Archive

Here’s an uncomfortable truth you need to accept: Someday—hopefully in the very distant future—you are going to die. The good news: You can make that moment easier on your heirs by taking a few simple steps. One of the best ways, financially, to prepare now for that time is to choose a person to be…

Reinvention: It’s Not Easy When your spouse dies, so does the future that the two of you planned together. You’re overwhelmed by the grief, newfound responsibilities, tangle of emotions, and resulting exhaustion that so often accompany widowhood. And now you’re also tasked with reinventing yourself and reimagining a future that no longer includes your partner…

Inheriting money comes with plenty of benefits. But an inheritance—even a big one—doesn’t automatically mean a worry-free life of ease. A windfall can actually create unique challenges and conflicts that become the root of significant problems for your heirs—and for you, too. The good news: You can take steps now to address potential issues related…

A Story of Loss and What You Can Learn from It. “We never truly get over a loss, but we can move forward and evolve from it.”  – Elizabeth Berrien When I first began to work with financial planning clients, I met a woman whose story has stayed with me, and will undoubtedly be a…

The Internal Revenue Service announced that anyone who already took a required minimum distribution (RMD) in 2020 from certain retirement accounts now has the opportunity to roll those funds back into a retirement account following the CARES Act RMD waiver for 2020. The 60-day rollover period for any RMDs already taken this year has been…

Stress testing can also be effective at identifying potentially big problems—or possibly huge mistakes—so you can make changes proactively. We believe stress testing should be a part of many people’s due process when vetting financial plans, products and services. In this month’s Flash Report, The Importance of Stress Testing Your Wealth Strategies, you’ll discover the…

Decisions, Decisions… If you have traveled, or are traveling, the widowhood road, you probably know how overwhelming its myriad changes and choices can be. Making even one good decision, let alone many can be an especially tall order at a time when just putting one foot in front of the other may seem like more than you can muster.…

How can the CARES ACT help make your healthcare needs more affordable? Watch the video to learn 3 practical ways the CARES ACT can help you and your family today! At Merit, our goal is to provide you with the most current and updated information for your benefit. If you have any questions, click here to set…

Hear our President, Kay Lynn Mayhue, CFP®, AEP®, RFC®, talk with Emily Boothroyd, JD, CFP® discuss the importance of being prepared and the documents that you may need to have on hand in case of an emergency. Should you have questions on your estate documents or are unsure of what to do, please give us…

Becoming a Widow Since recently becoming a widow, Deborah often feels as if she’s trapped on a renegade roller coaster of stress, fear, confusion, exhaustion and loneliness. As if her grief and loss don’t seem debilitating enough, she is deluged with responsibilities, tasks and decisions – decisions that could permanently affect not just her finances,…