Insights

Retirement is far off until it isn’t. This chapter of life can sneak up on just about anyone, and we do ourselves a favor to be as prepared as we can. Like anything involving the government, finances can be confusing, with different tax treatments, contribution limits, beneficiary rules and more.

As a financial advisor who’s spent her career in the midwest, I’ve worked with more farm families than I can count. From buying new expensive equipment to riding out the drought years, there can be millions in play even on small family farming operations. Estate planning – splitting up the …

Learn the advantages of donor advised funds for tax deductions and donations, and how you can take control of your charitable giving today, from the experts at Carson.

For part two, we focus on three topics that may be considered more “actionable” in nature, which we believe will aid people who are concerned with their aging parents.

Many of us think we don’t have enough assets for a will to be necessary, or we’ve simply put it in the “I’ll get to it” category. But planning carefully now can save your beneficiaries from legal fees, tax losses and the ugly relational stress that comes up all too often in the estate process. 

Caring for aging parents can feel overwhelming. Read our blog that details what we feel are important issues to consider and strategies to employ when one is concerned for one’s aging parents.

The so-called “Peanut Butter Manifesto” written by a Yahoo! Executive in 2006 gave us a term that hasn’t worn thin yet. The “Peanut Butter Approach” is a derisive term used in business to describe spreading anything – money, energy, time – too far and too thin to be effective or useful. 

Return on Investment (ROI) is a term you learn about 5 minutes into your first class in business school. Maybe the business model is elegant and the organization is streamlined, but that all begs the question: what is the ROI? How much will we make?

Estate planning, no matter how large or simple your assets, is a conversation everyone should have. From dividing up gigantic bank accounts to choosing the music for a funeral, putting a plan in place can keep a lot of stress and family tension from reaching fever pitch.

There are many ways to give to nonprofit organizations – from dropping off your old couch at Goodwill to volunteering at the local soup kitchen. When it comes to giving money, there are many personal benefits, both emotional and financial.