The holidays will be here sooner than you think.  Just look at the local stores already selling holiday decorations.  Personally, I just love the gift giving holidays, but my budget would say some years I have loved it a little too much.  And when January credit card bills roll in you definitely know you loved the gift giving too much.  But if you start now, you can make the holiday heartburn disappear.

Make a list of all the people you would like to honor with a gift this holiday.  Think of the decorations you might want to add, and the wrapping paper and tape it will take for all those presents.  Are you going to splurge on a large holiday meal with prime rib for everyone?

5 Easy Ways to Lower Your Income Taxes

When you filed your tax return, did you think to yourself, “I’m paying too much,” or “What can I do to lower my taxes?”

Our team of advisors just spent several hours discussing IRMAA and honing strategies to deal with this pest.

No, I didn’t misspell it, and I’m not referring to Erma Bombeck or a great great aunt of mine. This is the Income Related Medicare Adjustment Amount. Simply put, the more income on your tax return in retirement, the more you will pay for your Medicare Part B and Part D prescription drug premiums.

Several years ago I received a call from an acquaintance. They had a financial plan done by one of those salespeople dressed like a financial planner. This friend had sold them an annuity several years prior, and he said, “I can even do a financial plan for you at no charge.” They took him up on the offer and the plan showed they could retire in a couple of years. But they felt uncertain and the planner simply said, “trust me it will all work out,” without reviewing any of the assumptions in the plan. They just weren’t certain they would have the abundance they were hoping for.

They were very uncomfortable. It seemed too good to be true. They had this gnawing feeling that something wasn’t right. They were not certain they could retire without running out of money down the road. They wrestled with that thought for a few months and then gave me a call. They knew I was a Certified Financial Planner® practitioner and since they were struggling with this “everything will be ok financial plan” they decided to ask me for a second opinion.

Is it really possible to retire abundantly? It can seem overwhelming to find the answer. Where do you begin to figure this out? The questions start swirling…

• Have I chosen the right investments?
• Am I saving enough?
• Am I using the best retirement plan?
• Am I missing some important tax deductions?
• How do I balance what I need today with an uncertain future?

And if you are younger additional questions pop up like: