Blog
Navigating the Effects of Inflation on Your Financial Plan
Inflation is a word that appears in the news, during financial discussions, and even at the dinner table. But what exactly is inflation? Let's break it down. Imagine you're at your favorite grocery store. One year, a loaf of bread...
Read MoreStrategizing Your Retirement Savings with a Backdoor Roth IRA
When it comes to saving for retirement, you've likely heard of Roth IRAs, which are known for their tax-free growth and withdrawals. But what if your income is too high to qualify for one? Enter the strategy known as the Backdoor Roth...
Read MoreYour Financial Story Matters: Pass it on with a Legacy Letter
Writing a financial legacy letter can be one of the most significant actions you take for your loved ones and future generations. It goes beyond money management; it's about imparting wisdom and guidance that can profoundly impact your...
Read MoreWhat is your Financial Value System?
What is your belief system about money? What about your beliefs about spending, debt, investing, saving, income, and basic money management? Are they just your ideas or does your family aspire to the same beliefs? Why is this...
Read MoreIt's FAFSA® Time!
It’s that time of the year again - FAFSA® filing season! The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) for the 2026-2027 school year opens on October 1st, 2025. The FAFSA® is required as part of the process for applying for...
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Don't Get Lost: The Importance of a Financial GPS
Imagine getting in your car and setting out for a destination you’ve never visited – in a city you’re unfamiliar with. What's the first thing you do when you get in the car? Plug the address into your navigation system. This tells you...
Read MoreOne Big Beautiful Bill – Five Key Takeaways
On July 4th, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBBA) was signed into law by President Trump. While the bill is far reaching - with impacts on income taxes, federal spending, healthcare, and more – here we want to focus on five key...
Read MoreLife's Big Moments: Is Your Financial Plan Ready?
Life is full of significant events – some anticipated, like marriage or retirement, and others less so, like sudden job loss or health issues. While we can't predict every turn our lives will take, having a financial plan can help us...
Read MoreMake Every Penny Count: A Step-by-Step Guide
Setting smart financial goals is essential to helping in achieving financial stability and success. Here's an easy step-by-step guide to consider. Step 1: Define Your Financial Goals Begin by clearly defining what you want to achieve...
Read MoreMaximize Your Wealth: Why a Financial Dream Team can be Your Next Best Move
Building a financial team can be significant in managing your wealth and building your financial future. This team, typically a mix of advisors, including financial and legal, works collaboratively to help ensure that every aspect of...
Read MoreFour Ingredients of a Great Financial Plan
A quality financial plan is more than just numbers in a spreadsheet. Typically for those numbers to become a reality, it requires four things. The first is knowledge. Most financial plans are unsuccessful if you don't follow them. One...
Read MoreThree Things a Financial Advisor Can Do…That You May Have Forgotten
As you build your net worth, a life event can often cause you to seek the counsel of a financial advisor. Whether it's an illness or disability, a substantial financial need for a parent or child, or a significant life change, it's not...
Read MoreSimplify Your Retirement Planning with a Roth IRA
In the complex world of retirement planning, let's discuss a strategy that stands out for its simplicity and tax benefits. Imagine an account where your investments grow tax-free, and you can withdraw your money without paying taxes in...
Read MoreCore Focus
A few years ago, our team spent time walking through a series of exercises that helped us formulate and distill down in a few words what our Core Focus is here at Stonegate Financial. This Core Focus is essentially the mission we carry...
Read MoreCore Values
Over the last year or so here at Stonegate Financial, we’ve crystallized our core values. Our core values are on display every day, and they are critical for us to serve our clients best. Today, we want to talk a little bit about these...
Read MoreIs Your Wallet Crying? The Emotional Truth Behind Spending
Is Your Wallet Crying? The Emotional Truth Behind Spending Have you ever let your emotions purchase something…only to regret it later? Sure you have…I have, as well. It's that "thing" you can't live without…only to realize that after a...
Read MoreCultivating a Life of Generosity Through Your Financial Plan
At some point along your financial journey, generosity will become a topic of discussion. However, it is sometimes found at the bottom of the money spectrum. Our...
