Insights

The Dow Jones Industrial Average celebrated a birthday last week. The Dow began trading on May 26, 1896, and what a ride it has been. The Dow has weathered depressions, recessions, two 100-year pandemics, wars, famines, inflation, deflation, and many more challenges. However, through good t …

Tax planning for executive compensation doesn’t have to be confusing. Watch our webinar: Tax Planning for Executive Compensation with Carson’s Director, Tax Planning Mike Valenti and Wealth Planner Michael Gruidel, now available on-demand. 

Companies may grant employees stock options as a form of noncash compensation. This allows the employees to purchase shares of the employer’s stock at a given price after a predetermined period of time has passed. The intent of stock option compensation is to align the interests of the empl …

Does the word “sale” send you running to your wallet? How many half-priced clothes hang in your closet with the tag still on? How many uncomfortable shoes did you buy solely because they were on sale? When thinking about money, do you feel stressed? Tense? Controlling? Confused? Like you ha …

Executive compensation plans can be used to attract, retain and reward high value employees. We’ve put together helpful information to know if you’re ever offered one of these plans through your employer. Download the checklist today to get started.

Business owners need to understand what cash balance plans are and how they work.  These types of plans are becoming increasingly popular among business owners who want to provide both themselves and their employees with a steady stream of income in retirement and provide the business with …

    Independent contractors who accept payments via payment apps such as Venmo and PayPal are facing a new reality in 2022. The IRS announced that they will require the payment apps to issue a 1099 to those businesses’ accounts that receive payments of $600 or more during th …

Becoming hyper-focused on only one aspect of a problem is pretty much never a good approach. A racecar driver who only focuses on speed and ignores strategy won’t win races, at least not many of them. A carpenter who only hammers in nails won’t build strong structures. 

Level up your retirement plans! Watch out webinar: Next Level Retirement with Carson’s Senior Wealth Planner Tom Fridrich and Wealth Planner Michael Gruidel, now available on demand.

Wondering if the time is right to clock out once and for all? While the idea can seem tempting, you don’t want to be hasty. After all, getting back in the game is a lot harder than just staying in … and you don’t want to wind up drastically curtailing your lifestyle to avo …

The basics of financial literacy – such as budgeting, borrowing and saving – can be difficult to teach to kids, but the rewards of a child heading into adulthood with a solid understanding of financial literacy are numerous. Download the checklist today to get started.

  Financial literacy for the next generation is so important and something I have heard discussed since I entered the profession.  Many have talked about the lack of financial education in the schools and things have gotten better but not to the point where our kids are receiving the e …

Teaching your kids about money early will serve them long into adulthood.   Watch our webinar: Teaching Your Kids About Money with Carson’s Senior Vice President, Financial Planning and Advanced Solutions Erin Wood and Vice President, NextGen & Advisor Development Programs Julie Ragatz, …

Gaining financial literacy at a young age is a vital key to finding financial freedom later in life. Give your kids the lessons they need now to make better decisions about money in the future.

Tom Fridrich, JD, CLU, ChFC®, Senior Wealth Planner Thinking about making some New Year’s resolutions? Add financial wellbeing to your list. It’s a terrific time to identify goals and opportunities that may put you in a better financial position — not only in the upcoming year, …

Life is full of change, it is a constant. Some of these changes are expected and planned for and others are unexpected, and sometimes come out of the blue. When you read the true definition of change there is no mention as to whether change is bad or good, so why do many link change …

The Dow Jones Industrial Average celebrated a birthday last week. The Dow began trading on May 26, 1896, and what a ride it has been. The Dow has weathered depressions, recessions, two 100-year pandemics, wars, famines, inflation, deflation, and many more challenges. However, through good t …

One of the top questions we’re receiving lately has to do with the impending debt ceiling drama and what it could all mean. Here are some common questions and answers regarding this excitement out of Washington.

Surprisingly, stocks continue to trend higher in the face of a constant barrage of negative news in the media. As we explain more below, the economy is presenting many positive signs that suggest a recession is unlikely, and stocks likely are sniffing this out. In fact, last Thursday the S& …

Today’s guest is Phillip Tyler, a loss survivor and mental health advocate. Phillip received a text on Nov 29th, 2017, that revealed the devastating suicide of his son Devon and started the beginning of his journey with grief and comfort. Everyone Devon encountered commented on his infectio …

Chris Schembra is the Founder of the 7:47 Gratitude Experience™ and a Wall Street Journal bestselling author. 7:47 Gratitude Experience™ is an evidence-based framework used to strengthen client and team relationships in profound ways. He’s used the principles of gratitude to spark ove …

On October 4, 2016, the trajectory of Jeffrey Johnston’s life changed with one phone call. Before that day, Jeff was living the American Dream. He had a great family, was a successful entrepreneur running a financial services firm in Iowa, and was seemingly coasting through life. But that m …