Probate can be quite a headache. Fear not! There are two not-so-secret secret weapons in your estate-planning arsenal, known as Transfer-on-Death (TOD) and Payable-on-Death (POD) designations.

These simple, yet overlooked methods are an easy and free way to avoid losing time and money to probate. Don’t burden your loved ones with complicated and confusing processes to claim their inheritance.

If you’re looking to minimize taxes in retirement, or anytime before, one of the options is converting your traditional individual retirement account (IRA) into a Roth IRA. This shifts the tax burden from a future date to the present day. Before you make such a move, though, it’s important to consider what this will mean to your finances.

Minimizing taxes in retirement seems very appealing. Once you stop working, your income in retirement will come in part from your savings so the less taxes you can pay, the more money you will have available for enjoying your life.

This post was last updated on July 30, 2022, to reflect all updated information and best serve your needs.

Whether you’re new to investing or you’re a seasoned pro, you’re bound to make mistakes. As you gain more experience with the market, you’ll be less prone to making impulse decisions. However, there’s one mistake that all investors are bound to make at one point or another – trying to time the market.

One of the best ways to save for retirement is to use tax-advantaged accounts. Most employers offer the option of contributing to a 401(k) account, which can be a great idea for stashing cash for your golden years.

Maxing out your 401(k) account for a few years can give you a good foundation for retirement. The earlier you get started, the longer the money will have to grow and earn interest.

Many people consider hiring a financial advisor to manage their investments. But is a financial advisor really the best person to handle your investments day-to-day?

While a financial advisor or Certified Financial Planner^® should be overseeing your investments, this shouldn’t be their main focus. They should be looking at the big picture and quarterbacking all areas of your financial life and not getting into the nitty-gritty of managing your portfolio.

Having enough money for all your needs in retirement is crucial. In order to identify and avoid shortfalls, proper retirement planning is absolutely essential. Just like planning for a long vacation, planning for retirement takes time and careful consideration of where you want to go.

A good retirement income is going to be different for everyone’s specific needs. We’re going to focus on optimizing retirement income to achieve your dreams – not just how to end up with more money. We want you to be happy and fulfilled.

This post was last updated on July 16, 2023, to reflect all updated information and best serve your needs.

Just because you’re retired, doesn't mean you can’t still have a little side hustle or create new goals. Passive income is a great way to generate a little extra income without feeling like you’re “coming out of retirement” so to speak.

This post was originally published during the COVID-19 pandemic and was last updated on June 21, 2023, to reflect all updated information and best serve your needs.

Recent outbreaks of the coronavirus (a.k.a., COVID-19) outside of China raised concerns about health and safety. These increased concerns have sent stocks quickly lower over the last few trading days.

This post was last updated on June 16, 2023, to reflect all updated information and best serve your needs.

Check out Clint’s interview on the Crushing Debt podcast! In the episode Clint and Shawn talk about the Financial Freedom Blueprint course and the financial planning process NextGen Wealth uses to help clients. You can listen to the episode on your favorite podcast player or just click the play button below.

One of the key functions of retirement accounts is they “lock up” your money until you’re ready to retire. What happens if you need to access your money sooner? There are several reasons, and options, to gain access to your retirement funds early.

As with anything, you need to understand the consequences of pulling money out of your retirement accounts – early or otherwise. There may be options which may be better suited to your situation. Just make sure you know what you’re getting yourself into.

Retirement is an exciting phase of life where you can finally relax and enjoy the fruits of your labor. However, it's essential to maintain good health in retirement to make the most of it. As we age, our bodies undergo various changes, making it crucial to take extra care of our health.

In this article, we'll explore some tips for maintaining good health in retirement, including staying socially engaged, pursuing hobbies and interests, practicing mindfulness and relaxation techniques, regular check-ups with healthcare providers, and staying up to date on preventative health measures such as vaccines and screenings.

This post was last updated on May 26, 2023, to reflect all updated information and best serve your needs.

Retirement doesn’t mean you’ll no longer need or want to bring in any additional income. This is far from the truth for many people who’ve found ways to generate additional income after reaching retirement.

Setting your date to retire can be one of the most stressful decisions you’ll ever make. Maybe you’ve been anticipating this day for a long time - or dreading it. Retirement means different things to different people, but no matter what, you still need to prepare.

Let’s talk about the five things that you need to consider: what you are retiring to, current income versus retirement income, current expenses versus retirement expenses, having enough resources (money), and changes to your plan.

Earning a pension is a feat all to itself. Maintaining the security of your pension becomes even more important once you enter retirement. Luckily, there are programs like the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) looking out for your pension as well.

Although the name can be misleading, the PBGC is ran by the federal government to ensure retirement security for pensioners. There are laws governing what benefits you might receive if your covered pension fails. This could be another consideration for whether you should take a lump sum instead of a pension.

Kansas City is one of the most interesting and fulfilling places to live in the country. There are three big reasons why you should consider staying in Kansas City for retirement – the people, lifestyle, and affordable health care. Sure, there are many other places in the country to retire to, but there really is something special about Kansas City.

Where you stay or move in retirement is critical to many aspects in retirement planning. Actually, many important decisions in retirement revolve around physical location. You and your financial advisor need to plan out taxes, housing rates, medical care, and so many other variables tied to where you live.

Inflation can really eat into your retirement if you’re not careful. However, with proactive planning, you can effectively combat inflation. You don’t have to let inflation slowly erode your lifestyle over time.

To be clear, there’s little we can do to eliminate inflation completely. However, you can avoid losing purchasing power over time. A properly constructed portfolio can withstand the damage of inflation.

Deciding how to spend down your life savings can be stressful. Working hard for decades to accumulate a nest egg is no easy feat. Spending money in retirement can be challenging because you don’t want to accidentally spend too much and mess things up.

Fortunately, you’re not the only one going through this, and you don’t have to do it alone. There are a multitude of options for what to do with the money you’ve worked hard for.

This post was last updated on April 28th, 2023, to reflect all updated information and best serve your needs. 

If you have a retirement account like a 401(k) or IRA, Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) can be a real drag in retirement. Knowing if RMDs will affect your retirement is critical so you can make the right adjustments now and moving forward.

This post was last updated on April 29th, 2023, to reflect all updated information and best serve your needs.

If times are tough, a hardship withdrawal from your 401k might sound like a good solution. Hold your thoughts and do lots of research first. There are irreversible consequences to taking a hardship withdrawal for emergency situations.

Roth IRAs are one of the most fruitful investment accounts for people trying to develop a healthy nest egg. Among their numerous benefits, the tax-free growth and retirement distributions with Roth IRAs can set you up for maximum retirement earnings. 

Unfortunately, high-income earners are generally barred from taking advantage of a Roth IRA. In 2020, single earners with an annual income exceeding $139,000 were limited to a traditional IRA only.