essential Financial Considerations for Retirees
Retirement Planning
The occasion of a new year can inspire us to renew our commitment to ensuring all areas of our lives are in order. Of course, I’m focused on my clients’...
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Financial Considerations at the Beginning of a New Year
Retirement Planning
The occasion of a new year can inspire us to renew our commitment to ensuring all areas of our lives are in order.
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Required Minimum Distributions: When Your Retirement Savings Start Paying Off
Retirement Planning
Whether you're about to begin enjoying the benefits of your years of saving for retirement or just starting to contribute to a retirement plan, you'll want to know a few things...
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IRMAA Rates Rising in 2024 with Medicare Premiums
Retirement Planning
In an attempt to keep Social Security funded, the IRS is implementing a provision called IRMAA or Income Related Monthly Adjustment. Essentially the intent is to generate funds from wealthier taxpayers,...
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Planning for Retirement: What Income Replacement Rate Will I Need?
Retirement Planning
The transition from retirement saver to retirement spender can be overwhelming. A life spent earning income, deferring taxes and accumulating invested assets quickly changes to life on a fixed income —...
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Consider Qualified Charitable Distributions for Your Charitable Giving
Retirement Planning
As someone who is passionate about giving back to the community, I am always looking for ways to maximize the impact of charitable donations.
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Securing Your Retirement: The Power of Guaranteed Income
Retirement Planning
At a time when traditional pension plans are becoming obsolete, and with the future of Social Security persistently in question, millions of Americans are asking, “How will I secure my income...
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Leaving to Start Your Own Business? Don’t Leave Your Retirement Plan Behind.
Retirement Planning
So you’ve decided to start your own business. You’ve named your LLC and picked out office space, and the big day is approaching.
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Understanding the Impact of the SECURE Act on IRA and Retirement Plan Inheritance Rules
Retirement Planning
The SECURE Act of 2019 changes the way retirement plans can be passed along to an heir. Before the Act, beneficiaries of traditional Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) could stretch out required...
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Aging Solo: Take These Steps to Ensure Your Wishes Are Met
Retirement Planning
Another generation is approaching retirement, and many of them are retiring never having been married or widowed without children.
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Roth IRAs: The Five-Year Rule
Retirement Planning
An individual retirement account (IRA) is one of the most popular ways to save for retirement, and about as easy to understand and set up. But there are also a host...
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Is Your Social Security Payment Accurate?
Retirement Planning
Even Social Security can make a mistake. While errors are rare, it is important to check the mathematics and confirm the amounts on your social security checks are accurate.
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The Secure Act 2.0: Improving Retirement Savings Options
Retirement Planning
As 2022 drew to a close, while elections and inflation were getting most of the attention, President Biden signed a consolidation of two pieces of legislation.
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Common Factors Affecting Retirement Income
Retirement Planning
When it comes to planning for your retirement income, it's easy to overlook some of the common factors that can affect how much you'll have available to spend. If you don't...
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10 Years and Counting: Points to Consider as You Approach Retirement
Retirement Planning
If you're a decade or so away from retirement, you've probably spent at least some time thinking about this major life change
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CCRCs and Roth Conversions Go Hand-in-Hand
Financial Planning
Transitioning to retirement is exciting, but it also comes with its own challenges. After a lifetime of saving in retirement accounts, decades of deferred taxes start coming due as you pull...
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The Individual 401(k)
Retirement Planning
If you are self-employed or own a small business, you have probably considered establishing a retirement plan. If you have done your homework, you likely know about simplified employee pensions...
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Working For Yourself? Take Advantage of a Retirement Savings Plan for the Self-Employed.
Retirement Planning
Our country’s workforce is evolving. Many of us are not only working from home, but working for ourselves. Others, while still holding down a job, have developed a second income stream...
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Discussing End-of-Life Issues: A Family Imperative
Retirement Planning
Getting a family together to discuss issues related to aging parents can be challenging. Sometimes geography is a hurdle. Grown children are scattered around the country, even around the world.
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“After-Tax Fund” Conversions: Act Fast Before the Opportunity Vanishes
Retirement Planning
So-called “qualified” retirement plans, like 401(k)s, allow you to defer money into a pretax account, a traditional IRA, or a tax-free Roth IRA account.
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IRS Announces Increased 401(k) Contribution Limits for 2022
Retirement Planning
Good news for anyone looking to save more for retirement – the IRS announced recently that investors can put an extra $1,000 in their 401(k)s in 2022.
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Look to Dividend-Paying Stocks for Income in Retirement
Retirement Planning
Retiring boomers are looking for ways to generate income without eroding their assets. One approach is to invest in dividend-paying and rising dividend-paying stocks and funds.
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Consider Investing Your Excess Retirement Funds Like Your Heirs Would
Estate Planning
A financial plan has a beginning, but no end. As a retiree your plan is designed to accommodate your needs and goals through your retirement. But it should also consider the...
