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What’s on our mind? You can read about it in our blog. Whether it’s ideas from the investment services world or concepts from the financial industry, you can read about it here. And once in a while, we may throw in a movie review or some other surprise. So keep checking in. We’re glad to have you reading along.

 

Monday, February 6, 2023

As expected, Congress has passed legislation that will have significant implications for certain retirement savings plans. We will reach out directly to clients that are impacted, but below is a summary of the changes most likely to...

 

Wednesday, November 18, 2020

Business retirement plans come in many shapes and sizes, but the things they all have in common are: Providing significant tax deductions for business owners while putting money (retirement savings) back in their accounts. Attracting...

 

Monday, October 19, 2020

There are two options available for paying investment management fees attributable to your traditional IRA. The first option is to deduct fees directly from your IRA, and the second option is to pay the fees from funds held outside...

 

Thursday, September 24, 2020

The most common and challenging question we receive from clients is “How much money do I need to retire?” I say challenging, because that number is a moving target. Each client has unique circumstances, such as income needs...

 

Monday, August 10, 2020

Being aware of the biases driving irrational investment behavior can provide you with some ammunition for maintaining discipline and avoiding costly mistakes. In my experience, recency bias and loss-aversion bias are two of the most...

 

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Thursday, May 30, 2019

We constantly hear how important it is to maintain a healthy lifestyle. That is not always easy, especially in the face of temptation or the easy option of procrastination. For some, the monetary benefits of maintaining a healthy...

 

Thursday, February 28, 2019

A successful finale. If you are an entrepreneur, what is the final act for you and your business? If you have been successful, you likely want the company you created to be able to continue once you are no longer at the helm. For that...

 

Thursday, January 31, 2019

Have you ever had one of those months? The water heater stops heating, the dishwasher stops washing, and your family ends up on a first-name basis with the nurse at urgent care. Then, as you’re driving to work, giving yourself...

 

Friday, December 14, 2018

Is Now the Right Time to Go Roth? Some say yes, pointing to the recent federal tax reforms. Provided by «representativename» Will federal income tax rates ever be lower than they are right now? Given the outlook for Social...

 

Tuesday, November 20, 2018

Does your credit history partly determine the cost of your life insurance? It may. The potential for such a relationship may surprise you – and the relationship is not without controversy. Insurers think a good credit history...

 

Wednesday, October 17, 2018

Grandparents Day provides a reminder of the bond between grandparents and grandchildren and the importance of family legacies. A family legacy can have multiple aspects. It can include much more than heirlooms and appreciated assets....

 

Thursday, September 13, 2018

Retirement is undeniably a major life and financial transition. Even so, baby boomers can run the risk of growing nonchalant about some of the financial challenges that retirement poses, for not all are immediately obvious. In looking...

 

Thursday, August 16, 2018

What don’t you know? Many Americans know about Roth and traditional IRAs, but there are other types of Individual Retirement Arrangements. Here’s a quick look at all the different types of IRAs: Traditional IRAs...

 

Wednesday, July 18, 2018

If you buy a home and you have no life insurance, there is a financial risk. It may not be immediately evident, but it must be acknowledged – and it should be addressed. What if you die, and your spouse or partner is left to pay...

 

Thursday, May 17, 2018

Inherited IRA assets are vulnerable in bankruptcy proceedings. Many older IRA owners and their beneficiaries do not realize this, but it is true. In Clark, et ux v. Rameker (2014), the Supreme Court ruled 9-0 that inherited IRAs cannot...

 

Thursday, April 19, 2018

You may be shocked to learn that part of your Social Security income could be taxed. If your provisional income exceeds a certain level, that will happen. Just what is “provisional income”? The Social Security...

 

Tuesday, March 13, 2018

Do you freelance or run a business on the side? You have a complicated tax situation, all stemming from one fact – when you earn a paycheck, taxes are not immediately taken out of it. Many freelancers are caught off-guard when...

 

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

This decade has brought a long economic rebound to many parts of America. As 2017 ebbs into 2018, some of the statistics regarding this comeback are truly impressive: *Payrolls have grown, month after month, for more than seven years....

 

Friday, January 19, 2018

What financial, business, or life priorities do you need to address for 2018? Now is a good time to think about the investing, saving, or budgeting methods you could employ toward specific objectives, from building your retirement fund...

 

Wednesday, December 20, 2017

There are three degrees of estate planning: advanced, basic, and none at all. Basic is better than none, but elementary estate planning can still leave something to be desired. While appropriate documents may be in place, they may not...

 

Tuesday, November 28, 2017

Debit card data theft has surged lately. According to FICO’s Card Alert Service, the number of businesses or ATM locations where debit cards were hacked rose 26% from 2015 to 2016. Additionally, the number of compromised cards...

