Articles

Is Your Financial Advisor a Fiduciary?

By Jay Shareef and Chris Rhoads There are financial advisors everywhere you turn. The problem is not finding one, but finding the right one—someone you can trust to provide honest advice and help you achieve your goals. That’s easier said than done. The reality is that no matter what someone […]
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The True Cost of Withdrawing Early From Your 401(k)

By Jay Shareef and Chris Rhoads The ideal figure needed for retirement varies from person to person. Regardless of the number you need, the fastest way to grow your funds is to maximize your contributions and watch your money grow. Sometimes, though, unexpected life events pop up, and with those […]
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Have You Set Up Your Generational Vault?

By Jay Shareef and Chris Rhoads   If you’re like most people, you have important documents and mementos scattered throughout your home. This can make it difficult to keep track of everything—and especially challenging if you need something in a hurry. Here’s the good news: With the advent of a […]
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More Options Available in Your TSP

By Jay Shareef and Chris Rhoads   Planning for retirement is no easy task. The years leading up to retirement can be an overwhelming time with all the decisions to be made: where will you live, how will you spend your time, and, most importantly, how will you fund your […]
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Is a Recession on the Horizon? How We Watch Over Your Money

By Jay Shareef and Chris Rhoads It’s no secret that things in our world are a bit uncertain these days. It feels like we’re constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop. If you’re like most people, living with this level of uncertainty day in and day out can be […]
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How Will Inflation Affect Your Government Pension?

By Jay Shareef and Chris Rhoads You don’t have to pay attention to the news to see how inflation is affecting everyone, including the average consumer. If you have filled up your car with a tank of gas, bought a week’s worth of groceries, or purchased anything online or in […]
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The Difference Between 401(k)s and Pension Plans

By Jay Shareef and Chris Rhoads There are so many different kinds of retirement plans out there; finding the right one for you can be difficult. With tons of nuance and obscure names, it’s no wonder a lot of people can’t tell the difference from one retirement plan to the […]
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What to Do With Your Government Employee Pension

By Jay Shareef and Chris Rhoads   The government may be one of the few remaining employers to offer a pension to its employees. And although you may be thinking that the government needs to get with the times, the value of offering a pension will never go out of […]
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How to Be Prepared for the Loss of Your Spouse

By Jay Shareef and Chris Rhoads Have you ever thought about what would happen to your finances if you lost your spouse prematurely? Most people avoid this topic, and understandably so. We don’t want to dwell on things that cause us emotional distress, but what we don’t realize is that […]
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What Should You Do About Inflation and Stock Market Volatility?

By Jay Shareef and Chris Rhoads After a three-year rally, the financial markets were down for seven straight days in January, marking their worst slide since the pandemic decline in March of 2020. The market dip on Monday, January 24th put the S&P 500 down over 10%, which is officially […]
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What Is Your Long-Term Care Plan?

By Jay Shareef and Chris Rhoads Have you built long-term care costs into your financial plan? If not, it’s probably time to start. Research suggests that most Americans turning 65 this year will need at least some form of long-term care as they age,[1] and long-term care is enormously expensive. […]
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Options Beyond the Thrift Savings Plan: Investments Outside of Your TSP

By Jay Shareef and Chris Rhoads  The Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) is the federal government’s version of an employee 401(k) plan. For most government employees, it’s a pretty sweet deal. The TSP has lower-than-average fees and administrative expenses. It also offers 5 well-diversified investment funds—one of which is an unbeatable […]
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Annual Enrollment for Government Employees

By Jay Shareef and Chris Rhoads It’s open season again, which means it’s that time of year when you start getting notices about all the changes coming to your employee benefits. Even though you’d much rather be doing just about anything else, it’s important not to just set and forget […]
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How to Protect Your Wealth in Uncertain Times

Change is an inevitable part of life—whether we like it or not, whether we’re prepared or not, and whether we have something to lose or not. Unfortunately, most people don’t like it, aren’t prepared, and have a lot to lose. But, while change is inevitable, it doesn’t have to be […]
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