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Retirement: Proceed with Caution Before Relying on General Rules
Retirement Planning
When investing for retirement, you are likely to hear a lot of well-meaning guidance from family, friends, and others offering advice — even the media. As you weigh the potential...
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Use Your Stimulus Check to Open a Roth IRA
Retirement Planning
Beyond opening the accounts, the stimulus checks introduced these young adults to systematic investing. They will add to their Roth IRAs via regular automatic after-tax draws from their checking or savings...
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Pension Maximization: A Pension Payout Option Strategy
Retirement Planning
Because it is designed to provide a guaranteed stream of income to the employee in retirement, a Defined Benefit Pension Plan has been viewed as the most coveted retirement plan an...
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IRA Contribution Deadline Extended
Retirement Planning
The IRS is giving us all more time to gather the funds to make our 2020 IRA contributions. The usual deadline of April 15 has been extended, just as the deadline...
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Is Long-Term Care Insurance a Necessity or Luxury?
Insurance
While long-term care insurance can lighten your cash outlay should you need extended care, not everyone can afford the expense. As financial planners, we help clients understand what insurances make sense,...
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Top 10 Opportunities for Retirement Plan Sponsors in 2021
Retirement Planning
Dean Piccirillo, director of the HBKS Wealth Advisors Retirement Plan Unit, offerd strategies employers can use to improve employee participation in their sponsored retirement plans, enhance plan investment performance, reduce plan...
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Converting a Traditional IRA to a Roth IRA at a Young Age: What Should Jack Do?
Retirement Planning
I have many clients in their twenties and thirties who had prior jobs where they accumulated sizeable amounts of money in their Traditional IRAs. These clients now have high paying jobs...
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Don’t Roll Over on Your Rollover
Retirement Planning
If you have a retirement account or two that you never transferred or “rolled over” into a current employer’s plan or personal IRA, you are not alone.
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Tax-Free Retirement Strategies for High Earners
Retirement Planning
There are only so many pre-tax avenues to retirement income. High earners who want to put more dollars aside must find alternatives beyond such traditional means as 401ks and IRAs.
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Making Sense of Roth IRAs: The Yes, No, Maybe Retirement Account
Retirement Planning
Roth IRAs can be a beneficial retirement planning option, but not understanding them could lead to mistakes and potentially costly penalties.
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Invest for Your Future: What Is an IRA?
Financial Planning
IRA (short for Individual Retirement Account) is an account that allows you to put money aside in a way that saves you dollars at tax time. Contributions to and withdrawals from...
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Can I convert my traditional IRA to a Roth IRA?
Financial Planning
Anyone can convert a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA in 2020. There are no income limits or restrictions based on your tax filing status. You generally have to include the...
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Choosing a Beneficiary for Your IRA or 401(k)
Financial Planning
Selecting beneficiaries for retirement benefits is different from choosing beneficiaries for other assets such as life insurance. With retirement benefits, you need to know the impact of income tax and estate...
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Retirement Planning: It’s Not SIMPLE
Retirement Planning
The late '90s was a stressful time in the retirement plan world. How could this huge boomer population prepare for retirement a decade away when less than half were covered by...
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Want to Retire Comfortably? Get Rid of Your Debt.
Retirement Planning
There are many concerns that need to be addressed when someone is considering retirement, and debt is at the top of the list.
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To Skip or Not to Skip Your 2020 RMDs
Retirement Planning
The last few months have inundated us with programs and legislation designed to help us regain our financial stability. One of the attempts to help, the CARES Act, similar to what...
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Evaluating an Early Retirement Offer
Retirement Planning
In today's corporate environment, cost cutting, restructuring, and downsizing are the norm, and many employers are offering their employees early retirement packages. But how do you know if the seemingly attractive...
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Watch: CARES Act Retirement Plan Provisions and Relief
Retirement Planning
What does the federal government's COVID-19 Response legislation mean to retirement plans? The recently passed Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act or the CARES Act, contains relief and assistance for qualified...
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FAQs for Plan Sponsors Suffering from Coronavirus Related Business Disruptions
Retirement Planning
The Retirement Plan Services group answers your most pressing questions in this FAQ.
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Retirement Plan Provisions of the CARES Act
Retirement Planning
The CARES Act signed into law by the president March 27, 2020 provides several enhancements that give taxpayers and retirement plan participants the ability to access their plan assets for coronavirus-related...
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Reducing or Eliminating Safe Harbor 401(k) Contributions
Retirement Planning
Can employers reduce or eliminate their safe harbor contribution?
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COVID-19 Is Not Our Only Sinister Foe
Perspectives
In trying to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus, we are waging a war with an invisible and unrelenting enemy: a microscopic pathogen. But that is not the only invisible...
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Backdoor Roth IRA: A Savings Strategy for Higher Earners
Retirement Planning
A Roth IRA is attractive to many people because you contribute after-tax dollars and the earnings grow tax-free—when you withdraw funds in retirement you pay no income tax on your withdrawals....