 

Wednesday, October 25, 2017

As you start a family, you start to think about certain financial matters. Before you became a mom or dad, you may not have thought about them much, but so much changes when you have kids. Parenting presents you with definite, sudden,...

 

Thursday, September 21, 2017

The price of long-term care insurance has really gone up. If you are a baby boomer and you have kept your eye on it for a few years, chances are you have noticed this. Last year, the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance...

 

Monday, August 28, 2017

Last quarter we introduced our Behavioral Finance series. Again, in my opinion, the key finding is not that we investors are irrational, but rather that we tend to be irrational in predictable ways (i.e., when large numbers of...

 

Thursday, August 24, 2017

Behavioral Finance is the study of why we as investors do what we do. The key finding of relatively new field is not that we are irrational (which is no surprise), but rather that we tend to be irrational in predictable ways (i.e.,...

 

Thursday, July 20, 2017

We all would love to have a little extra cash on hand for emergencies. Saving up that cash can be a challenge – but with a little effort, that challenge can be met. Imagine a 30-year-old couple with no real savings. Let’s...

 

Wednesday, June 28, 2017

If you receive a distribution from your IRA or workplace retirement plan, what will you do with it? You will probably want to arrange an IRA rollover – a common and useful financial move designed to take these invested assets...

 

Monday, May 15, 2017

Many affluent professionals and business owners put estate planning on hold. Only the courts and lawyers stand to benefit from their procrastination. While inaction is the biggest estate planning error, several other major mistakes can...

 

Thursday, April 20, 2017

Investors are people, and people are often impatient. No one likes to wait in line or wait longer than they have to for something, especially today when so much is just a click or two away. This impatience also manifests itself in the...

 

Monday, March 20, 2017

Will you live to 100? Your odds of becoming a centenarian may be improving. Earlier this year, the Centers for Disease Control reported that the population of Americans aged 100 or older rose 44% between 2000-2014. The Pew Research...

 

Wednesday, January 25, 2017

In life, there are times when simple decisions can have a profound impact. The same holds true when it comes to personal finance. Here are some simple choices you could make that may leave you better off financially – in the near...

 

Thursday, December 22, 2016

An estate plan has three objectives. The first goal is to preserve your accumulated wealth. The second goal is to express who will receive your assets after your death. The third goal is to state who will make medical and financial...

 

Monday, November 14, 2016

How many words have been written about retirement? It’s a preoccupation for many, and we devote so much time, thought, and energy toward saving for the last day we go to work. Saving and investing in such a way that we no longer...

 

Monday, October 17, 2016

Will you receive tax-free money in retirement? Some retirees do. You should know about some of your options for tax-free retirement distributions, some of which are less publicized than others. Qualified distributions from Roth...

 

Thursday, September 22, 2016

Man is Mortal. That makes life insurance a little unique and interesting, doesn’t it? We purchase things like health insurance, car insurance and home insurance, then hope we never have a need to use them. Life insurance is...

 

Thursday, September 1, 2016

What can you do to start building wealth before age 35? You know time is your friend and that the earlier you begin saving and investing for the future, the better your financial prospects may become. So what steps should you take?...

 

Friday, July 22, 2016

Is your career unfolding as it should? If not, maybe it is time for a change; either a change of jobs, or a change in your role at your workplace. Pay attention to the signals of a stalled career. If the status quo at your office...

 

Monday, July 11, 2016

I receive an amazing number of calls from the major Investment Banks and Asset Managers pitching their latest and greatest investment products. All of the calls follow the same basic script: our smart guys have developed a new strategy...

 

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

MOBILE, AL, June 14, 2016 - Wilkins Miller Wealth Management, an independent Registered Advisory firm with offices in Mobile and Fairhope, is pleased to announce that Frank Smith, CPA, will be joining the Wilkins Miller Wealth...

 

Thursday, May 26, 2016

Reducing the Risk of Outliving Your Money What steps might help you sustain and grow your retirement savings? “What is your greatest retirement fear?” When we ask clients that question, “outliving my money” the...

 

Thursday, April 28, 2016

We believe that Fiduciary Duty and Independence are central components of the advisor/client relationship. Two recent events have highlighted and strengthened this belief. The first was the issuance of the new Department of Labor...

 

Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Retirement Now vs. Retirement Then Today’s retirees must be more self-reliant than their predecessors. Decades ago, retirement was fairly predictable: Social Security and a pension provided much of your income, you moved to the...

 

Friday, February 5, 2016

When to file for Social Security benefits is an important concern for many of our clients. However, the conversation and decision haven't gotten any easier with recent congressional action that will change two claiming strategies for...