Areas of Focus

Our generation is a sandwich generation (born 1965-1985).  The 2 largest generations in American history came before and after us.  We've only ever known a tough employment market, we've experienced 2 major stock market corrections, we grieved through 9-11, we are the most highly-educated/most indebted generation in the US, and we've been the benefactors of a computer-age.  We're burdened with aging parents and grandparents who may rely on us to care for them.

Our ideal retirement is not what we see for our parents and grandparents.  We are creating our own vision of independence.  We struggle with deferring gratification today for a better lifestyle tomorrow.  We value technology, though we are sometimes consumed in it.  We are active, creative, social-media connected, skeptical, and concerned for our future of healthcare, Social Security, and lifestyle.  We're also behind in retirement savings.  We've seen inflation and under-employment diminish our standard of living over the past 2 decades with little wage growth.  We're approaching our best earning years and our future of financial independence is in question.  We don't want to be sold products.  We demand solutions.  We use the internet to get informed on just about everything.  We want someone who understands us to explain how to accomplish our own idea of independence.  

My office will offer you a fee-only program (no products, process-only) to help you get on track for your own financial independence.  

Baby-Boomers

Born between 1946-1964, Boomers fall into 2 subsets [early Boomers, late-Boomers born after 1955].   The early Boomers reaped the benefits of a strong economic times and growing birth rates post-WWII.  Boomers are hard-working and goal-focused.  America had become a modernized economy during your earning years.  Your wage growth and secure careers would last 40 years with pensions and affordable healthcare allowed you to improve your lifestyle, own a home, vacation, and fund a retirement.  The Reagan-era economy brought positive change to your lives and set the economy up for a strong trajectory as America was coming of age in a new technology era.  
The youngest subset of Baby Boomers were born after 1955 and are turning 70 in 2025.   Many of you enjoyed greater college education and some great early career years.  Many of you use credit liberally and focus greatly on lifestyle and nice homes/cars.  You're also less prepared (in whole) than your earlier Boomer cohorts and you need advice to understand what you should be doing today to provide for an acceptable lifestyle.  Early retirement and prohibitive healthcare expenses pose a risk to so many of you prior to MediCare eligibility.  You'll likely see cutbacks in your Social Security benefits during your lifetimes as a symptom of governmental policies failing the taxpayer.  You will need guidance at this time of large policy changes and tax law revisions.

Widows/Widowers

I have long been involved in circumstances from divorce settlements and the death of a spouse.  Both are incredibly overwhelming and require an organized process to work through.   I work at arms-length to offer my clients' assistance when life delivers a loss.  Reach out to me and let's talk about first steps.

You face some overwhelming circumstances and new life challenges.  You may not have been the spouse to pay all the bills and manage the assets.  Taking on these new responsibilities at this point in your life may be unwelcoming.  You have many things to address; updating the trust, updating beneficiaries, managing (survivor) asset accounts, deciding which insurances to keep, and designing a new life reality for yourself.  You may need help from a professional who can set the emotion aside from the circumstance and help you focus on your future.

The soon-to-be-retired 

Pre-retirees are defined more by a window of time than an age cohort.  You have a small window of time in which you must discover if what you've amassed in investments and income is enough to reliably satisfy a lifestyle over multiple decades.  You'll need to assess your own health and understand how you can limit the financial risks associated with your own health and the consequences to your household if you should become ill.   It's advised to have a transition plan to bridge to retirement (hobbies, volunteer time, family time, purpose, part-time work, etc.).  Retirement is more mindset than financial means and this is the time for you  to dig in and perform some discovery of your own values and time management abilities.

always consult with your tax or legal advisor, Cetera Advisor Networks LLC representatives may not give legal or tax advice