Blog

Today, we are exploring real estate for younger Americans. Homeownership is a lofty goal, and has long been considered a central tenet of the “American Dream.” Many people believe that America is in the midst of a real estate affordability crisis, suppressing the ability of younger Americans to realize their own American Dreams. If current […]

Typical Americans have three primal fears: death, public speaking, and running out of money. Once again, a recent survey concluded that a majority of Americans fear running out of money more than they fear death or public speaking. This has been confirmed numerous times over several decades. Why should no money be scarier than death […]

No longer willing to spend my time uncovering every bad idea concocted by Congress, Media, Politicians, and others who hope to become noticed, I have narrowed the search to only the worst of the recent batch. At least for a while, until I get rejuvenated. It takes too much time and effort to find and […]

Social Security is failing, due to an imbalance between the inflow of funds relative to mandatory outflows for monthly benefits. Simple logic dictates that step one in curing an insolvency problem would NOT involve reducing incoming dollars. Yet, a current proposed Bill does exactly that. Or so it seems. Most Americans are unaware that Social […]

Today’s self-described “Progressives” seem to have adopted the universal answer, “Tax the Rich.” It doesn’t matter what the question might be; the answer lies in a burning desire to punish successful Americans through taxation, in the name of solving societal problems. Constantly tilting at the windmills of increased government revenue, these people live in a […]

In last week’s Blog, we identified certain topics in Elder Care that play a large role in our comprehensive personal financial planning practice. Today’s topics are no less serious and pertain to a wide variety of our clients, radio listeners, and community residents. Keep in mind that these are areas of practice for Elder Law […]

On a recent broadcast of the Van Wie Financial Hour radio program, we featured a Board-Certified Elder Law Attorney. Having spoken with her in the past, we knew that some of what she had to say would pleasantly surprise many of our listeners. As non-attorneys ourselves, we are passing along some fundamental clarifications regarding misunderstood […]

With each incoming new year comes a new set of guidelines on contributions to Qualified Retirement Plans, both company-sponsored and individual. Changes are ostensibly made to reflect inflation over the prior year, although the increases are generally much smaller than increases in the actual cost of living. Up to the limits specified by the IRS, […]

We reported last week in this Blog how Americans are focused on improving their own personal finances in 2024, and we applaud their efforts. Now comes the difficult follow-through. With resolutions, whether formal or casual, time is the enemy of conviction. The time to start is now. The time to relax is, well, never. Change […]