I am reading articles and watching “news” broadcasts and social media statements that make me wonder if the current crisis has taken away our common sense. People are citing impossibilities as if anyone could do them. They often look back with 20/20 hindsight thinking people should have known things that there was no way to … Read more
Many people, like me, are finding themselves with extra time on their hands as they hunker down at home. Their job might be shut down or greatly diminished, threatening their income. For the first time in a long time, they have a great amount of free time, since they are not able to do their … Read more
Last week we discussed why you never want to have a tax refund, which is an interest free loan to the government. But the best laid plans often get off track and you may still end up with a large tax refund. If you do, take this opportunity to do something great in your life … Read more
Last year, a couple we have traveled with contacted us to see if we would join them on a new adventure to China. I initially said no. China was not on my list of places I was just dying to see. At the time I didn’t know how literal that statement would be. Then they … Read more
(Today’s guest post comes from my friend Ryan Inman of Physician Wealth Services. You may know him from his Financial Residency Podcast. There are two types of fee only financial advisors: Flat Fee and Assets Under Management. My preference is for the flat fee advisor, and Ryan is one of those. If you need to … Read more
This holiday season had a more somber tone than usual for us. My wife’s father, Ken Nordling, passed away the day after Christmas, two days before his 88th birthday. This marks the first parent we have lost and the first time we were directly involved with planning a burial and memorial service. I didn’t realize … Read more
Americans do a lot of gift giving, especially at Christmas time. The majority of the gift giving is between friends and family. Too often the gifts end up in the garbage or in storage after a few months. Occasionally, there is a gift that really makes an impact. I want to tell you about one … Read more
Pondering on what I am thankful for, I realized that a lot of what I have today is a direct result of my family’s influence, which provided a lot of advantages for me. Not to say that having advantages gets you anywhere. Many people have advantages that have not been utilized. Others were born into … Read more
As physicians, we find ourselves in higher tax brackets than the majority of Americans. With the graduated tax system here in the US, the more we make, the higher the percentage of taxes we owe. That is not just because of the tax brackets, but also because many tax write offs are phased out as … Read more
My wife and I recently helped a couple in our family navigate the process of setting up funeral and burial arrangements. They wanted to have all the decisions made and paid for to relieve some of the demands on their kids surrounding their deaths. I thought it would be a quick and easy process, but … Read more
