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Monday, January 4, 2021

The murkiness of 2020 has caused many to adopt a bunker mentality and avoid making plans too far into the future. However, creating a Master 2021 Calendar is a wonderful antidote to that thinking. A Master Calendar is an organizing...

 

Wednesday, December 30, 2020

Want to unlock your deepest aspirations? Eliminate mental barriers? Rid yourself of draining personal and professional relationships? Take out a pen and paper. Put on some soothing background music, like Jimmy Fallon does when writing...

 

Friday, November 20, 2020

The principles of behavioral finance focus on understanding why someone does or does not do something that would help them reach a desired goal, and then helping them understand and convince themselves that the "I should/need/have to...

 

Friday, November 20, 2020

Large numbers of city dwellers opted to move to larger suburban homes during the pandemic. For many, it was like impulse buying. "I'll just look" sounds easy until you get caught up in a hot residential real estate market and find...

 

Sunday, June 28, 2020

Every financial expert will tell you that in order to achieve financial freedom you must create and live by a budget that sets aside money for emergencies as well as long-term savings. The late Dr. Thomas Stanley based his best-selling...

 

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Friday, June 26, 2020

When businesses closed for COVID-19, many were scrambling to get employees set up with computer access. Security issues were not a top concern for all employers. Employees just used their personal computer as a work computer and it was...

 

Friday, May 1, 2020

For most of us, work is essential. Some consider their jobs as their means to put food on their tables and a roof over their heads. Some want to go through the motions and get by, others want to excel. Others find their identities in...

 

Thursday, April 30, 2020

Whenever my personal and professional task lists are overflowing, I remind myself to slow down, meditate and let the universe speak to me. Intuitively, one would say that overflowing lists mean doing, not thinking. However, I find...

 

Wednesday, April 29, 2020

Among the many challenges we are all facing these days, workspace problems may seem minor. However, if you cannot work effectively, then it will affect not only you, but also the people you work with, including colleagues, clients, and...

 

Friday, April 24, 2020

Online scammers are quick to take advantage of people's fears about something. Not surprisingly, the latest crop of online scams relates to the coronavirus. The FBI has warned about emails that are being used to entice individuals to...

 

Friday, February 28, 2020

In our financial planning process, we start with the client's ultimate goal in mind; work through potential actions and consequences; and ultimately help our client choose the path with the highest probability of success. I'm so...

 

Thursday, February 27, 2020

You might think that only people with little means worry about not having money. In fact, in our practice we help extremely successful people who are surprisingly anxious about money and career issues. A number of our most highly...

 

Thursday, January 2, 2020

Many people cannot wait to retire. While they still find some enjoyment in work, they are tired of the daily grind and see retirement as their only salvation. As noted in an article from US News & World Report, "6 Reasons You Shouldn't...

 

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Increasingly, it feels like the battle over online privacy is lost. Although there are new laws and investigations into company practices, every day we continue to buy and use products and services that gather data on us even while we...

 

Thursday, December 5, 2019

Have you ever had someone tell you about their problems and as soon as you made a suggestion, their immediate response was, "No, that's not it." Sure, they may have had a good reason for their response, but if this person does this to...

 

Monday, December 2, 2019

What do Tom Petty, Aretha Franklin, Anthony Bourdain and Prince have in common? They were wealthy celebrities who never got around to proper estate planning. They are not alone. Planning for death and disability is not high on the list...

 

Saturday, November 9, 2019

IRS Benefit Plan Limits 2020 IRS Benefit Plan Limits for 2020 Presented by Barry Shapiro, CLU®, ChFC®, REBC®, RHU®, AIF®, CASL® On November 6, 2019, the Internal Revenue Service released Notice 2019-59,...

 

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Every business owner I have ever met has one – a middling employee who does not excel in the job, but is not a true bad apple.These employees are polite and may work hard, yet their work product is mediocre at best and you must...

 

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

During this summer's blog series, we've discussed some of the jugular issues budding business owners must evaluate before opening their doors: Paying themselves; building profit margins; and setting their pricing. Say you've worked...

 

Friday, August 16, 2019

Proper product or service pricing can make or break a business. Set a price that's too low and you will have no profits (or worse). A price that's too high will lose you business and may even give you a bad reputation for price gouging...

 

Thursday, June 27, 2019

Once you get through the first year of your new business, it's time to start thinking about your long-term success. Developing a three-year growth plan should be your first step. Unfortunately, many owners focus on revenue as the only...

 

Tuesday, June 25, 2019

This summers blog series on Business Building was inspired by a talk I gave to the Long Island Food Council about planning and growing a new business. For every great success assisted by the Food Council, such as Eat Mud and Javamelts,...

 

Thursday, March 28, 2019

Many companies proclaim their commitment to "exceptional customer service," but how often have you been dissatisfied with the service you received? I was thinking about this topic while shopping for a new office phone system. Although...

 

Sunday, February 24, 2019

New "technology" has impacted human jobs for hundreds of years, but the variety and types of jobs that machines can do is expanding exponentially. That leads to the question of when your job will be affected if it hasn't already....

 

Thursday, February 21, 2019

A few years ago, AARP reported that half of workers age 60 and older say that they plan to keep working until at least age 70 and 20 percent of them say they don't think they will ever retire. Last year, another study found that 3 in...

 

Friday, January 11, 2019

We're entering year two of New York's Paid Leave Law, but I've discovered that there is still a lot to be learned about how the law operates. Although I knew the basics, the topic has taken on more urgency as our valued client services...