Read MoreCrafting Your Financial Future with Asset Allocation
In the world of investing, asset allocation is a cornerstone strategy for balancing risk and reward. It involves spreading your investments across various asset classes, such as stocks, bonds, real estate, and cash. It's like creating...
Read MoreWhat Does Life After Retirement Look Like?
Most people don't take a trip and not plan what they will do once they arrive. Typically, the plan is mapped out ahead of time…even if it's just a time of R&R. You should apply the same principle to your retirement years. Once you...
Read MoreThe Dreaded "B" Word
You can't talk long about money until the dreaded B-word comes up. Yes…that word that some embrace and others despise. What's the word? Budget. It's a word that can make us feel guilty and cause tension in most relationships. Some call...
Read MoreAre You Ready to Retire?
I've received hundreds of questions from clients over the years about retirement. But, of course, the most common one is "When can I retire?" However, we must address a few others that are just as important before we can answer this...
Read More4 Rules for the Financial Road You Are On
Although it would be nice, I've learned there is no reverse in life. You can't redo the past, but you can change your future. What you do from this point forward makes the difference. Where do you want to end up in this season of your...
Read MoreThe Emotional Roller Coaster of Investing
When it comes to investing, there is one thing you can count on. The market will go up, and the market will go down. So how do we manage the emotions of these bull and bear markets? Here are three tips that might help. Be prepared to...
Read MoreHave You Checked Your Beneficiaries Lately?
There are three phases to your financial journey. First is the accumulation phase, where you are building your wealth. Second is the distribution phase, where your wealth supports your retirement. The final phase (often overlooked) is...
Read MoreWhat Do You Want During Retirement?
What do you want at the end of your work life? The most common answer is "I want to retire." But that's too broad of an answer and can make it hard to develop the right plan to get there. It's like saying I want to look or feel better...
Read MoreWhere Did All the CPAs Go?
It’s that time again – yes, we’re talking about tax season! Time to gather all your documents and take them to your CPA or, for some, complete your taxes on your own. If you currently have a CPA preparing your tax...
Read MoreYou Are Not One Dimensional
I am often amused when I hear about a company asking their employees to write out their goals for the year. How many projects will you execute…how many new customers will you bring in….how many new products will you...
Read MoreSix Tips to Make You More Productive
The other day I had great intentions. I had a list for home, a list from my office, and a personal list of a few things I needed to get done. I had a plan, and it was clear…but by the end of the day, I failed. I...
Read MorePractical Steps for Identity Theft
It’s happened to all of us. The phone rings and you don’t recognize the number. Should you answer or let it go to voice mail? What if it's one of the kids who are in trouble calling from a different number? What if...
Read More"SMARTER" Financial Goals
What's the difference between a dream and a goal? A dream begins with an idea, an aspiration, or a preferred future. On the other hand, a goal is the framework of the dream. It's where the dream starts to take shape. As we go through...
Read MoreFour Values to Consider for a Great Life
We all have values…some we choose…others choose us. And our values influence our decisions and how we interact with others and live our lives.Here are four values worth considering to live an extraordinary life…and...
Read MoreRetirement Mistakes You Want to Avoid
Nobody wants to wake up during retirement and discover that your retirement savings can’t support your retirement lifestyle. Proactive planning always provides more options than reactive ones.Here are three retirement mistakes a...
Read More4 Habits of Retired Millionaires
A million dollars in your retirement is a big accomplishment. But, let’s be honest, it’s all relative. A million today is not the same as a million 10 years ago. Nevertheless, it seems that many are striving for a number...
Read MorePost Separation Financial Challenges
Under normal circumstances, financial planning can be one of the keys to the long-term financial health of your family. But imagine that you wake up one day in your adult life and have to start over. Of course, nobody plans for it to...
Read MoreAre You and Your Spouse on the Same Retirement Page?
When it comes to retirement, are you and your spouse on the same page?Almost all couples agree on one thing…they want to retire someday. But that statement can create tension when the conversation remains that broad. The...
