Financial Advisor Joe Mains reflects on a life-changing lesson he learned from Dave Ramsey during Financial Peace University—and how it reshaped his view of investing, retirement income, and legacy planning. Discover the powerful “10% principle” and what it could mean for your family’s future.

Markets move in cycles, and successful investing requires both long-term strategy and tactical flexibility. This article explores how strategic and tactical asset allocation can help investors manage risk, respond to changing market conditions, and make retirement withdrawals more efficiently. Learn how a disciplined approach can help navigate both bull and bear markets.

Retirement is often portrayed as a permanent vacation, but true fulfillment comes from purpose, relationships, and meaningful engagement. This article challenges the cultural “leisure lie” and explores how retirees can build a rewarding next chapter grounded in connection and contribution.

Financial fraud is becoming more sophisticated with advances in artificial intelligence and digital technology. Learn five practical steps to protect your accounts, strengthen safeguards, and reduce your family’s risk of financial loss.

Retirement planning doesn’t end when you stop working — it evolves. From managing RMDs and Medicare IRMAA surcharges to navigating the often-overlooked widow’s trap, smart tax planning can make a meaningful difference in preserving your wealth. Learn how strategic Roth conversions, tax diversification, and proactive planning can help protect your retirement income and support surviving spouses.

If you’ve owned your home for several years, there’s a good chance the value of your property has increased over that period (especially in a high-demand area). Selling a home with a large capital gain can eat into years of equity by way of taxes to the IRS, which is why some homeowners choose to stay in the same home indefinitely.

Life’s big moments—buying a home, starting a family, changing jobs—can all reshape your finances. A financial advisor can help you navigate these transitions, avoid costly mistakes, and build a plan for the future. Drew Hodgson's article explores how advisors are compensated, the value they can add (often as much as 3% to annual returns, according to Vanguard), and what to consider when deciding if professional guidance is right for you.

A revocable living trust helps avoid probate, ensures privacy, and provides continuity if you’re incapacitated. But it doesn’t protect assets from lawsuits or help with Medicaid eligibility. It also doesn’t reduce taxes. To fill those gaps, consider an umbrella liability policy for asset protection and long-term care insurance for nursing home costs. A trust is a great start—but a complete plan requires more.

Estate planning is key to a holistic financial plan. Trusts differ from wills by avoiding probate, offering privacy, and allowing ongoing asset management. Types include revocable living trusts, irrevocable trusts, testamentary trusts, special needs trusts, charitable trusts, and spendthrift trusts—each serving different purposes. Choose based on your goals. Whitaker-Myers partners with EncorEstate Planning to help clients navigate these options.

Major life changes like marriage, divorce, childbirth, or the death of a loved one make it essential to update your beneficiaries. Outdated designations can lead to legal disputes, delays, and unintended asset distribution. Keeping beneficiaries current ensures your estate plan remains effective, avoids probate, and protects your loved ones. Regular reviews align your wishes with your evolving life and financial goals.

Over the next 20 years, an estimated $84 trillion will transfer from baby boomers to their heirs—marking the largest wealth shift in U.S. history. This transition, driven by 401(k)s, rising home values, and disciplined savers, will reshape the economy and widen the wealth gap. For those expecting an inheritance, now is the time to meet with a financial advisor to plan wisely, maximize tax efficiency, and set long-term goals. Whitaker-Myers Wealth Managers can help you prepare

Without a will, you die “intestate,” leaving state courts to decide how your estate is divided—often in unintended ways. Dave Ramsey emphasizes having a proper estate plan, preferably through a legally valid will. There are various types, including holographic, nuncupative, and statutory wills. While wills ensure your wishes are on paper, they also go through probate, which can be contested. For guidance, Whitaker-Myers Wealth Managers partners with Encore Estate Planning to

Tim Hilterman joins Whitaker-Myers Wealth Managers as their Chief Financial Planning Officer.

What is a Fee-Based Advisor? When looking for the right financial advisor , several questions should be at the top of anyone’s mind ....

I’ve inherited an IRA… now what do I do? Inherited IRAs can seem overwhelming when the time comes to inherit one. It seems...

If you are anything like me, you have probably registered for hundreds, and what feels like maybe even thousands, of accounts online that...

Being in the industry of helping everyday people save and plan for retirement has provided insight into what it takes to be successful...

By a mile, the most asked question I get is, "am I ready to retire?" Retirement is technically the single largest expense you'll ever...

The National Bureau of Labor Statistics did a study in August 2021 looking at the number of jobs that people born between 1957 and 1964,...

Defining your investment plan When choosing the best way to invest in the stock market, it is good to look at a few items that make up...