Blog

High Net-Worth Individuals: Are You Missing Opportunities in Your Financial Planning?

Brian F. Paluso CFP®, CLU®, RICP®, AIF®

Tuesday, November 22, 2022

High Net-Worth executives and those that have been self-employed, can experience common problems in their financial planning journey. Often, they have missed opportunities in their financial planning because they haven’t planned...

Retirement’s Second Act: Setting the Stage for Encore Entrepreneurship

Colin Harper, CFP®

Tuesday, November 15, 2022

An encore entrepreneur is a person who starts a new business or venture after age 55. They represent more than half of all business owners in the U.S., and for a good reason.1 These entrepreneurs have decades of work and life...

Entrepreneurs aren’t Born, They’re Made

Brian F. Paluso CFP®, CLU®, RICP®, AIF®

Thursday, November 10, 2022

Who are entrepreneurs? Sometimes they are the people who leave the corporate world to pursue their own dreams. In many cases, they may be individuals who have found themselves dislocated or “downsized” from a previous job....

End of Year (EOY) Deadlines Checklist

Colin Harper, CFP®

Friday, November 4, 2022

For many of us, a new year is an opportunity for fresh starts and discovering the best versions of ourselves, but some things—like tax contributions and retirement deadlines—don't change much, if at all. And with that shiny...

10 Easy Financial Planning Steps for Beginners

Brian F. Paluso CFP®, CLU®, RICP®, AIF®

Wednesday, October 26, 2022

If you've never engaged in financial planning and are unsure how to get started, this article is for you. A financial plan starts by evaluating your current financial situation and future expectations and can be created independently...

An Essential Guide to Estate Planning Preparedness

Michael Kutch, CFA®

Tuesday, October 18, 2022

A recent survey by Caring.com found that a whopping two in three American adults do not have an estate plan1—an alarming statistic, considering that an estate plan can protect your assets and ensure that they go to the right...

Ten Things You Must Know About Medicare

Colin Harper, CFP®

Saturday, October 15, 2022

Heading into your retirement years brings a slew of new topics to grapple with, and one of the most maddening may be Medicare. Figuring out when to enroll, what to enroll in and what coverage will be best for you can be daunting. To...

A Fall Financial Checklist

Brian F. Paluso CFP®, CLU®, RICP®, AIF®

Tuesday, October 4, 2022

For many, autumn is the best time of year. The return of cool breezes, comforting foods, and pumpkins can be invigorating. It’s also a bookmark of sorts, especially for your finances—a perfect time to take stock of your...

Efficiency Rules: 3 Simple Steps for Improved Planning and Productivity

Colin Harper, CFP®

Wednesday, September 28, 2022

Do you wish that there was more time in a day? Do you want to have time to drink a cup of coffee in the morning, or get to the gym before or after work? Well, we can’t change how much time there is each day, but we can help you...

Are You Maximizing 401(k) Contributions?

Michael Kutch, CFA®

Tuesday, September 20, 2022

The more money that you can save when you are working, the easier it should be for you to retire and enjoy your golden years. Unfortunately, Social Security may no longer provide a sufficient income to live on during retirement. To...

Making Decisions About Medicare

Brian F. Paluso CFP®, CLU®, RICP®, AIF®

Thursday, September 15, 2022

As you near age 65, you may start to think about Medicare. How do you sort through your coverage options? When (and how) do you enroll? And what if you have other health insurance? Here is some information to help you when it's time to...

Mother Teresa was one of the most well-known figures for her charitable service, officially recognized with an International Day of Charity[1]. September 5th marks the anniversary of her death and is a day where much of the world...

Earnings Recap: Still Hanging In There

Michael Kutch, CFA®

Tuesday, August 30, 2022

Earnings growth of 6-7% doesn’t sound very exciting, but given the challenges corporate America has faced, we consider the nearly-complete second quarter earnings season a resounding success. The numerous challenges last quarter...

Home Sales Fall (Again). What’s Next?

Michael Kutch, CFA®

Thursday, August 25, 2022

Existing home sales fell 5.9% in July, the sixth consecutive month of declines as higher interest rates weigh on housing affordability and prospective buyers. As the housing market slowed, so did prices. The median price for a single...

4 Tips and Resources to Help Seniors During Periods of High Inflation and Market Volatility

Brian F. Paluso CFP®, CLU®, RICP®, AIF®

Sunday, August 21, 2022

In 2022, U.S. inflation hit a 40-year high, with prices for food, housing, gasoline, and other key staples increasing by nearly 10% over the previous year.1 During these uncertain times, stocks have continued a roller-coaster ride...

The Principles of Financial Literacy

Colin Harper, CFP®

Sunday, August 14, 2022

Financial literacy refers to the skills and knowledge that allow an individual to make informed and effective decisions through their understanding of finances. Financial literacy starts by building a basic understanding of 'money...

