By Cindy Alvarez, Senior Wealth Management Advisor Not all financial professionals are alike when it comes to working with their clients.  There are many different regulatory classifications of financial advisors, but the two most common are the (1) Broker-Dealer and the (2) Registered Investment Advisor, or RIA. One of the most significant differences is their...

Saving for retirement can be likened to going on a diet. What you need to succeed in both cases is a long-term mindset and the discipline to stay the course along the way. Let’s face it, we live in a fast-food culture where we want everything now and we lack the patience to wait more...

As wealth managers, we talk a lot about proactive tax planning and the importance of taking the time to create more favorable tax outcomes. With that said, why aren’t more individuals getting involved in the process? The primary reason for the lack of tax planning can be attributed to the constant change in tax laws...

Simply put, a ROTH Conversion is a transfer of all or part of the balance of an existing Traditional IRA to a ROTH IRA. First, most investors know the difference between a ROTH IRA and a Traditional IRA, but let us provide a quick overview for those who may not be well versed on these...

By Cindy Alvarez, Senior Wealth Management Advisor Helping families design their financial roadmap often involves a discussion on some of the best practices for setting money aside for children’s education. The tough part for parents is first trying to determine if their child is going to be college bound, community college bound, trade school bound,...

When life takes a left turn - and time and knowledge are in short supply - who’s in charge of your big picture? A case study in what it looks like to be a member of the Wambolt family.

Retirement planning today may look different for women than men, regardless of marital status.     By Cindy Alvarez – Senior Wealth Management Advisor Married women traditionally had been better off in retirement than single women, and two-earner households have fared best of all. But several trends demonstrate that the retirement prospects for married and single...

Family wealth is about more than money. It’s about aspirations, expectations, values, and legacies. It can be an emotional topic, bringing out the best in some and the worst in others. And when wealth transfers hands, discord and conflict can irrupt in even the closest of families. An estimated $30 trillion will change hands over...

With the market entering bear territory in 2018 and a projected economic slowdown in 2019, the new year might bring some unwelcome challenges to freelancers and independent contractors, who rely on project-based work to pay the bills. In a bear market, falling stock prices and pessimism can create fear, causing financial ripples throughout the free...

A timely debt ceiling deal is the best bet for stable markets. With another partial government shutdown narrowly averted in February, the next federal spending challenge for Congress is already at hand. March 2, 2019 is the deadline for Congress to act on lifting the debt ceiling. The debt limit was suspended by the Bipartisan Budget Act...