Receiving a large tax refund can be a great feeling. For many people, it's the biggest check they receive all year. In fact, about 3 in 4 Americans receive a tax refund each year, with the average federal tax refund being $3,200 in 2022. While it’s exciting to get a tax refund, it's important to remember that the money you got back was yours all along and that a refund is simply you getting the money back that you loaned Uncle Sam last year (interest-free, might I add). It can be tempting to spend the money on something fun, but it can also be a great opportunity to use the money to move your financial situation forward and get one step closer to reaching your goals!

Inflation. It seems like that is all we have been talking about for the last three years. We know it is all over the headlines, but do we really understand it? Why should we care? Should we be worried about the impact that inflation has on our investments?

Many tax-saving opportunities go unnoticed simply because people are unaware of them, or they find it difficult to keep up with the latest deductions, credits, and exemptions due to changes in tax laws. To help with this, we have compiled a list of the most commonly overlooked tax deductions that we typically see and that can help you save money on your taxes.

Starting a business can be an exciting and rewarding experience, but it's important to remember that financial planning is crucial to any successful business venture. Creating a financial plan for your business can help you define your goals and objectives, assess your current financial situation, and forecast your future income and expenses. With a well-crafted financial plan, you can create a roadmap to financial stability and success for your business. We'll explore some simple steps to help you create a financial plan for your business, so you can focus on what you do best: growing your business and achieving your dreams.

Financial markets have experienced quite a bit of change this year in just two short months. We started the year hopeful that stocks would benefit from a better economic and monetary policy environment by the spring, but recent developments suggest that may be further out than we initially thought. We remain confident that a new bull market will come—it just may require a bit more of our patience before we get there.

As a woman, your 20s can be a pivotal decade in terms of your financial future. During this time, you have the opportunity to establish healthy financial habits and make smart investments that will lay the foundation for your long-term financial stability. Whether you’re just starting out in your career or have been working for a few years, it’s never too early to start building financial wealth. In this post, we’ll cover some key steps that women in their 20s can take to build financial security.

Building wealth in your 30s is crucial to securing your financial future. This decade of your life is the perfect time to lay the foundation for financial stability and work towards reaching your long-term financial goals. With the right strategy, discipline, and patience, you can create a solid financial foundation that will help you achieve financial freedom. These are some key steps you can take to build wealth in your 30s, including creating a budget, paying off debt, increasing income, and investing in a retirement plan.

Tax season can be daunting and stressful for a small business owner. However, with proper planning and organization, you can make the process smoother and maximize your tax savings. Small business owners have unique tax considerations, including deductions, credits, and estimated taxes, that differ from those of individuals. Therefore, it's important to be well informed and prepared when filing your taxes. Here are some tips to help you navigate tax season as a small business owner, including keeping track of expenses, organizing financial documents, using tax software, hiring a tax professional, planning for estimated taxes, and staying up-to-date on tax laws. With these strategies, you can simplify the tax filing process and ensure that your business is in the best position possible for tax season.

It's been said that a couple that plans together, stays together. When it comes to your money and finances, you need to be on the same page with your partner. It's important that both of you are on the same page when it comes to these topics so that there aren't any surprises down the road. Financial conversations help couples set financial priorities, communicate with each other about money issues, and avoid conflict over finances later on in their relationship or marriage.

Your life is shaped by the habits that you choose. Building good habits is the framework of your success and only you have the power to create habits that will take you to new heights. How do we do this? First, by recognizing the habits that we want to break and the habits that we want to build.

Whether you’re one to set ambitious New Year’s resolutions or simply use the beginning of the year to reset on a few habits, there’s almost always some value in reflecting on the past year before looking ahead. The same is true for the markets. When we look back on 2022, it’s easy to identify the challenges—

The beginning of a calendar year is often the time when the previous year’s reflections transition to a new year’s hopes. Given the market’s continued instability during 2022 and a resulting tough period for stock and bond prices, everyone is hoping for a fresh start. And history gives us cause for optimism following a difficult year…

Setting realistic goals is key to achieving financial success. However, knowing which goals to prioritize and how to reach them can be difficult. Following through with the goals you set, can be even harder. How often have you set a goal with the best of intentions and then found yourself feeling defeated when you don’t quite stick to your plan? If this is you, know that you are not alone. This year, we are taking control of our finances rather than letting our finances control us. How do we do that?