by John Wierenga | Aug 13, 2023 | Budget
Most people think estate planning is only for wealthy people. Certainly, the 55% of Americans who died without a will thought so, even though all of their estates ended up in probate court subject to the laws of the state. Sadly, the surviving families were thrust...
by John Wierenga | Aug 6, 2023 | Budget
Life insurance and annuities have always been considered to be among the safest of all financial instruments. Even as banks were being shuttered during the Great Depression resulting in people losing their life’s savings, life insurers emerged as the bed rock of...
by John Wierenga | Jul 31, 2023 | Budget
Most people of conscience, especially those who have done well for themselves, want to use their resources to do some good in the world. The problem is, with many of individuals, their charitable giving tends to be somewhat haphazard, often centered on tax...
by John Wierenga | Jul 24, 2023 | Budget
Many investors have heard the term “asset allocation” at one time or another. From the first time we sign up for a 401k plan at the office all the way through the conversations we have with financial planners in retirement, we are bombarded with messages about the...
by John Wierenga | Jul 16, 2023 | Budget
What are your portfolio performance expectations? In the story of Alice in Wonderland, Alice arrives at a fork in the road and wonders aloud which road to take. A smiling Cheshire Cat appears and asks her what her destination is, to which she replies, “I don’t know.”...
