2025 Annual Contribution Limit by Robbie Jamison
Join Robbie from Vawter Financial as he shares the latest IRS updates on retirement contribution limits for 2025, designed to help you maximize your savings. From increased limits for 401(k), 403(b), and 457(b) plans to unique boosts for those over 50, Robbie covers essential details to keep in mind for the coming year. Plus, he offers a creative tip for remembering these limits and strategies. Watch now to ensure you’re making the most of your retirement savings!
Social Security Claiming by Gary Vawter
When Should You Claim Your Social Security Benefits?
Wondering when to start claiming Social Security? It’s a common question, and the answer is—“it depends.” In this quick guide, Gary Vawter outlines the key factors to consider, like your family’s longevity and financial needs, to help you decide when the timing is right. Whether you’re aiming to maximize benefits with delayed claiming or meet immediate retirement needs, our team is here to support your journey. Connect with us today to make an informed decision about Social Security!
Just as a good trainer helps you see results by creating a tailored fitness plan, I'm here to help you build and sustain financial health, no matter the economic conditions. Remember, every financial challenge is an opportunity to improve your stamina and resilience.
401k Rollovers: A Quick Start Guide
Simplify Your 401(k) Rollover: Making the switch to a new employer? Don't leave your 401(k) behind. A rollover can potentially keep your retirement savings on track without the hassle. Here’s a quick guide to get you started.
Feeling overwhelmed by the never-ending stream of news? I've got you covered with some effective strategies to stay calm and in control. Check out my latest video for insights on managing 'headline stress' and keeping your financial goals on track.
Vawter Financial now has some new partners, William & Jackie who have collectively been with VF nearly 20 years, they are going to be the future of Vawter Financial. This is great for our team and for the continuity of service and advice to our clients.
Start looking for those old receipts and organizing your tax forms - it’s tax time again. In this video, I talk about 3 things you should do–and be aware of before filing your 2023 taxes.
We all hate the feeling of uncertainty. As humans, we’re hard-wired to prefer certainty and predictability. Uncertainty is a part of life, but there is power hiding inside uncertainty. I made a short video explaining these hidden values in uncertainty - check it out!
We have a lot of clients ask Gary why he decided to become a financial advisor. So Gary put together this short video about his why. We hope you enjoy.
What is rate of return? And how do I determine it? Click that play button to learn more about VF's perspective of ROR.
What does it take to be a Champion? There are three common traits. Press play to see how VF can be a champion for you!
Have you heard about the Charles Schwab and TD Ameritrade acquisition? What does this mean for you?
Did you know that only 20% of Americans are bi-lingual? That's understandable when you consider it takes 1000 hours on average to learn a new language. It could be said that there are multiple languages when it comes to managing your money.
Vawter Financial's newest full time paraplanner! He has already learned so much as an intern and can't wait to further his knowledge in the financial planning industry as he works to attain his CFP certification. Robbie looks forward to meeting and working with all of you!
When the market is down do you do nothing and let it recover? Absolutely not! There is a lot that can be done to add value to the portfolio. Learn more in our latest video.
Jackie Washburn in the "Spotlight"
2020 - Thanksgiving Message From VF
VF View - Investing During Elections
Should you put money into the market? Pull it out of the market? Does the party in power make a difference at all? You might be surprised to learn what really makes the economy go up and down. Watch our video to learn more on how the election effects your portfolio. Or does it?
Gary Vawter in the "Spotlight"
If you have been wondering what Gary has been up to during the last few months, this video will fill you in on all the good stuff.
How to "Build" a Sturdy Investment Portfolio
When you build a house, you need all kinds of permits and inspections to make sure it’s done right. This same type of consideration should be given when you“build” an investment portfolio. What investments (materials) should be used, how do you avoid taxes (poor insulation & leaks) and how should things betitled to coordinate with your estate plan? We think more people should have a better plan (blueprint) for building their investment portfolio so it can withstand more than just a typical financial “storm”.
At the end of our lives, organizing our finances takes a back seat to sometimes daily survival and health concerns. What doesn’t get done can cause years of headaches, tens of $1000 of legal expenses and family animosity.
Are you leaving $12 million... to your dog?
It's happened (Leona Helmsley, 2007). That seems a bit extreme but there are some practical considerations when doing some pet estate planning.