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Breaking News: SECURE Act
Financial Planning
The President signed into law on December 20 two spending packages that will fund the government through the rest of the fiscal year. Included in the spending packages were the Setting...
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Listen Up Generation Xers and Millennials: You’ll Need to Work Longer, Save More and Spend Less to Retire Well
Retirement Planning
The good news is that life expectancies continue to increase. Healthier lifestyles and medical advances are keeping older people alive and active longer. But there's a challenge that comes with a...
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Pension Myths: Common Misconceptions About Pension Plans
Retirement Planning
To a great extent defined benefit plans, most of which are more commonly known as pension plans, have fallen out of favor. As of 2017, only 16 percent of Fortune 500...
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Modern Retirement: Potential Areas of Trouble
Insurance
Given the unique characteristics of every family, conducting a detailed retirement feasibility study is imperative as anyone nears retirement. While a detailed examination of personal financial circumstances is crucial, the...
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Annuities and Retirement Planning
Retirement Planning
You may have heard that IRAs and employer-sponsored plans (e.g., 401(k)s) are the best ways to invest for retirement. That’s true for many people, but what if you’ve maxed out your...
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When You’re 65: Things to Consider When You’re Heading into Your Retirement
Retirement Planning
Most people who make it to 65 wonder how they got there so quickly. John Lennon said, "life is what happens when your busy making other plans." If you did most...
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Your Retirement, Your Children’s Education: Let’s Do the Math
Financial Planning
If you're a young couple with children, you’re tasked with at least two major savings initiatives: your retirement and your kids’ educations. Both require early and smart planning.
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Widowed? Divorced? Social Security Benefits Await You
Financial Planning
The Social Security Act was voted into law in 1935. Over the years, it has been amended frequently and today's law includes many provisions with which many Americans are unfamiliar. One...
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Saving for Retirement and a Child’s Education at the Same Time
Financial Planning
You want to retire comfortably when the time comes. You also want to help your child go to college. So how do you juggle the two? The truth is, saving for...
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Retiring Early? A Healthcare Subsidy Could Help
Retirement Planning
If you're thinking about retiring early, that is, before age 65, but losing your healthcare coverage plan is giving you pause, there might be a solution for you. Under the current...
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Congress Intends to Modernize Retirement Plan Rules
Retirement Planning
Congress is considering sweeping legislation to modify – or modernize – the rules for IRS qualified retirement plans, as recently both the House Ways & Means and Senate Finance Committees advanced...
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Retirement Help for Age-Gap Couples You Might Not Know About
Retirement Planning
Making decisions about your retirement can be involved – and even more complex when there is a substantial age gap between you and your spouse. Substantially different retirement dates complicate such...
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The Roths: 401(k) vs. Roth IRA. Which is better?
Retirement Planning
Roth 401(k) plans and Roth IRAs are similar retirement plans in that both are funded by after-tax dollars, that is, income you’ve already paid taxes on. They also both offer qualified...
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Thoughts on the Vanguard Market Call
Market Commentary
Global investment powerhouse Vanguard sharply cut the expected returns for U.S. stocks in the next decade. If the forecast proves to be accurate, the implications could be significant for retirement-plan sponsors,...
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New Year’s Resolutions for Retirement Plan Fiduciaries
Retirement Planning
Americans love making New Year's resolutions at the beginning of the calendar year. Generally, these self-improvement goals concern health and wellness, weight loss or improving relationships. If you are a retirement...
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The Rules for Hardship 401(k) Withdrawals Have Changed
Retirement Planning
Generally, participants in 401(k) plans can't withdraw their retirement funds until age 59½ as long as they remain with their employer. However, employees can take money out, including earnings on their...
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Getting Started: A Little Saving Now Will Pay Off Big Later
Retirement Planning
As a financial advisor to young professionals, I emphasize how important it is to start saving early for retirement. You might not want to restrict yourself to a budget, but what...
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IRS increases IRA limits for 2019
Financial Planning
For the first time since 2013, the IRS is increasing the annual limit for IRA contributions.
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Inheriting Retirement Accounts: The Other IRAs
Estate Planning
Dealing with the passing of a family member or close friend is never easy. The emotions we feel and the ways we cope with loss can vary dramatically depending on our...
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Tax Deferred Retirement Savings
Retirement Planning
It’s a win-win-win. If you are self-employed, a sole proprietor or run a small business, you can build retirement savings while reducing your tax burden and building onto your investment portfolio....
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Pay Down or Save Up?
Financial Planning
You have extra cash. Should you use it to pay down debt or build up your retirement savings?
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Saving for Retirement or College: Pick One
Financial Planning
Good for you if you’re able to put enough money aside to cover your retirement and your kids’ college educations. But if not, remember the flight attendant’s advice before take-off: put...
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Approaching Your “Retirement Cliff”?
Retirement Planning
If you are in your late 50s or early 60s, then you are fast approaching what is known as the “retirement cliff,” the end of the earned income period of your...
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