by Ben Hockema, CFP® | Apr 14, 2026 | Personal Finance, Tax Planning
It is easy for us Financial Planners to forget how complicated the tax code is for those that don’t spend every day thinking about it. Given income taxes are top of mind right now, with the April 15th deadline rapidly approaching, now is as good of a time as any to...
by Travis Reader, CFP®, MSFS | Apr 2, 2026 | Investing, Strategy
For decades, retirement planning followed a simple formula, work for one employer, retire with a pension, and receive a predictable paycheck for life. That’s exactly what my own father did working for GE. Today, most retirees face a very different reality. Instead of...
by Ben Hockema, CFP® | Jun 6, 2024 | Basics, Investing
When I meet a new acquaintance and they ask me the pervasive “what do you do” question, I struggle with the best way to answer. If I say something like “Financial Advisor” or “Financial Planner”, I know that the immediate reaction is to assume that I either sell...
by Ben Hockema, CFP® | May 3, 2024 | ETF, Investing
For many investors, once they have made a decision to purchase an ETF or mutual fund, they tend to breathe a sigh of relief and move on. Although there needs to be significant upfront due diligence in selecting investments, we do not recommend blindly trusting that...
by Ben Hockema, CFP® | Mar 13, 2024 | Investing
This post is the second of our series looking behind the scenes of how we manage portfolios for our ongoing clients. Behind the Scenes of Your Portfolio: RebalancingOften overlooked when thinking about your portfolio are the different ways that taxes are generated,...