Read MoreOvercoming the Overwhelm of Starting Your Financial Plan
Let's face it; we all love to be on top of things. Whether we are a planner or not, we love when things are in order, especially our finances. After all, who doesn't enjoy the added confidence of knowing that you have minimized the...
Read MorePlanning for Long-Term Care
If you are in your 40’s, 50’s, or even 60’s and healthy, long-term care may feel irrelevant. After all, there’s still time right?Maybe not.Here are a few common assumptions…or let’s call them...
Read MoreDiscussing Finances with Your Aging Parents
Recently I was asked, "How much should I be involved in my aging parent's finances?" Well, it's not a complicated answer, but every set of parents is different, and a lot depends on your relationship.For example, some parents don't...
Read MoreFive Practical Tips as You Close One Chapter and Open Another
After a long successful career, many ask: Where did the time go?Throughout your career, you probably had to plan for the future…but why do so many find themselves uncertain as they enter retirement?Often our careers feel like a...
Read MoreSpring Cleaning - Consolidating Your Accounts!
Our oldest son is really into monster trucks. It’s tons of fun to play with him and see the tricks he can do with those little diecast treasures – backflips, wheelies, and donuts are just a few stunts frequently on...
Read MoreBeneficiaries - Leaving a Legacy
Quick question for you – do you know how your assets and accounts will be distributed at your death? OK, that’s heavy – I know. But we know that for many, the legacy you leave behind for your heirs is...
Read MoreDo You Need Life Insurance?
Life insurance is one of those “someday” things for many people – but in our opinion the cheapest time to buy it is probably right now. After all, you’ll never be younger than you are right now. To find...
Read MoreThe Power of HSAs
I am a big fan of Health Savings Accounts, also called HSAs. So much so that my wife had to kindly ask me not to submit my application to update my license plate to read “HSA4EVR”. Now that might be a slight exaggeration,...
Read MoreQuestions About Social Security?
We get a lot of questions about Social Security – and rightfully so! Social Security income can be key to a successful retirement, and we are here to help you navigate social security rules and strategies.We are most...
Read MoreCongress Does it Again with SECURE Act 2.0 – How These Changes Might Impact You
Congratulations – you survived 2022! In a year characterized by uncooperative financial markets, geopolitical tensions, and a midterm election, we can all look forward to 2023 in hopes it will usher in more positivity than...
Read MoreBenefits of a Roth 401k
Have you ever wondered if a Roth 401(k) could be right for you? An increasingly common 401(k) feature in recent years has been the option for Roth 401(k) contributions. A Roth 401(k) has some of the same characteristics of its close...
Read MoreContribution Limit Updates for 2023
As we approach the end of another year, it’s a good idea to review your tax-advantaged savings and be sure you’re maximizing all opportunities for which you are eligible. Additionally, there have been quite a few changes to...
Read MoreAre You Ready to Retire?
If you’re nearing this major milestone, it’s likely that you’ve spent some time dreaming of the days of no alarm clocks, no commute, and no punching the clock, but how can you be sure you’re really ready?There...
Read MoreWho Is Managing Your Financial Plan?
Have you ever remodeled part of your home? Or maybe you’ve even built a home? Even if you’ve just watched a bunch of HGTV, you understand the importance of a general contractor. They are the quarterback of...
Read MoreBy the Bucketful
When it comes to retirement, one of the most common questions we hear is “how do I get income?” You’ve saved and accumulated, so how do we now transition your investment accounts into income. Well, there are many...
Read MoreCould a Roth 401(k) Be Right for You?
An increasingly common 401(k) feature in recent years has been the option for Roth 401(k) contributions within this popular workplace retirement plan. A Roth 401(k) has many of the same characteristics of its close relative - the Roth...
Read MoreBeware of Lifestyle Creep!
Lifestyle creep, also called lifestyle inflation, is a financial planning term, and according to BusinessDictionary means “an improvement in the standard of living of people to the extent that luxury goods turn into necessary...
Read MoreIs Inflation Eating at You?
A year ago, I wrote the following in our quarterly newsletter: “We are seeing higher costs in almost everything we do, from prices to autos, lumber, metals, fuel, food, clothing, appliances, home goods, etc. Milk seems to be the...
