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Navigating elder care and elder care finances in the U.S. can be a challenge even for the most well-prepared households. So what, exactly, is involved in senior financial planning?

If you've been wondering how to optimize your finances and ensure your money continues to work for you, a financial professional may be able to help.

Many investors still adhere to the old adage—"sell in May and go away"—while others remain fully invested even as the summer heat waves begin.

Making decisions about your retirement account can seem overwhelming, especially if you feel unsure about your knowledge of investments. However, the following basic rules can help you make smarter choices.

Social Security benefits are a major source of retirement income for most people. Your Social Security retirement benefit is based on the number of years you've been working and the amount you've earned. When you begin taking Social...

Your goals and priorities will probably change as you plan to retire. Along with them, your insurance needs may change as well. Retirement is typically a good time to review the different parts of your insurance program and make any...

Once you are in your 60s, you are likely to focus less on growing your retirement funds than answering, "When do I retire?" And once you crack open your nest egg, how should you allocate its contents? The answer often lies in a...

Many parents may feel it is unnecessary to inform their adult children about their personal, financial affairs. However, as your children grow older, it can work to your advantage—and that of your entire family— to share...

Navigating parenthood isn't always easy. But when it comes to helping adult children with their debt, there are steps you can take to be productive while avoiding potential pitfalls.

After spending so much of your life saving for retirement, it can be challenging to transition from depositing funds to withdrawing them. With some careful planning and ongoing maintenance, you can maintain your lifestyle.

Go out into your yard and dig a big hole. Every month, throw $50 into it, but don't take any money out until you're ready to buy a house, send your child to college, or retire. It sounds a little crazy, doesn't it?

Sometimes, 529 plans have unused funds after the beneficiary graduates or decides to discontinue their education. Whatever the reason for having unused 529 plan funds, here are five spending options to consider.

Medicare is a comprehensive health insurance program that covers a range of healthcare services, including hospital stays, doctor visits, preventive care, and prescription drugs. However, it does not cover all healthcare costs.

The thought of retiring may be intimidating for anyone—but if you own your own business, handing your "baby" to new owners might be enough to stop you in your tracks. What can you do to set your successor up for success?

Your life insurance needs depends on many factors, including the size of your family, the nature of your financial obligations, your career stage, and your goals.

As you age, the question of when to collect Social Security (SS) retirement benefits will likely come to mind. There is no one size fits all age; your unique circumstances and goals will dictate the appropriate time for you to take...

The SECURE 2.0 legislation included in the $1.7 trillion appropriations bill passed late last year builds on changes established by the original Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act (SECURE 1.0) enacted in 2019....

When people think of “myths,” they often think of such stories as Pandora’s Box (the woman who took the lid off of a jar releasing all of the world’s ills upon the world, were taxes one of them?), or the Tale of...

Ah, Money. The word leaves you with a positive or a negative feeling when you hear it. The feeling we get from money, and investing, has deep roots inside our emotions, although we may not understand why. Behavioral science explains why we

Spring cleaning presents a great opportunity to clear out any items you no longer need—and the same goes for your finances. Checking in with your finances during tax season may be particularly beneficial, as it allows you to...

If you're thinking about working in retirement, you must consider a few things before making your decision. As you get older, the question of when to collect Social Security retirement benefits and how your monthly payment may be impacted b

When it comes to saving for retirement, women may have extra challenges, even those with a higher-than-average income. For retirement planning, CNBC reports that women save less than men. The pandemic worsened matters, with more than 2.3 mi

Retirement is a major transition point – as you go from saver to spenderIt's common for people who are retiring to set their retirement date in either the springtime or the early summer. If you happen to be one of those lucky...

With the signing of the SECURE Act 2.0 into law, both employees and employers can take advantage of more than 90 new provisions aimed at creating opportunities to create or modify workplace retirement plans and strategies.