 

Friday, December 14, 2018

If you want your business to succeed, you need time working on your business, not just working in your business. That means hiring employees or outsourcing tasks that can be done by others, so you can focus on growing your company....

 

Friday, December 14, 2018

When setting business and personal goals for the coming year, I look for a catchphrase or mantra I can recite daily in the coming year to keep myself on track. A few years back, when stress was a concern, I adopted a saying from our...

 

Friday, November 16, 2018

Parents with significant assets may find it difficult to help children pay for college. College costs are out of control and if parents spend their own money, they risk not having enough for retirement and old age. On the other hand,...

 

Tuesday, November 6, 2018

The statistics are depressing. According to a 2017 study, 73 percent of consumers had outstanding debt when they died, with amounts averaging $61,554, including mortgage debt or $12,875 without. A 2018 study found that 43 percent of...

 

Thursday, October 18, 2018

Pew Research recently came out with its analysis of the middle-class in the U.S. Middle-income households are defined as those with an income that is two-thirds to double the U.S. median household income. In light of the political and...

 

Monday, October 8, 2018

Perhaps the most frequent conversations we have had with our clients this year concerns the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (you know, the "big, beautiful tax cut") signed into law on December 22, 2017 and clarified a few times by the US...

 

Wednesday, September 5, 2018

Couples disagree about where to eat out almost as often as they do about how and when to retire, according to a study from Fidelity Investments. The Fidelity Investments 2018 Couples and Money Study examined the financial and retirement...

 

Tuesday, August 21, 2018

Dear Our Clients for Whom This Series Was Intended (and you know who you are!), Retirement is supposed to be fun. Retirement is not supposed to be a one-way ticket to Palookaville, filled with regret about decisions unfaced and goals...

 

Tuesday, August 14, 2018

The fourth installment of our series on the phases of preparing for retirement focuses on what many people fear most: The possibility of being infirm, totally alone, penniless and vulnerable. The MIT AgeLab calls this "The Solo Journey...

 

Tuesday, July 31, 2018

In part one of our five-part series, we discussed the uncertainty and fear many feel when they hear the word retirement. Part two addressed what the MIT Age Lab calls the Honeymoon Phase of retirement, which is akin to a work...

 

Monday, July 23, 2018

In our last blog, "Are you EMOTIONALLY Ready to Retire," we mentioned many issues clients discuss with us—sometimes sheepishly—that block them from committing to a retirement vision. Truth be told, if not for the aging...

 

Thursday, July 12, 2018

Some of our clients can't wait to retire. They will describe in vivid detail all the ways they plan to spend this new free time that they saved for over a lifetime. But for others, the word retirement brings up feelings of fear and...

 

Wednesday, June 27, 2018

Presented by Barry Shapiro, CLU®, ChFC®, REBC®, RHU®, AIF®, CASL® We all know that federal income taxes are withheld from our paychecks. But are you aware of the degree of control you have over how much is...

 

Monday, June 4, 2018

Many people who enjoy what they do and are good at it think about going out on their own. It seems like a good idea; if you have the ability and passion to do the work, why not start your own business? What some entrepreneurs...

 

Monday, May 21, 2018

Think long, think wrong. It’s great that you got organized and created a plan for the future. However, it’s now 6 months later and you haven’t taken any steps to implement it. Sound familiar? It doesn’t matter...

 

Thursday, May 3, 2018

We often meet with prospective clients within five to ten years of retirement who have been diligent about maxing out retirement plan contributions and want to plan a retirement income strategy. While their conscientiousness should be...

 

Thursday, April 19, 2018

As we move into our 50s and 60s, the idea of losing a job takes on new fear. These are the years when you are supposed to be maximizing your retirement contributions and if you lose your job, that income will be hard to replace. Even...

 

Monday, March 19, 2018

Many business owners proudly put their heart and soul into their company. However, the challenges of running a business can sometimes mean owners focus too much on the short-term and lose sight of the long-term big picture. I was...

 

Tuesday, February 27, 2018

For many Americans, the implementation of the new tax cuts means more take-home pay. And while some of you will be disciplined about saving the additional income, others will succumb to "lifestyle creep," where you buy more things...

 

Tuesday, February 13, 2018

If you’ve bought a home, you know that a comprehensive home inspection is necessary prior to the final closing. The inspector will look closely at the roof, exterior, garage, interior, structural components, plumbing, electrical...

 

Wednesday, January 31, 2018

I recently posted an article from the Wall Street Journal on LinkedIn entitled, “It’s Time to Stop Giving Money to Your Grown Kids.” The article focused on how the continuing financial support some parents provide to...

 

Monday, January 29, 2018

With more than 500 million members, LinkedIn is a great tool for connecting with virtually any professional. But it feels like some people are just in it to accumulate connections like it’s a contest. I get lots of invitations...

 

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

Do you know of someone who died, but their email and social media accounts continued for a while as if they were still alive? Or maybe a relative took control of a deceased person’s social media account to create a memorial page...

 

Wednesday, December 6, 2017

It’s hard to get people to prepare for their eventual death or disability. So when they finally take the steps to get a will, power of attorney, health care proxy, life insurance and other documents, they don’t want to...

 

Friday, July 7, 2017

Tip: How Much? Check your Social Security earnings and see an estimate of your benefits on the Web site, www.ssa.gov. Social Security’s been a fact of retirement life ever since it was established in 1935. We all think we know...