Healthcare costs in America have continued to increase steadily. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that 8.1% of personal expenditures are spent on healthcare, up from 5.9% in 2004.[1] These average out to roughly $13,000 per person annually[2]. Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) were created to help… Read More
Saving for college can be daunting. Many parents are saving for their children’s education, but don’t know how prepared they will be for college costs in the future. Parents face the question of how much to save and which funding vehicles to use. Those with young children have uncertainty regarding… Read More
Weighing your Social Security benefit options can get complicated, quickly. The most common questions we hear at Evergreen are about timing: should I take my benefits as early as possible to avoid withdrawing funds from my investment portfolio (thereby giving them extra time to grow)? Or should I wait as… Read More
Millions of Americans turn 65 every year and sign up for Medicare, and beneficiaries should be aware of strategies that can help save money on premiums. From 1966 when the Part B premium was $3 per month, until 2006, when it was $88.50 per month, all beneficiaries paid the same… Read More
On December 23rd, 2022, Congress passed the SECURE Act 2.0, expanding on the original SECURE Act passed in 2019. This legislation impacts retirees as well as those who are saving for retirement. We have highlighted the most significant changes below. Please review with your wealth consultant how these changes will… Read More
When the SECURE Act went into effect in 2020, it significantly changed how beneficiaries take required minimum distributions (RMDs). [1] Previously, heirs could take distributions over their life expectancy, per the IRS Uniform Life Table [2]. If the original owner passed away after January 1, 2020,… Read More
2022 has been a year of significant market turbulence, which has left many feeling cautious about the markets and concerned about the future. While it is impossible to predict where the market will be in the coming weeks and months, there are strategies to optimize your taxes and set you… Read More
As your life evolves, so should your estate plan. Many individuals “set it and forget it”, that is to say, they draft initial documents and then do not revisit them. While having an outdated plan can be better than no plan at all, not updating documents can lead to many… Read More
Many investors accumulate large amounts of wealth by investing in a single company, whether that be from executive compensation, inheritance, or just smart stock picking. What can start out as a diversified portfolio may have morph into one stock taking up a large percentage of the portfolio. We see this frequently in the Pacific Northwest, where tech companies have seen massive growth and many employees of these companies have benefited greatly. Read More
When markets are down, it is easy to panic and question your investment strategy. While markets have bounced back in the last two weeks, many indexes, such as the NASDAQ, are still in correction territory, and our investment team thinks we will likely see more volatility in 2022 than… Read More