Regardless of whether you prepare your taxes yourself or use a professional's services, it's a good idea to gather the information and documentation you need well in advance of your actual tax filing date. Below, we've listed some key...

What is business tax planning?When starting a business, you must consider a number of tax-related issues. Although business tax planning is a complicated area, it is essential to understand three major topics: tax consequences when the...

The Super Bowl is more than just a game. It's an American holiday. As you prepare for this fun day, you may also want to think about how to create "big wins'' in your investment strategy. Get ready for Super Bowl Sunday by checking out...

When you hear the term identity theft, the first thought that comes to mind may involve a data breach or opening a credit card in someone else's name. But another common type of identity theft involves the use of someone's Social...

Even if you never thought of yourself as especially wealthy, there may be a fair chance that you fall into the category of "high net worth individuals"—those who have liquid assets of $1 million or more.1 For many individuals who...

Regardless of whether you prepare your taxes yourself or use a professional's services, it's a good idea to gather the information and documentation you need well in advance of your actual tax filing date. Below, we've listed some key...

A resolution for every month to help you work towards financial independenceCleaning up personal finances remains one of the top resolutions every New Year. But we all know what happens to most such self-promises, so here’s a...

If one of your New Year's resolutions involves enhancing and expanding your investment portfolio, look no further. In a true New Year's Eve countdown tradition, ask yourself these 10 questions to help review your investment plans...

With the holidays here, now is the time to get into the giving spirit and help to change others' lives for the better. Whether you are looking to make a difference in a specific person's life or the life of many, there are many ways to...

Washington State (WA) does not have an inheritance tax, but it does have an estate tax. An estate tax is a tax on your right to transfer property at your death. Estate tax accounts for everything the deceased owns or has specific...

At the end of the year, it is necessary to reflect on your financial picture, review the last 12 months, and plan for the future. With all that is involved, it can seem overwhelming. Consider breaking up the responsibilities over...

According to GivingTuesday.org, donations to nonprofits and community organizations totaled $2.7 billion on #GivingTuesday in 2021. Here is a list of things for you to think about as you consider your year-end charitable donations.

Life insurance can provide financial security for your family. However, if you don't plan appropriately, taxes can greatly reduce the life insurance benefits actually received by your family.

Scams can come in all forms, including online ads. When shopping online, go to retailer websites directly instead of clicking on links from ads. Use a credit card when purchasing to further protect yourself

There are many tax planning moves you can make before December 31 to reduce your owed taxes, but how do you know which ones are available to you? Here are five year-end tax planning questions you may want to ask your financial professional

How much do you really know about your employer-sponsored retirement savings plan? If you're like many people, you have some ideas about how your plan works that may or may not be entirely accurate.

When planning for your retirement, make sure to consider how your retirement income could be impacted by investment risk, inflation, taxes, and health-related expenses.

With the cost of long-term care (LTC) increasing year over year, considering how the costs of long-term LTC will impact your financial plan is essential. Here are three tips that may help make the cost of LTC more affordable.

Today’s families have a variety of concerns when it comes to finances. Whether your goal is to build or protect assets, it may be better to start sooner rather than later.

Understanding long-term capital gains taxes when you sell investmentsMarket downturns could be a good time to adjust your fund portfolio to minimize the tax bite. Here’s how to calculate the best ways to do that – now and...

A recent survey by Caring.com found that a whopping two in three American adults do not have an estate plan1—an alarming statistic, considering that an estate plan can protect your assets and ensure that they go to the right...

When investing, particularly for long-term goals, there are two concepts you will likely hear about over and over again — diversification and asset allocation.Diversification helps limit exposure to loss in any one investment or...

One silver lining in the current bear market is that this could be a good time to convert assets from a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA. Converted assets are subject to federal income tax in the year of conversion, which might be a...

When it comes to investing, having fewer investments might help streamline your portfolio to manage stress better. Here are some benefits of a simple portfolio and some ways to help you create one.

Tax planning should take place throughout the year to have you prepared well ahead of tax season.