How important is your dental health? Have you ever considered the importance of your financial health? Take a moment and think about how your dental experience parallels to your financial checkup.
Why Investing is simple and difficult? Managing the investments in your portfolio can be really simple or incredibly difficult – why both you might ask? The simple part is designing a portfolio that reflects your unique goals whether that’s for retirement income now or some other accumulation goal that could be 20+ years away.
Don't Burn the Salad
How do you "cook up" a good investment portfolio? Just like you wouldn't put your salad in the oven with your baked potatoes or ice cream on the grill with your steak, you need to know where to own your different investments. Some are better owned in Traditional IRAs, Roth IRAs, or taxable accounts. Not owning the right investments in the right type of accounts would be like burning your salad. Watch this short video to learn more.
The Debt-Free Diversion Tactic
It can safely be argued that paying off debt, even in this low-interest rate environment, is a good idea. However, we think this strategy gets a bit over-sold, often by zealot financial media personalities, well-intending family members, co-workers or friends.
Destination Unknown
It's remarkable how few people know what their budget is now, and more importantly, what it will be once they retire. Planning for retirement without a budget is like driving your car to a destination you've never been...while wearing a blindfold - not recommended. This short video talks about one of the first step on the journey to a successful retirement - creating a FUN retirement budget!
Portfolio Cash Flow
The re-balancing of a person's investments should be done on a continuous basis and the best way to accomplish this is using the portfolio's cash flow. For those adding to their portfolio, this gives them the opportunity to bolster any underweighted categories. Those that are taking money out, perhaps for retirement, should be looking to trim allocations in categories that are larger now due to out-performance. This short view describes this process.
Investing Through Retirement
Are you saving for retirement, quickly approaching or already there? This short video will make sure you are considering a strategy that many people overlook.
Getting Money To You Faster!
Thanks to all of the new technology available, we now have the ability to help make your life a little easier. Establishing a “move money” link will help get money to you faster and more securely in the future. Watch this short video on why we think it is important to link your bank and TD Ameritrade accounts.
Your Next (and Last) Move
Should you or someone you know consider making their last move ever? This could be to downsize or perhaps they need additional assistance beyond what is available. This short video gives three quick tips that can make this a lot less stressful and sheds some light on what should be considered before their last move ever.
When Losing 20% is GREAT!
Think a great rate of return means you have a really great financial advisor? Or that a mediocre or bad rate of return means your advisor isn't very bright? A good or bad rate of return needs to be understood in the context of the investment environment it's being measured within.
Pesky Proxies
We get asked all the time what should be done with all the proxy notices clients receive for their different investment holdings. Vote for, against or ignore entirely? This short video gives you some tips on what to do with your proxies and how VF provides oversight for them.
New Year - New Goals
Tis the season to reflect on the successes of 2017 and make some new resolutions for 2018. Watch this short video to see what each VF staff member accomplished and hopes to achieve in 2018. You’ll see how working with a financial planning firm can make a difference.
Tax Preparer or Planner?
There’s a big difference between advisors that are tax return preparers vs. tax planners. Pretty much every day our clients are earning either wage income or investment income that will eventually get taxed. For this reason, we at VF believe that tax planning should be an everyday activity as well. This short video outlines the benefits of working with a tax planner, not just a tax preparer.
Do You Know a HENRY?
That is someone that is a High Earner, Not Rich Yet – HENRY! A lot of folks find themselves in the situation where they have a high income but, for a variety of reasons, haven’t accumulated a lot of assets or investments. Many financial advisors don’t want to work with these folks since the advisor can’t immediately generate a lot of fees and commissions working with them – there’s not much existing money to invest. This short video talks about the challenges and opportunities we see for HENRY’s, and how VF can help them.
How to Set & Accomplish Your Financial Goals - Part 2
Are you actively or passively pursuing your financial goals? In this short video we describe the very different outcomes that can be expected if a person pursues one approach versus the other. Whether you want to eventually retire or have been retired for years, are you doing everything you can to actively pursue and accomplish your goals? If you want to make sure you are, we should talk!
How to Set & Accomplish Your Financial Goals
One of the keys to accomplishing financial goals is simply prioritizing them with what is most important to you. Some want to "live large" now while others are willing to sacrifice some current indulgences to achieve financial independence sooner.
