CFP®

There are over 30 million small businesses in the United States. Many people start their own businesses in order to become their own boss and take control over their schedules, career goals and finances. It can be incredibly rewarding to start and own a successful small business. But one thing that many small business owners may not think about is a retirement plan. 

Taxes, whether we admit it or not, drive a lot of our personal finance decisions. Avoiding or lowering them can influence where we choose to live, what kind of car we buy, where we send our children to school, whether we purchase a house, and many other everyday decisions. Everyone tries to limit the amount of taxes they pay. Taxes play a large role when we invest for retirement, as well.

The rationale for speculation over taxing Roth IRA withdrawals is that the tax break looks far too generous. Other tax-sheltered retirement plans, after all, are merely tax-deferred—meaning you’ll pay taxes on them eventually. The earnings on Roth IRAs are effectively tax-exempt.

Riding the highs, and experiencing the lows, it is the way of the investment market. However, what if we told you that the key to sound and quality investing is learning how to keep cool when the market is in turmoil? In this article, we look at some of the techniques that can help you manage your emotions and expectations during market uncertainty.

During this difficult time when many of us are working from home, I would like to assure you that the team at Robert Gordon & Associates is here to support you in any way.

We want to pass along a few resources for you and your loved ones. 

Grocery Delivery Services:

Don't gamble with your future.

Those who “play” the stock market hope to become rich. But they are more likely to become poor.

That’s because “playing” the market — frequent buying and selling — is akin to playing roulette. And compulsive trading could turn you into a gambling addict.

Markets crash all the time. You should, at minimum, expect stocks to fall at least 10% once a year, 20% once every few years, 30% or more once or twice a decade, and 50% or more once or twice during your lifetime. Those who don't understand this will eventually learn it the hard way.

Someone emailed me last week asking why this is:

You've probably heard of an alpha wolf, but what about an alpha manager? This is the kind of financial adviser that everyone planning an estate should be working with.

Having a trusted financial advisor can make a huge difference in your future. But is your advisor strengthening the likelihood of achieving your goals or the opposite? Here's how to decide when it's time to say, "You're fired."

We meet with retirees and pre-retirees every week, many of whom tell us they have been "working with a retirement-planning firm for years." Yet, when we dig into their "plan," there is often not much more than a diversified pie chart of stocks, bonds and mutual funds.