Read MoreGive a Gift of Love
February is one of my favorite months of the year. Two of my favorite people, my mom and sister, celebrate their birthdays this month, we get Super Bowl Sunday, and best of all, we enjoy a day that’s all about LOVE. Love comes in...
Read MoreNavigating a Near Zero Interest World!
With interest rates so incredibly low we are often asked “How can I make more off my cash savings?” One solution might be to consider I-Bonds offered via the U.S. Treasury Department that are backed by the U.S. government....
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Fatherhood and Finance: Lessons from a New Dad
Parenthood is a funny thing. Regardless of how much you plan, visualize, and anticipate life with a newborn, nothing can truly prepare you for the experience of holding your child for the first time… or for the challenge of...
Read MoreDream Planning - Part 2
So, part I of Dream Planning was the easy part. Think about what you want to do, save the money, and decide on the timing. But let me tell you, for a dream to become the ultimate experience it takes a LOT of RESEARCH, EDUCATION and...
Read MoreDream Planning
Before you have free time to do what you REALLY love, it is best to make a plan so when that time comes, you have everything in place to enjoy your dreams! But for many of us, life gets in the way of planning for and making such...
Read MoreBefore, During, After - College Considerations
Spring is a time of excitement and celebrations – Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Wedding Season, and Graduation. As many teens celebrate the culmination of their high school careers, we’d like to address...
Read MoreSupercharge Your Health Savings Account
I find myself often talking or writing about the many powerful benefits of a Health Savings Account (HSA). Here is a quick refresher on some of those benefits: Contributions are tax deductible. Any growth inside of the account is tax...
Read MoreEarth Day and Investing for Sustainability
As an advocate for the great outdoors and someone that loves to explore nature’s wonders, I want to celebrate the 52nd Anniversary of Earth Day by highlighting a few things I’ve recently learned and personally witnessed....
Read MoreProtect Your Money and Data from Tax Scammers
It’s that time of year – tax season – and completing taxes for 2020 is likely to be complex and confusing for many Americans. For example, did you know: Unemployment benefits are taxable.1 Stimulus relief checks are...
Read MoreA Lesson From the Millionaire Next Door
I’ve read the book The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko multiple times and it never seems to get old. It’s loaded with very factual, qualitative statistics on millionaires in the United States...
Read MoreLessons From an Exceptionally Instructive Year
Once in a very great while, there comes a year in the economy and the markets that may serve as a tutorial—in effect, a master class in the principles of successful long-term, goal-focused investing. 2020 was just such a year. On...
Read MoreRetirement: Not One Size Fits All
No matter what stage of your career you are in, I’m sure the thought of retirement has crossed your mind a time or two. The retirement party, the vacations, sleeping in, spending time on your golf game – you’ve worked...
Read MoreRoth IRA Conversions
And just like that, 2020 is (finally) coming to a close. As you get your financial house in-order and work through year-end planning, you may want to consider a Roth IRA conversion. Tax Planning is Key The primary consideration in a...
Read MoreYour Retirement Savings and Change in Employment
Whether you leave an employer for a wonderful new opportunity or lose a position because of the pandemic, it’s easy to forget about the money you have saved in your retirement plan. Sometimes, retirement plan savings can stay in...
Read MorePresidential Elections, The Market, and Your Portfolio
A few weeks ago, we distributed a link to our “Half-time Report” video where we touched on factors that could impact market performance for the remainder of 2020. If you missed that and would like to view our full...
Read MoreFiduciary Fundamentals
Choosing a financial advisor is a weighty decision. After all, you are entrusting an advisor with your future, hoping that they will help protect and grow what you have worked so hard to accumulate over the years, so you can realize...
Read MoreFound Money
I originally drafted this blog back in early February with the intention of posting it just prior to the normal tax deadline. Rereading it now I’ve had to make some edits, but fortunately much financial advice is timeless....
Read MoreA Snow Day on Steroids
As you might expect, we are getting calls and emails from many clients who are all reacting differently to what is happening in the world today. A number are feeling very uncomfortable with all the news that is circulating, and the...
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