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Thursday, March 4, 2021

Learn about what really matters when it comes to your investments in retirement, and how to greatly increase your chances of success. Hint: It's not performance.

Wednesday, September 16, 2020

Capital gains taxes can be a real dampener when trying to make important financial decisions. Cameron Valadez, CFP®, AWMA® explains capital gains taxes, how they are calculated, and some tips to help you reduce or eliminate them entirely!

Tuesday, September 15, 2020

Have you accumulated a large balance in your workplace retirement plan or IRA? Cameron Valadez, CFP®, AWMA® discusses a retirement "barbell" portfolio strategy to potentially help minimize taxes in retirement.

Thursday, August 6, 2020

Is there such a thing as being "too good" at saving into your retirement account? Surprisingly, the answer is yes - when it comes to Medicare insurance costs.

Monday, August 3, 2020

After "paying into the system" over their working years, most people are shocked to find out that Medicare has additional costs after becoming eligible. One of those costs is the ongoing premium payments for rather basic coverage...

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Monday, May 18, 2020

Cameron Valadez, CFP®, AWMA® goes over a little known Social Security strategy that can be extremely useful in your retirement planning. The Start-Stop-Start strategy.

Monday, May 11, 2020

Cameron Valadez, CFP®, AWMA® educates investors about a few common pitfalls associated with behavioral finance. Investor behaviors such as anchoring, the endowment effect, and loss aversion can derail long-term investment performance.

Thursday, April 9, 2020

Cameron Valadez, CFP®, AWMA® discusses the impacts and opportunities brought by COVID-19 and how investors can stress test their retirement portfolios. Do you know much risk your 401(k) or trust account is really taking?

Monday, March 9, 2020

Cameron Valadez, CFP® shares some tips on how to take advantage of volatile stock markets using a little bit of creative financial and tax planning.

Monday, January 13, 2020

Taking a fixed percentage (i.e. 4-5%) from your retirement portfolios may set you up for a failed retirement in the years to come. Here's how to increase the likelihood that your retirement portfolio lasts 30 years...

Monday, January 6, 2020

The SECURE Act represents the most significant legislative change to the United States retirement system in over a decade so we thought we would give you all some of the more pertinent changes.

Friday, December 27, 2019

It's a new decade, and with that comes the obscure vision of the years to come. Many investors are skittish heading into an election year due to political uncertainty; however those with long-term investment time horizons should not...

Monday, September 16, 2019

What is a 529 plan? What are some of the common misconceptions about 529 plans? How do they affect financial aid? What are the tax ramifications and benefits of 529 plans? Cameron Valadez, CFP® discusses in detail how to use your 529 plan.

Monday, September 9, 2019

Roth IRAs can be an excellent wealth building tool if implemented and used properly. Cameron Valadez, CFP®, AWMA® give you 5 reasons why you should have a Roth IRA, and how to get started.

Thursday, August 22, 2019

California has done it again. A new mandate! The CalSavers Retirement Savings Program. Except what most employers and employees don't know is that the mandate is actually already in place as of July 2019! Here's what it means for you.

Friday, August 16, 2019

ARTICLE UPDATED AFTER THE SECURE ACT (Post 2019) The Roth IRA and Roth 401(k) are some of the most, if not potentially the most powerful and flexible wealth building vehicles in existence today. However, most people don't fully...

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Hiring your children to do general maintenance and errands for your business can potentially save you thousands!

Wednesday, May 1, 2019

Attention business owners! Want to make sure you get the most out of the new tax deductions available to you? Check out these 3 tips that can help you save.

Friday, April 5, 2019

Waddell & Reed and its representatives do not provide legal advice. Stephan Pancer is not affiliated with Waddell & Reed. (09/20)

Monday, February 11, 2019

What does Cameron Valadez, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ know about fitness and fat loss? More than you'd expect. If you want to stop jumping on the latest fad diet and learn the science behind how weight loss really works, check this out.

Tuesday, January 29, 2019

Cameron Valadez, CFP®, AWMA® discusses the new alimony rules arising from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 or TCJA. How will alimony differ going forward? What new strategies should be considered?

Wednesday, January 2, 2019

Happy New Year! The markets are on what seems like a never ending roller coaster ride going into the new year. Cameron Valadez, CFP®, AWMA® gives his thoughts on the markets and where they could be headed for 2019.

Wednesday, October 3, 2018

Cameron Valadez, CFP®, AWMA® discusses the new 199A tax deduction for small-business owners and certain other professionals.

Thursday, September 20, 2018

Divorce can put a kink in your finances...if you let it. Learn about how to handle your IRA during a divorce.

Thursday, September 13, 2018

Divorce usually involves a meticulous separation of assets, and likely among those are retirement plans. Here's what you can do...

Thursday, September 6, 2018

How will a divorce affect my Social Security? What options do I have? If you are unsure how to take control of your income planning post-divorce, it behooves you to get this Social Security thing right. You only get one shot!

Monday, August 27, 2018

Cameron Valadez, CFP®, AWMA® discusses some important topics that arise during divorce: What happens with our debt? What happens to my personal credit? How do I separate and begin to establish my own life again?

Tuesday, August 21, 2018

The 401(k) loan can be a valuable tool in your financial toolbox. While we don't necessarily advise taking them, we feel that clients should know the rules and other important factors that are often overlooked...

Saturday, August 18, 2018

Investor behavior plays the largest role in an investor's overall performance. One may know how to effectively analyze and compare different investments, but if they cannot separate emotions from investing they may find themselves..

Tuesday, August 14, 2018

In the second part of our "Signing Up for Medicare" series, we cover enrolling in Medicare Part D. If you are confused by Medicare and need to learn how to sign up, you need to read this article.

Tuesday, August 7, 2018

This article in our Medicare series shows you how to fill the last gap in your health care coverage; Medicare Part C and Medicare Supplements. If you have not read our previous...

Monday, July 30, 2018

Age 65, retiring soon, and going to lose your employer health coverage? Member of CalSTRS or CalPERS? Are your parents turning 65 and would never find this blog because they aren’t strikingly tech savvy? Read on!