Monitoring Your Portfolio

by Julie Long | Apr 9, 2026 | Asset Allocation, Financial Planning, Financial Wellness, General, Investment, Investment Management, Market & Portfolio Insights, Portfolio, Retirement, Retirement Planning, Wealth Management Strategies

You probably already know you need to monitor your investment portfolio and update it periodically. Even if you’ve chosen an asset allocation, market forces may quickly begin to tweak it. For example, if stock prices go up, you may eventually find yourself with...

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...

Estate Tax Changes Under Recent Tax Acts

by Julie Long | Mar 26, 2026 | Economy, Estate, Estate Planning, General, Generational Wealth, Investment, New Tax Laws, News, Retirement, Tax, Tax Laws, Tax Strategy

IntroductionThe Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 (the 2010 Tax Act) was signed into law in December 2010. This law contained dramatic changes to the federal gift and estate tax and the federal generation-skipping...

Beyond Traditional Asset Classes: Exploring Alternatives

by Julie Long | Mar 19, 2026 | Economy, Investment

Stocks, bonds, and cash are fundamental components of an investment portfolio. However, many other investments can be used to try to spice up returns or help reduce overall portfolio risk. So-called alternative assets have become popular in recent years as a way to...

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...