• 2022 Stock Market Year-in-Review and 2023 Outlook
    Wealth Management

    2022 Stock Market Year-in-Review and 2023 Outlook

    From a return perspective, 2022 has been a challenging year for the stock market. In this edition of Buckingham Weekly Perspectives, Managing Director of Investment Strategy Kevin Grogan shares the highs and lows over the last year and his outlook for 2023.
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  • How Your Advisor Can Build a Plan Based on Your Values
    How Your Advisor Can Build a Plan Based on Your Values
    Wealth Management

    How Your Advisor Can Build a Plan Based on Your Values

    Your financial plan should have the same philosophy as the rest of your life. Your values—or what matters most to you—drive every decision you make in life, including the hobbies or activities you participate in, the causes you support and the people you spend your time with. So, let's look at the ways an advisor can build a financial plan based on your values, throughout different areas of financial planning.
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  • Top 10 Investment Lessons of 2023
    Top 10 Investment Lessons of 2023
    Wealth Management

    Top 10 Investment Lessons of 2023

    When building a financial plan, a wide range of potential outcomes must be considered, with investors being willing and able to accept the downside risks. Here are the top 10 lessons for investors.
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  • Small Steps to Take Before 2024 That May Help Save Big
    Small Steps to Take Before 2024 That May Help Save Big
    Wealth Management

    Small Steps to Take Before 2024 That May Help Save Big

    While taxes may be the last thing on your mind during the holiday season, small steps you take now may result in big savings on your 2023 tax bill.
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  • Social Security and Medicare: How to Plan for Next Year
    Social Security and Medicare: How to Plan for Next Year
    Wealth Management

    Social Security and Medicare: How to Plan for Next Year

    As the 2024 increase is set to be less than that announced for 2023, retirees may be wondering what impact the Social Security adjustment will have on their Medicare costs next year. Here are some commonly asked questions about the changes coming, as well as tips to keep your Medicare costs lower, regardless of how much your Social Security benefits rise.
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  • 6 Steps to Plan for a Future Inheritance
    Image of a Family
    Wealth Management

    6 Steps to Plan for a Future Inheritance

    Whether you're expecting a life-changing inheritance, a modest inheritance or maybe not anything, it's an important situation to think about. Although everyone's situation will be different, there are steps you can take to make sure the transfer of wealth goes smoothly.
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  • Northwest Financial Corp Earns Top Workplace Award By The Des Moines Register For The Ninth Consecutive Year!
    Northwest Financial Corp Earns Top Workplace Award By The Des Moines Register
    Bank News, Wealth Management

    Northwest Financial Corp Earns Top Workplace Award By The Des Moines Register For The Ninth Consecutive Year!

    Northwest Financial Corp. has been awarded a 2023 Top Workplaces honor by the Des Moines Register.
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  • Maximizing Health Care Savings in Retirement With an HSA
    Maximizing Health Care Savings in Retirement With an HSA
    Wealth Management

    Maximizing Health Care Savings in Retirement With an HSA

    Depending on your medical needs and those of your family, you may have enrolled in a high-deductible health plan that allows you to pay for medical expenses using a health savings account (HSA). Because contributions go into an HSA pre-tax, grow tax-deferred and are distributed tax-free when used for qualifying costs, this option has gained popularity over the last several years.
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  • 6 Key Financial Considerations for Unmarried Couples
    Key Financial Considerations for Unmarried Couples
    Wealth Management

    6 Key Financial Considerations for Unmarried Couples

    As many committed couples are choosing to forgo marriage, it's becoming more common for wealth advisors to receive questions on the financial planning implications.
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  • Navigating Alternative Investment Strategies
    Image of Couple Going Over Finance Options
    Wealth Management

    Navigating Alternative Investment Strategies

    As the investment landscape has evolved, here's why alternatives could play a beneficial role in your portfolio.
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  • Levers and Landmines of Annuity Products
    Image of Retired Couple
    Wealth Management

    Levers and Landmines of Annuity Products

    Annuities are a popular way to supplement retirement income, provide tax-deferred growth and assist in legacy planning. But what are your options when an annuity no longer serves you?
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  • How to Assess the Top Five Risks in Retirement
    Image of Retired Couple
    Wealth Management

    How to Assess the Top Five Risks in Retirement

    The single biggest risk retirees face is using up all their resources in retirement. The good news is there are options to mitigate that risk.
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  • The New and Improved Social Security Website
    Image of Secured Website
    Wealth Management

    The New and Improved Social Security Website

    Earlier this year the Social Security Administration released a completely revamped version of it's website, www.ssa.gov. This new version makes things more intuitive, easier to find, and there's a wealth of things you can do on this new version of the social security website.
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  • 2023 Planning Considerations and Strategies for Individual Taxpayers
    Image of Doing Taxes
    Wealth Management

    2023 Planning Considerations and Strategies for Individual Taxpayers

    Tax planning shouldn't simply focus on hindsight. Upcoming life changes and external factors deserve attention and may offer opportunities to consider. With 2023 bringing the largest inflation adjustments in nearly 40 years, this is especially true, making it a great time to see how they could affect you.
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  • Top 10 Things to Do Before 2022 is Over
    Take Advantage of these Money-Saving Opportunities
    Wealth Management

    Top 10 Things to Do Before 2022 is Over

    The holidays usher in a joyful time of family gatherings, holiday parties, fun with friends and the promise of a bright new year. But before you put a bow on 2022, there are a few financial housekeeping tasks that you should review.
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  • The A, B, Cs of Medicare
    Retired Couple Walking Their Dog
    Wealth Management

    The A, B, Cs of Medicare

    If you are overwhelmed by the process, definitions and complexities of Medicare, you are not alone. According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), almost 64 million Americans were fully enrolled in the Medicare program in October 2021.
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  • How to Find an Advisor You Can Trust
    Business Man Talking With Wealth Advisor
    Wealth Management

    How to Find an Advisor You Can Trust

    Several years ago, I met with a wealthy widow who had been quite a bit wealthier before meeting Mr. Bernie Madoff. After that devastating experience, she was very concerned about finding an advisor she could trust to act in her best interest. I know she is not the only person who has questions and concerns about finding a reputable, honest and skilled wealth advisor. If you are in this boat, I've created a list of five criteria that should be an absolute requirement when vetting a new advisor.
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  • Why The Location Of Your Investments Matters
    Investment Advisor Talking With Client
    Wealth Management

    Why The Location Of Your Investments Matters

    Most investors have a process for deciding which investments to buy in their portfolio—with different objectives for building wealth over time. But once you've selected your investment mix, have you considered how the account that holds your investments affects what you ultimately earn?
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  • Tax-Loss Harvesting: Making Lemonade out of Lemons
    Woman Tax Planning For Business
    Wealth Management

    Tax-Loss Harvesting: Making Lemonade out of Lemons

    Like kingdoms, tides and my teenage daughter's emotions, the stock market rises and falls. Although market downturns are inevitable and expected, they are never pleasant to experience. On the bright side, these dips present an opportunity to make the proverbial lemonade out of lemons by allowing Uncle Sam to share the pain. This is accomplished through a process called tax-loss harvesting. I will break down this strategy into the three “P”s: principle, process and payoff.
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  • Prepare Your Portfolio for Midterm Elections
    Prepare Your Porfoilo For Midterm Elections
    Wealth Management

    Prepare Your Portfolio for Midterm Elections

    Midterm elections are just a few months away. This can mean only one thing … a flurry of political ads interrupting your favorite television shows. All jokes aside, you can also expect to see plenty of platforms built around the President's handling of the pandemic, the response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and our current economic landscape.
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