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Financial Guidance That Brings Clarity

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Investing 101: Basics of Investing
March 4, 2020 By John Simkins

I was explaining to a new client recently how we invest our client assets. They wanted to know if we use individual stocks, Mutual Funds or ETFs (Exchanged Traded Funds.) I told them we don’t use individual stocks or securities, as this adds a level of risk that does not necessarily improve the risk/reward return. […]

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How to Avoid Making Emotional Financial Decisions
February 5, 2020 By Leanne Fee

With the unexpected passing of my husband, I’ve had a lot of unplanned decisions required of me. I’ve been very intentional about not making emotional decisions, but to be honest, how do you remove emotion? There are both rational and emotional elements to making financial decisions. “Research has found that negative emotions hit us with […]

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Retirement planning. Retirement
3 Ways the New SECURE Act Might Affect You
January 15, 2020 By Thomas Talbott

Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act, or better recognized as the new SECURE Act, was signed into law on December 20th, 2019. The bill’s intent is for folks to have opportunities to increase their “nest egg” by addressing a number of retirement savings and employee benefit changes. While there are numerous aspects to […]

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A pin pointing out the year 2020 in a list of years. Uncategorized
Resolutions for a Financially Focused 2020
January 10, 2020 By Stewardship Advisors

If you enjoy taking the opportunity a new year offers to make resolutions, make sure financial resolutions are a part of that focus. Formulating financial resolutions this year can help get you closer to long term goals like retirement, a large purchase, business ownership or debt elimination. Here are just a few practical ideas to […]

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Return on Life or Return on Investment?
January 9, 2020 By Mark Brinser

As we reflect back on 2019, it is clear that the stock market had a great year. It feels good reviewing your end of year household balance statement and see your net worth growth due to the stock market, but what happens if the stock market is not so kind in 2020? After all, 2018 […]

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Hands holding a present. Uncategorized
3 Ways to Support Nonprofits That Are Better Than Giving Cash
December 17, 2019 By Thomas Talbott

Greg and Jennifer are in their late 30s and have prudently managed their finances ever since they got married. With the changes in the recent tax laws and while realizing they are just barely able to itemize their deductions on their tax return, they decide to save more taxes by immediately donating to their favorite […]

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Ameritrade logo on glass. the market
The Merger of TD Ameritrade and Charles Schwab
December 12, 2019 By W. Lee Shertzer

You may have heard that TD Ameritrade and Charles Schwab are merging. How does this affect Stewardship Advisors and our clients? First, let’s take a look at who TD Ameritrade is, and how they are connected with Stewardship Advisors — and yourself as the account owners. TD Ameritrade is a contracted service provider (that Stewardship […]

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Stressed young woman checking bills, taxes, bank account balance and calculating expenses in the living room at home personal finance
Can I claim medical expenses on my taxes?
December 2, 2019 By Leanne Fee

Your total medical expenses, including premiums, must surpass 10% of your AGI to be deductible. Here’s a little backstory to help you understand this deduction in context. In 2019, the IRS allows taxpayers to deduct the total qualified unreimbursed medical care expenses for the year that exceed 10% of their adjusted gross income (AGI). Note […]

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A ladder leading down over a cliff. Retirement
5 Monkeys and A Ladder
November 25, 2019 By Mark Brinser

Perhaps you have heard about a fabled behavioral study regarding five monkeys and a ladder. It goes something like this: scientists put five monkeys in a room. In the middle of the room was a ladder with bananas on top. Every time a monkey went up the ladder to retrieve a banana, the scientists soaked […]

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A person working at a desk. personal finance
“Side Hustle” or just “Hustle”?
November 13, 2019 By Stewardship Advisors

Several years ago, my wife and I set an ambitious financial goal for our family. As a way to temporarily increase my income, I decided to embark on the millennial rite of passage known as the “side hustle.” While the term “side hustle” is used broadly to describe part-time or temporary work in addition to […]

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