The Case for a U.S. Recession Weakens

Michael Kutch, CFA®

Wednesday, August 10, 2022

The market pundits remain intensely focused on the question of whether the U.S. economy is in or about to enter recession, so we thought a piece on what a recession might mean for the stock market would be of interest. While...

3 Golf Tips to Keep Your Retirement Plan on Course

Brian F. Paluso CFP®, CLU®, RICP®, AIF®

Wednesday, August 10, 2022

In golf, as in finances, there are a few rules of thumb that may improve your game: keep a level head, avoid traps, practice before trying something new and stay the course. Applying lessons from the golf course to your financial life...

What a Week for the Stock Market

Michael Kutch, CFA®

Tuesday, August 2, 2022

That was quite a week. These days a Federal Reserve (Fed) policy meeting alone gets a lot of headlines and has market participants on the edge of their seats. Add to that the second straight quarter of negative gross domestic product...

3 Factors That Could Change the Inflation Course

Michael Kutch, CFA®

Wednesday, July 27, 2022

For the past year, supply-related problems contributed more to inflation than demand-related imbalances, but that may be changing soon. There are at least three factors that could change the course of inflation. First, the improvement...

6 Retirement Tips for Surviving the Sandwich Generation Squeeze

Colin Harper, CFP®

Wednesday, July 27, 2022

Adults caring for aging parents and children simultaneously have now become known as the "sandwich generation."  While each generation comes with its own array of financial challenges, the sandwich generation often feels...

Managing Market Volatility

Michael Kutch, CFA®

Thursday, July 21, 2022

Markets rarely give us clear skies, and there are always threats to watch for on the horizon, but the right preparation, context, and support can help us navigate anything that may lie ahead. So far, this year hasn’t seen a...

Five Things to Do Before Meeting With an Advisor

Brian F. Paluso CFP®, CLU®, RICP®, AIF®

Wednesday, July 20, 2022

Americans' financial lives are increasingly complex. It's not unusual to have checking and savings accounts, a 401(k), IRAs, and other personal investments. Keeping track of all your savings and investments has prompted many...

LPL Financial Research Midyear Outlook 2022: Navigating Turbulence

Michael Kutch, CFA®

Tuesday, July 12, 2022

Markets rarely give us clear skies, and there are always threats to watch for on the horizon, but the right preparation, context, and support can help us navigate anything that may lie ahead. So far, this year hasn’t seen a...

Making the Most of Your Relationship with a Financial Professional

Colin Harper, CFP®

Tuesday, July 12, 2022

Heading to your first meeting with a new financial professional may be a lot like going on a blind date. Can you have anything in common? Can you click? Can you trust this other person with what's most important to you? A strong...

Constructive, Not Complacent: Lowering S&P 500 Target

Michael Kutch, CFA®

Wednesday, July 6, 2022

Stocks have been unable to make up much ground since the June 16 lows, with a bear market rally amounting to only around a 4.3% gain in the S&P 500 Index since then (as of July 1). After the more than 6% rally the week of June 24 and...

4 Financial Lessons from America’s Founding Fathers

Brian F. Paluso CFP®, CLU®, RICP®, AIF®

Monday, July 4, 2022

America’s Founding Fathers created the foundation of a nation like no other. Each had goals and dreams, many with high expectations of what the United States of America could become. For today’s citizens, it may be possible...

Relief at the Pump and for Portfolios?

Michael Kutch, CFA®

Wednesday, June 29, 2022

2022 has been rough all-around for the American consumer. Not only are we battling decades-high inflation, but investors’ portfolios are off to one of the worst starts to a year in history as we near the halfway point. Our...

5 Life Events That Impact Your Life Insurance Needs

Colin Harper, CFP®

Tuesday, June 28, 2022

A life insurance policy is part of financial planning. Life insurance is there to help ease the financial trauma that comes with the loss of a spouse, parent, or partner. As you encounter different events in your life, you may need to...

Bear Market Q and A

Michael Kutch, CFA®

Friday, June 24, 2022

The bear market that started on June 13 has left the S&P 500 Index 23.5% below its January 3 high. After the initial positive reaction to the Federal Reserve’s first 0.75% rate hike since 1994 and tough talk on inflation,...

The History, Significance, and Celebration of Juneteenth

Brian F. Paluso CFP®, CLU®, RICP®, AIF®

Monday, June 20, 2022

The Juneteeth holiday marks the end of slavery in the United States and is one of the oldest African American holidays. It is the date that troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, after the Civil War, to enforce the Emancipation...

Fatherly Advice: 7 Timeless Financial Tips Our Fathers Taught Us

Colin Harper, CFP®

Sunday, June 19, 2022

Although many things have changed in the financial world over the past 20 years, some nuggets of financial advice are timeless. Here are a few tips that have remained constant for several generations.Always Spend Less Than You...

