Montgomery Community Media

As the new year approaches, market volatility and economic uncertainty are taking center stage. With so much news noise, mixed messages out of Washington and uncertainty abroad, individuals face an uncertain planning landscape. Many economists expect that the U.S. economy peaked in the third quarter of 2018 and that overseas markets will continue to struggle. […]

These days, with enormous lottery jackpots almost common, many people think a financial windfall refers to an outrageous sum of money. However, those circumstances are very rare and financial windfalls are usually the result of a much more modest event such as an inheritance, cashing in of stock grants or options, the sale of a […]

For the past decade, we have lived in a period of relatively low interest rates. In response to the 2008 market and economic collapse, The Federal Reserve Bank (the Fed) began a multi-year policy of accommodative monetary policy, which kept both consumer and corporate interest rates low. At the same time, overseas financial institutions, like […]

With the April 15th tax filing deadline still months away, it may seem early to consider taxes, but when it comes to reducing your tax bill, starting early makes eminent sense. Too often tax planning is delayed until very late in the year or until we complete our tax returns. By then it is often […]

With the high and rising cost of a college education, parents are looking for ways to increase affordability. Some families with talented child-athletes look to earning athletic scholarships as a primary means of funding higher education. But are they really coming out ahead financially when they pay for more than a dozen years of athletic […]

With the economy growing at a rapid pace and unemployment dropping, wages are showing strong increases. According to the Department of Labor, unemployment is at 3.9% and wages have been rising at a 2.7% annualized rate for the past three months. Companies are being pressured to pay more for talent and to keep their employees […]

With indications that current college students will need to accumulate well over one million dollars simply to remain in the middle class during their later years, pursuing financial freedom from an early age makes eminent sense. However, many teens or twenty-somethings tune out around talk about investing for retirement. Framing investment conversations that college students […]

A Target Date Fund (TDF) combines a variety of investment strategies into one mutual fund. The concept is that investors, based on their target date of retirement, can simply select one mutual fund that will be managed for them during their entire life. This is because the asset allocation and investments inside the TDF will […]

This year for Father’s Day, instead of another golf shirt, a gift card, or the ever popular power tool, if your dad doesn’t already have a written financial plan, consider giving him one. The millennial generation is poised to be the next “sandwich generation,” providing for their children while also having to care for elderly […]

You may have heard the expression, “Buy ‘term’ and invest the difference.” While this axiom makes sense for many, there are times when whole life insurance is appropriate. It may sound odd, but a good question to ask is this: “Do I want to have life insurance when I die?” If you answer yes, then […]