By Colleen Weber, CFP^®, CPA

If you’re a high-income-earner, you have some challenges when it comes to tax-advantaged investing strategies. But just because government restrictions make it harder to invest in traditional accounts, such as Roth IRAs with their income phaseout rules and 401(ks) with their contribution limits, that doesn’t mean you’re out of luck. Your company’s deferred compensation plan may be your ticket to minimizing your taxes. But before signing on the dotted line, you need to understand how these plans work and the pros and cons of participating in one.

By Colleen Weber, CFP^®, CPA

After working tirelessly for many years, retirement is just around the corner. This may fill some of you with excitement, and others of you with panic at all that still needs to be done before you clock out for the last time. If it seems like your retirement checklist is never-ending and you don’t know where to start, prioritize these 10 things to do as you start your 10-year countdown to retirement. 

By Colleen Weber, CFP^®, CPA

While many people have access to employee stock options through their employer, the process and details are often confusing. Between taxation, diversification, and more fine print than you know what to do with, it would be easy to stick your head in the sand and not take advantage of your stock options. But stock options can benefit your overall financial plan if you have the right information and make wise decisions. That’s what I want to help you with. So, if you’ve been granted stock options and stayed with your company long enough for them to vest, keep reading.

By Colleen Weber, CFP^®, CPA

The U.S. stock markets had the worst day of the year on Monday, reacting to news of escalating trade issues with China and fears of an economic slowdown. After the Dow closed down 767 points, investors are understandably nervous. If you are worried about your retirement accounts, you’re not alone. But during stock market volatility, it’s important to keep a level head to avoid financial mistakes.

By Colleen Weber, CFP^®, CPA

You experience all types of emotions when you retire—pride for the hard work you’ve accomplished over the years, sadness and relief that it’s coming to an end, and uncertainty and joy as you move into the next chapter of your life.

By Colleen Weber, CFP^®, CPA

Do rising healthcare costs keep you up at night? Even if you have comprehensive health insurance, just one hospital visit could cause you to deplete your emergency fund. That’s why it’s not surprising that many Americans fear medical bills more than the underlying illness. (1)

By Colleen Weber, CFP^®, CPA

Would you turn down a $1 million nest egg? Probably not. But while that amount of money sounds amazing, it may not provide the financial security and independence you dream of. With the impact of rising living expenses, healthcare costs, and unexpected life circumstances, $1 million in your savings account might not get you as far as you’d think. Here’s why.

Have you ever enjoyed a glass of wine at dinner and wondered what the one percenters are enjoying at their tables?  Or, perhaps, the one-tenth-of-one-percenters?

If you haven’t been really, really sick in the last few years, you may not have ever heard of the “donut hole” in Medicare Part D prescription drug plans.  This is the common name in the medical field for a quirky coverage gap where, if you incurred $3,750 worth of drug costs in any given year, you would suddenly be paying for a significant portion of your drug expenses out-of-pocket.  Last year, patients who breached that threshold would have to pay 35% of the cost of brand-name drugs and 44% of generic drugs until their out-of-pocket spending reached $5,000. After that, they would pay no more than 5% of their drug costs for the rest of the year.  Of course, not everybody knew about the donut hole until they suddenly had to pay a significant fraction of the high cost of rare prescription drugs, and their expenses skyrocketed.

Ever wonder how the balance of the world’s economies have changed over the last 120 years?  Here’s a really interesting snapshot (see graphic), which shows the size of many countries’ stock markets at the beginning of the 1900s (as a percentage of the total), and as of the start of this year.  Notice the enormous growth of the U.S., from 15% of the total to more than 50%. Also notice that much of this growth came at the expense of European economies, notably the UK (down from 25% to 5.5% over the past 120 years), Germany (13% down to 2.8%) and France (11.5% to 3.3%).  Russia and Austria were significant at the end of 1899; less so now.