Open Enrollment: Medical Plans & Health Savings Accounts (HSA)

Open enrollment can be perplexing for many is analyzing High Deductible Health Plans (HDHP) and their tax savings counterpart, Health Savings Accounts (HSAs).

Mastering the College Admissions Process

Understanding nuances of early action and early decision, exploring merit-based aid, and utilizing 529 plans and loans effectively can impact you and your stressed college-bound teen's journey.

Teaching Kids Financial Responsibility: Summer Jobs and Roth IRAs

You can open a Roth IRA for your child to evolve their financial knowledge while helping invest for retirement, a first house and/or qualified educational expenses.

Summer, Summer, Summertime - Time To Sit Back and… Experience Spend

Life is constantly evolving, and moments once passed cannot be relived. Embracing experience spending encourages individuals to seize opportunities to enjoy life while they can.

Budgeting, Your $ Your Independence, Retirement PlanningGlenn BrownJuly 1, 2024Best Practice, Experience Spending, Spending, Children, family, Focus on your why, Financial Planning, Goals, Health, Joy, Kids, Savings, Budget, Savings Prioritization, Your Money Your Independence

Thanks, Dad - For Showing How to Lead, Then Trusting to Follow.

As Father's Day approaches, it's time to pause and express gratitude for these silent architects of our lives.

Empower New Graduates with Gifts of Independence

While cash or gift cards are always appreciated, consider something with lasting value that can help launch college and high school graduates towards financial independence.

Budgeting, Debt Management, Investing, Retirement Planning, Your $ Your IndependenceGlenn BrownMay 2, 2024Automatic Payments, Best Practice, Budget, Subscriptions, Debt Management, Bond Portfolios, Bonds, CDs, Children, College, Cash, career, Cash Flows, Dividend Growth, Dividends, Earnings, ETF, Focus on your why, Financial Planning, family, Fee-Only Fiduciary, Financial Independence, Goals, Giving, grandchildren, Graduates, Grads, IRAs, IRA Contributions, Income Streams, Investing, Index, Joy, Kids, Local Town Pages, Student Loans, Gifting, Markets, Roth IRA, Portfolios, Rent, Raising Kids, Student Debt, Savings, Spending, High School Students, College Students, Tuition, Teenager, Technology, Traditional IRA, Multi-Generational Planning, diversification, Experience Spending, Your Money Your Independence, Your Money

Ready Homebuyers? The Fed’s New “No Urgency” Mantra Is A Gift.

If one waits for 5% mortgages, there are considerable opportunity costs. Potential homebuyers should prepare to act by utilizing these tools and best practices.

‘Focus on your why’: PlanDynamic Helps with Your Financial Independence

Evan Walsh of Community Advocate shares our story and how PlanDynamic specializes in helping “sandwichers”, the roughly 15 million people in the U.S. managing young children and aging parents.

Your $ Your Independence, PlanDynamicGlenn BrownMarch 5, 2024Your Money Your Independence, Focus on your why, Sandwichers, career, Retirement, Semi-Retirement, Financial Planning, Financial Independence, family

At or Near Retirement? Time to Say Bucket!

Retirees view risks differently, but the greatest risk is behavioral. Let’s discuss a sustainable and tax-efficient approach to retirement distribution strategies.

Your $ Your Independence, Work Benefits, Retirement Planning, Tax Planning, Retirement, Investing, Debt Management, BudgetingGlenn BrownMarch 4, 2024Budget, Work Benefits, Best Practice, CDs, CFP, Dividends, Dividend Growth, Debt Management, Entitlements, family, Focus on your why, Financial Planning, Goals, Healthcare, Health, HELOC, IRAs, IRS, Income Streams, Investing, Inflation, Investment Management, IRA Withdrawals, Joy, 401(k), Solo K, Local Town Pages, Life Insurance, Medicare, Markets, Net Worth, Roth IRA, Portfolios, Pro-rata rule, Access to Equity, Required Minimum Distributions, Home Equity Line of Credit, Refinancing, Real Estate, Rebalancing, Savings, Traditional IRA, Total Return, Tax Planning, diversification, Savings Prioritization, distribution phase, distribution strategies, tax efficiency, taxes, Experience Spending, Tax-Loss Harvesting, Taxes, Index, Your Money Your Independence, Yields, Asset Allocation

Financial Aid Changes To Impact This Fall’s College Applications.

Congress has created the “FAFSA Simplification Act”, which makes the upcoming 2024-2025 college admissions process a complicated mess.

Yes, even the Nasdaq-100 Index rebalances. What about you?

Seven companies (combining Alphabet’s share classes) represented over 55% weighting of the NASDAQ 100 index and were educed to 38% with smaller companies within the index being purchased.

Investing, Retirement Planning, Tax Planning, Your $ Your IndependenceGlenn BrownAugust 1, 2023Investment Management, Investing, Your Money Your Independence, Index, NASDAQ, Rebalancing, Bonds, diversification, Lost Decade, 2000s, Magnificent Seven

Enjoy Every Sandwicher Moment.

July is National Sandwich Generation Month, celebrating approximately 15% of Americans between ages 40-60 sandwiched between caring for their young children and aging parents at the same time.

Peak Earnings Years Are Your 50’s - Your Parents Maybe, You… Not So Much.

Top 10% earners in their 30’s and 40’s believe they’ll earn considerably more in their 50’s. Don’t plan on it.

New Year, New You… Not True?

Resolutions to improve your financial situation similar to one’s made last year? Here’s how and why to consider actions and timeframes, instead of focusing on desired outcomes.

Perfection is the Enemy of Good, Focus on Executing Improvements.

While 2022 has been a challenging investment environment, it has been a fantastic year to see the benefits of executing financial plans over the past few years.

When Markets Give You Lemons, Make Roth Conversion

A year-end strategy to consider for turning lemons into lemonade is Roth Conversion.

Eye Opening Costs At Open Enrollment?

Over past year, health insurance prices have increased 3X to US inflation. It’s time to fully understand HDHP, HSA and how to do your cost/benefit analysis.

Never ask, “Where do you want to go to college?”

Take control, don’t be another victim to make your teen happy… spending won’t make them happy.

Overdue Change Coming To MA Estate Tax Laws.

Or Not!

MA House Speaker Ronald Mariano explains how MA legislature failed to pass an economic development plan which included changing outdated estate tax laws that just days before had the support of both the Democratic Senate and House, in addition support from Republican Governor Charlie Baker.