A recent survey of Boomers found that thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, 52% of those who are not yet retired are concerned about being able to retire.

Economies and markets are cyclical. They may include periods of wealth creation and times of bursting bubbles that bankrupt companies in a major downturn.

Fed rate hikes place upward pressure on a wide range of interest rates, including the cost of borrowing through bond issues. Regardless of the rate environment, bonds are a mainstay for investors who want to generate income.

Over the next 20 years, a wealth transfer will occur that exceeds $30 trillion as Baby Boomers pass the remainder of their wealth to Millennials and subsequent generations. It's imperative to develop a plan and prepare your beneficiaries.

Financial professionals find that the same issues come up over and over when it comes to retirement planning. Here are seven considerations that every investor should think about when it comes to retirement planning.

Nearly three quarters of workers and 77% of retirees in a recent survey said they remain at least somewhat confident that they will experience a comfortable retirement, according to the Employee Benefit Research Institute.

Life insurance is there to help ease the financial trauma that comes with the loss of a spouse, parent, or partner. As you encounter different events in your life, you may need to review your policy and make changes.

You may associate Social Security retirement benefits with a key part of their name: retirement. However, you may continue working while drawing Social Security retirement or survivor's benefits, which could lead to a higher overall benefit

Through charitable giving, you can support causes or organizations you believe in and lock in tax benefits simultaneously. Whether you’re new to charitable giving or a veteran, there are several strategies you should keep in mind.

If your income hits a certain level, you may face an additional wrinkle in calculating your taxes: the net investment income tax (also referred to as the unearned income Medicare contribution tax).

529 plans are qualified tuition plans that allow state and federal tax-free withdrawals of earnings and have the potential for tax deductions, which help offset the increasing cost of secondary education.

Every year, there are taxpayers that underpay their taxes. It just happens. But if you do that, no matter how innocent your underpayment might have been, you can be subject to penalties. The IRS issued a statement to help those who underpay

Planning on working during retirement? If so, you're not alone. An increasing number of employees nearing retirement plan to work at least some period of time during their retirement years.

With tax season coming to an end, it’s the ideal time to use this year's tax return to help update your financial plan. If you’re in the group of one in four Americans who do not already have a financial plan, it may be time to create your

FANNG is now MAMAA

Andrew Brewer

Thursday, December 30, 2021

CNBC’s Mad Money host Jim Cramer created the popular FAANG acronym to denote some of the largest, most powerful companies in the world: Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, and Google. Recently, changes in those companies are...

2022 Contribution Limits

Andrew Brewer

Thursday, December 9, 2021

Preparing for retirement just got a little more financial wiggle room. This week, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced new contribution limits for 2022.Staying put for 2022 are traditional Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs)...

Drop off your Toys for Tots donation at Olympic Investment Group!

Crystal Beineke

Monday, November 29, 2021

Olympic Investment Group is excited to announce that we are a Toys for Tots drop-off location this year! Help us spread the word! We will be accepting donations of children's toys for all ages during office hours, 8-4:30 Monday...

Weekly Market Insights: Debt Ceiling Raised

Andrew Brewer

Monday, October 11, 2021

The overhang of bumping against the federal debt ceiling was lifted last week with an agreement to extend the debt ceiling through early December, helping propel stocks to a weekly gain.The Dow Jones Industrial Average increased by 1...

The Fed Can't Keep a Secret

Crystal Beineke

Tuesday, August 24, 2021

If you have a secret, don’t tell anyone at the Federal Reserve Bank. They may leak the story before you’d like.In early August, multiple regional Federal Reserve Bank presidents hit the speaking tour. They made headlines...

Washington State Long Term Care Trust Act

Andrew Brewer

Friday, April 16, 2021

Did you know if you are a W2 employee in Washington State you will start receiving payroll deductions on January 1st 2022? Washington state has passed the nation’s first public-operated, long-term care insurance program - The...