Is It Time to Declare Your Financial Independence?

by Julie Long | Jun 18, 2026 | Financial Planning, General, Investment, Retirement, Retirement Planning, Retirement Savings, Retirement Strategy

No matter how much money you have or which life stage you’re in, becoming financially independent starts with a dream. Maybe you want to finally pay off the mountain of debt you’ve accumulated or stop relying on someone else for financial support. Or...

What are catch-up contributions?

by Julie Long | Jun 5, 2026 | 401K Planning, General, Investment, IRA Contributions, Retirement, Retirement Savings, Retirement Strategy

If you are 50 or older, or you will reach age 50 by the end of the year, you may be able to make contributions to your IRA or employer-sponsored retirement plan above the normal contribution limit. Catch-up contributions are designed to help you make up any retirement...

What Are the Tax Implications of a Spouse’s Death?

by Julie Long | May 28, 2026 | 401K Planning, Estate Planning, Financial Planning, General, Retirement, Retirement Planning, Retirement Strategy, Tax Planning

  Losing a spouse is an emotionally distressing time, and not surprisingly, tax-related concerns may not be a priority for a surviving spouse. However, failure to take appropriate steps can lead to a survivor paying more in tax than necessary. Here is an overview...

Roth IRAs

by Julie Long | May 21, 2026 | Financial Planning, General, IRA Contributions, Retirement, Retirement Savings, Retirement Strategy

What is it?A Roth individual retirement account (IRA) is a personal savings plan that offers certain tax benefits to encourage retirement savings. Contributions to a Roth IRA are never tax deductible on your federal income tax return, which means that you can...

Growth vs. Value: What’s the Difference?

by Julie Long | Apr 2, 2026 | General, Investment, Retirement, Retirement Savings, Retirement Strategy, Stocks

With the wide variety of stocks in the market, figuring out which ones you want to invest in can be a challenging task. Many investors feel it’s useful to have a system for finding stocks that might be worth buying, deciding what price to pay, and identifying...

Borrowing or Withdrawing Money from Your 401(k) Plan

by Julie Long | Mar 12, 2026 | 401k, 401K Planning, Retirement, Retirement Savings, Retirement Strategy, Retirement Taxes, Tax, Tax Laws

If you have a 401(k) plan at work and need some cash, you might be tempted to borrow or withdraw money from it. But keep in mind that the purpose of a 401(k) is to save for retirement. Take money out of it now, and you’ll risk running out of money during...