Charitable Gifting

Brian F. Paluso CFP®, CLU®, RICP®, AIF®

Wednesday, June 15, 2022

What constitutes a gift to charity?A gift to charity is simply a gratuitous transfer of property to a charitable organization. The key is that your gift must be some kind of property--your time or personal services do not count. There...

The Economy Is Slowing But Not Shrinking

Michael Kutch, CFA®

Tuesday, June 7, 2022

Many pundits are issuing recession warnings and saying the economy is heading for a hard landing. Amid the cacophony of voices, we think the economy is slowing just like central bankers want but not shrinking. Further, we argue that a...

I-Bonds and Inflation: Why These Bonds May Be Suitable for You

Colin Harper, CFP®

Monday, June 6, 2022

With a volatile stock market, the Fed Funds rate near zero, and inflation the highest since 1982, some may seek an investment that can protect their purchasing power and limit their market exposure. A-Series I Bonds are appropriately...

Looking through the Clouds

Michael Kutch, CFA®

Thursday, June 2, 2022

At the risk of sounding cliché, making the case for stocks to stage a second half rally back to the prior highs requires investors to see through some heavy cloud cover. If you prefer another market cliché, it’s times...

Ever since the ten-year treasury’s rapid accent in February, inflation has become the primary concern for both the equity and bond market. However, since the slightly (& brief) hawkish tone out of the Federal Reserve in their May...

Many investors own one or many mutual funds or ETFs, but don’t really understand what the underlying holdings consist of. You may scratch your head in certain years wondering why your portfolio underperformed the major indexes...

In a year of economic optimism, as we emerge from the recession brought on by Covid-19, we have seen substantial gains in the equity market while fixed income has wavered. Through the first quarter of 2020, fixed income--specifically...

The IRS Extends Additional Tax Deadlines for IRAs, HSAs, and More

Brian F. Paluso CFP®, CLU®, RICP®, AIF®

Tuesday, May 4, 2021

Previously, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced that the federal income tax filing due date for individuals for the 2020 tax year had been automatically extended from April 15, 2021, to May 17, 2021.1 More time for allHowever...

Who is Uncle FICA?

Brian F. Paluso CFP®, RICP®, AIF®

Monday, August 17, 2020

If your boss took 6.2% of your gross wages and told you that they’d give it back to you later in life, would you pay close attention to where that money went? When it came time for your boss to pay you back for all that money...

Our newsletter this month features a quick video on suggestions to make the most of your investments, activities to keep our brains sharp, a guided retirement route for women, and the impact of your mindset on your portfolio. Hope you...

We at Seasons Financial Advisors are Social Security enthusiasts, so thought we'd recognize National Social Security Month with some updates and ideas. First things first, sign up for a "my Social Security" account at https://www.ssa...

As we enter a new week, it appears volatility in the market is here to stay. The market continues to have big swings both up and down at levels that we have never seen before. Algorithmic (computer driven trading) certainly is a big...

Fear of the spreading coronavirus spooked investors as the market dropped double digits last week. Reported cases have now exceeded ninety thousand, with three thousand deaths most of which have been specific to China. What really sent...

Social Security Re-Do

Brian F. Paluso CFP®, RICP®, AIF®

Friday, January 17, 2020

Some of you may have been watching our posts and thought “Oh no, I may have made a mistake when I claimed Social Security”. Is there anything you can do? Well, depends. Let’s go to the rule book. You can reverse a...

Very often we’re asked if there are consequences to working while you are receiving benefits. And of course the answer is “it depends”. Here are the simple rules. Once you reach Full Retirement Age you can make as...

Will Social Security be there for you?

Brian F. Paluso CFP®, RICP®, AIF®

Friday, January 17, 2020

“Will Social Security be there for me” is probably the number 1 question we receive, and like most government programs the answer is “it depends”. Let’s start with the current facts. According to the 2019...

Surprise if you turn 62 in 2020 and want to collect Social Security now. You may be disappointed.

Brian F. Paluso CFP®, RICP®, AIF®

Friday, January 17, 2020

If you were born in 1958 you'll be turning 62 in 2020. For many, reaching age 62 is exciting because it's the first age you can begin collecting Social Security retirement income benefits. That's the good news, you're now eligible for...

Social Security IS NOT a social safety net

Brian F. Paluso CFP®, RICP®, AIF®

Friday, January 17, 2020

Many people treat Social Security as if it’s a social safety net program, meaning there is a life event and the government steps in to help out. Think of a natural disaster - tornado comes through town and the Federal Emergency...

Tip: How Much? Check your Social Security earnings and see an estimate of your benefits on the website, www.ssa.gov. Social Security’s been a fact of retirement life ever since it was established in 1935. We all think we know how...