Mindy Cleaveland

Changing your lifestyle or improving your health – in this case, your financial health – takes significant time and effort. Instead of trying to overhaul your entire life all at one time, it might be prudent to take it one step at a time. Alone, improving and maintaining your financial health is not as difficult as you may think. Yes, it will take some dedicated time in the beginning, but once you are set up it becomes mostly a matter of “checking-in.”

As financial advisors, we get asked a lot of challenging questions: “How do I make sure I’ll have enough money for retirement?” “What’s a good strategy for lowering my tax burden?” “What’s the best way to pass my business on to my children?” “How aggressively should I invest?” “What if the markets have a downturn?”

Now that we’re in the last quarter of the year, there are some areas to focus on to ensure you close out 2019 with a bang. Use this checklist as a guide to assess your financial wellbeing.

If you or a loved one has disabilities or special needs, you know that the costs related to care can be substantial. The good news is, you may be able to reduce these costs by maximizing the tax strategies available to you.

Though the Defense of Marriage Act, which did not recognize same-sex marriages, was struck down five years ago, many challenges remain for those in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) community. These challenges create unique factors that must be considered when financial planning.

If you have a minor or adult child with special needs, financial concerns are likely top of mind. Often, family members or close friends want to help you by gifting to your child or leaving an inheritance to them. Though this generosity may be appreciated, there can be unintended side effects of gifting outright to someone who has special needs.

As a former in-home therapist of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), I will always cherish the many heartwarming moments with the children, the challenges we worked together to overcome, and the families who welcomed me into their homes as though I always belonged.