Lifestyle & Mindset
Winning! Finding Your Competitive Edge in Life
Whether you're on the field or in the marching band, the spirit of competition shapes who you become.
The American Retirement Advisor — News & Insights
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inheritance planning
The Call Your Kids Will Get: Inheritance From the Other Side of the Table
You spent forty years building it. It will land in your kids' lap during the most expensive decade of their lives. This week we sit in their chair, because the best inheritance plans are designed from the receiving end.
Lifestyle & Mindset
Eat the Rainbow! Colorful Nutrition for Better Health
Each color in the food rainbow provides different nutrients and health benefits. Mom knew best when she said eat your fruits and vegetables!
Lifestyle & Mindset
The Lobster Roll Trail, Part 2: Cash Only in Harpswell, Sunrise on Cadillac Mountain
Part 2 of our weekend break from the serious stuff. A no-mayo roll at the end of a peninsula where they only take cash, a bench in Camden harbor where the masts sing, and a 3:30 AM alarm on Cadillac Mountain. Plus the question this whole trip is really about: what was all the saving for?
Lifestyle & Mindset
The Lobster Roll Trail, Part 1: Plum Island to Kennebunkport
We spent all week on The Widow's Penalty, and it was heavy for a reason. This weekend we are taking a break and doing something fun: a two-day road trip up the New England coast, one lobster roll at a time. Part 1 runs from a comeback-story shack on the Plum Island Turnpike to a round bun on a bridg
Retirement Income
What to Do Financially When Your Spouse Dies: The First 90 Days
She started over from zero and built a seven-figure retirement on her own. Most survivors never need to do that, because most of what goes wrong in the year after a loss is preventable with a calm list and the right order. The finale of The Widow's Penalty: the first 90 days, what can wait, and what
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1
Discovery
We start by learning what you want to accomplish and what you have to work with. We can't help if we don't know the full picture.
2
Build Your Plan
We keep the best of what you already have, replace what can be better, and make sure nothing is falling through the cracks.
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Review Every Year
As life changes, so should your plan. We lock in an annual review to make sure everything is still working for you.
Medicare & Healthcare
See What Smart Medicare Planning Looks Like →
Medicare & Healthcare
Don't Miss Out on Your Medicare Annual Wellness Visit
Your Medicare Annual Wellness Visit is free and focuses on prevention rather than treatment. Don't let another year slip by without taking advantage of this essential health benefit.
Medicare & Healthcare
Widowed at 75: How to Appeal a Medicare IRMAA Surcharge After the Death of a Spouse
Two years after a loss, a letter from Social Security can raise a widow's Medicare premium based on income from a life that no longer exists. There is a one-page form built for exactly this moment, and most people have never heard its name. Part three of The Widow's Penalty: the surcharge with a two
Medicare & Healthcare
Here's How to Save on Prescriptions This Year
The Medicare Annual Enrollment Period may be over, but you still have legitimate, safe alternatives to lower your medication costs without changing your Medicare plan.
Medicare & Healthcare
Low Water? High Blood Sugar! How Dehydration Affects Glucose
When you're dehydrated, your blood sugar levels may rise because the sugar in your bloodstream becomes more concentrated—like the difference between water and syrup.
Retirement Planning
Discover How Retirees Protect Their Income →
Retirement Income
What Retirees Really Want: A Steady Paycheck Over Growth
Recent surveys show retirees prioritize dependable monthly income over chasing high returns, but many advisors still focus heavily on growth strategies.
Retirement Income
What to Do Financially When Your Spouse Dies: The First 90 Days
She started over from zero and built a seven-figure retirement on her own. Most survivors never need to do that, because most of what goes wrong in the year after a loss is preventable with a calm list and the right order. The finale of The Widow's Penalty: the first 90 days, what can wait, and what
Retirement Income
Widowed in Your 60s: The Qualifying Surviving Spouse Tax Status and the Social Security Choice Almost Everyone Gets to Make
The sixties are when the widow's penalty does most of its quiet work. A tax filing status with a two-year clock. A first April filing alone. And a Social Security decision with two checks on the table, where the order you claim them in can be worth tens of thousands of dollars. Part two of The Widow
Retirement Income
Tax-Smart Strategies for Retirees: How to Keep More of Your Money
Keeping more of your money, because you didn't work all those years just to tip the IRS. A little January planning can help avoid those 'Wait, I owe how much?' moments.
Inheritance Planning
Learn How Families Preserve Their Legacy →
inheritance planning
The Folder: What Your Kids Will Need to Find in the First Thirty Days
Someday your family will open a folder. What they find inside is up to you. Day four of our series: the first thirty days from your kids' side of the table, and the program we built at ARA so that month arrives organized instead of overwhelming.
inheritance planning
The House They Grew Up In: What Really Happens When Kids Inherit Property
Day three of our series from the heir's side of the table. The quiet tax gift buried in an inherited home, the twenty-minute deed that skips the courthouse, why Arizona and Nevada families get an advantage most articles never mention, and the three-siblings-one-house problem.
inheritance planning
The Ten-Year Tax Bomb: What Your IRA Looks Like From Your Kids' Side
Your IRA statement says $900,000. Your kids will not inherit $900,000. Day two of our series sits in their chair for the one conversation that can change the number: the ten-year rule, their tax bracket, and the moves that only work while you are here.
inheritance planning
The Call Your Kids Will Get: Inheritance From the Other Side of the Table
You spent forty years building it. It will land in your kids' lap during the most expensive decade of their lives. This week we sit in their chair, because the best inheritance plans are designed from the receiving end.