What is Credit Complacency?
Having access to credit can save a person a lot of money while having the wrong type of credit can be really expensive. In this short video, we touch on some tips for the right and wrong types of credit to have and when is the best time to establish them.
Do You Own the Right Investment "Vehicles"?
You wouldn’t buy an Indy race car to pick up the soccer team or own a dump truck solely for its fuel efficiency. Unfortunately, too many people make these same kind of curious decisions when it comes to choosing their investment vehicles. For accounts designed for long term growth, they own non-growth oriented investments like CD’s and annuities and own volatile individual stocks in their rainy day, emergency fund. Do you own the right investment vehicles for your investment objectives? Watch this short video to learn more.
Should You Pay Off Your Mortgage?
We get asked this all the time and agree a person can feel a great degree of satisfaction not having a mortgage…but we want to point out a couple compelling reasons why NOT to do this. Some considerations include the mortgage itself is not the end of a person’s housing costs, putting more money into your home doesn’t improve overall wealth diversification and there are better ways to build wealth than using after-tax money to pay down a mortgage. Please watch the short video to learn more.
A “Secret” Great Investment
With so much hype today about robo/digital advisors, index portfolios and other lower cost investment options, lost is one that could really be used successfully by just about everyone. Watch this video clip to learn how this option gives an investor instant diversification, automatic portfolio rebalancing and “knows” when it’s time to get more conservative like when a person is nearing retirement.
Retirement Strategies that Could Send You Back to Work
Once a person retires, no one wants to “un-retire” because they’ve made some bad financial decisions. Nonetheless, over the years we’ve seen some people accomplish just that.
Million Dollar Check
It's remarkable how few people know what their budget is now, and more importantly, what it will be once they retire. Planning for retirement without a budget is like driving your car to a destination you've never been...while wearing a blindfold - not recommended. This short video talks about one of the first step on the journey to a successful retirement - creating a FUN retirement budget!
Tax Return Preparation - the Okay, Good & Great
People can have very different outcomes depending on if they fill out their own tax return, take them to a tax professional for preparation or employ the services of a tax planning team. We are strong advocates of hiring a professional, at a minimum, to complete a person’s tax return. We see no compelling reason to give the IRS what might amount to about fifty weekends of your life to fill out your taxes. Just having them professionally prepared often is not enough since usually it is too late to implement any tax-saving strategies retroactively. What is best is when you utilize year-round tax planning guidance in tandem with a professional tax preparer. This short video discusses some of the benefit, and if you are not using the team approach, give VF a call!
Do you know all the IRS “promo codes” and “cash-back” coupons?
If you do not know all the strategies to lower your tax bill, you will be paying more than someone that does. This short video discusses some of the strategies still available to most every taxpayer before the end of the year.
Get Your Money on a "Roll" with VF!
According to a 2012 U.S. Labor Department report, the average worker holds 11 jobs between age 18 and 46. All that job-hopping may help broaden skill sets, but it also creates a dilemma for those who are unsure what to do with the 401k or other retirement plan dollars they have accrued.
How to Avoid the "Grandparent" Scam
At Vawter Financial we strive to help our clients protect their wealth in all ways possible. Sometimes this does not have anything to do with their investments. In this short clip, we describe one quite prevalent scam that has ensnared a lot of people. It is known as the “Grandparent” scam.
Best Investments to BUY NOW!
"The Best Investments to BUY NOW!" How often have you seen or heard an advertisement like that? We think it is impossible to know what the best investment to recommend is until a person has a good understanding of what is already owned among other important considerations.
"Tax" Diversify Your Retirement Income
Whether retirement is a few years away or started a few years ago, planning to minimize the taxes on your retirement income is critically important. With planning a person can stay in the 15% marginal tax bracket, instead of the 25%, which is a substantial savings (over 60% less). This short video describes two scenarios where both draw $100k from their portfolios, one pays 15%, the other ("Bob") pays 25%. This also introduces "Guido", the IRS agent. We hope you enjoy this and learn some useful strategies!
How Smart Investors Avoid Having the IRS as their Largest Creditor
Are you really debt-free? Learn how to use tax bracket arbitrage and income leveling to get the most out of your investments!