Getting Ready for Retirement? Take These Essential Steps for a Smooth Transition

Retirement is an exciting milestone—a time to leave behind the hustle and bustle of work and embrace a new chapter filled with more freedom and opportunities to enjoy life. But before you clock out for the last time, it’s essential to make sure you’re fully prepared for this significant lif …

Market Commentary: S&P 500 Has Another Strong Month, but Watch Out for October Jitters

The Bull Market Continues Stocks had a rough start to September, but the bull market continued and it is looking like the S&P 500 will be higher this year in the usually weak month of September. (The S&P 500 was up 1.7% on a total return basis as of Friday, September 27, with one tr …

Facts Vs Feelings Take 5 – Will There Be an October Surprise?

October is typically the most volatile month of the year. Will this year be the same? Carson Group’s Chief Market Strategist Ryan Detrick and VP, Global Macro Strategist Sonu Varghese share their insights for investors. Highlights include:   The stock markets are up to record highs, driven …

Your Money

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3 Methods to Not Run Out of Money

What’s the #1 fear in retirement? Running out of money. Get our step-by-step guide to help ensure your assets last a lifetime.   Download Guide

4 Pitfalls of Not Having a Financial Plan

There are some things in life you just can’t plan for: an unexpected illness, job loss, death of spouse, disability. And while experiencing one of these major events can drastically impact your life, having an effective financial plan can help ensure that it doesn’t ruin your financial well-being.

Mastering Your Finances: A Guide for New College Graduates

Congratulations, recent college graduate! You’ve worked hard to earn your degree, and now you’re ready to embark on the next chapter of your life. This is an exciting time – one filled with lots of changes, like starting a new career and learning how to manage living on your own …

2024 Calendar: Key Tasks & Financial Dates

2024 Calendar: Key Tasks & Financial Dates

Tackle 2024 with this month-by-month financial task list. We’ve also included important dates so you won’t miss any key deadlines.

Your Business

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Life Insurance Strategies for Business Owners

Owning a business can be like parenting. You’ve likely experienced many sleepless nights and spent a countless amount of energy on your “baby.” Like parenting, being a business owner can be an enriching journey and make life worth the trip.

From Tax Efficiency to Retirement: Financial Planning for Small Business Owners

Financial planning for a small business gets more complicated every day. Business owners must navigate tax efficiency (and life under the new Tax Cuts and Jobs Act), retirement preparations for yourself and your employees, and succession planning. Get your financial plan in place today and …

8 Financial Planning Tips for Small Business Owners

Running a small business involves juggling multiple responsibilities. Managing the business’s finances is one of the most crucial aspects. Proper financial management can be the difference between a thriving business and one that struggles to stay afloat. Here are eight essential financial …

Business Succession Planning Checklist

Business Succession Planning Checklist

You remember your first day of business. But what about your last day? Succession planning is more complex than it may seem. Our guide walks you through the details.

Your Retirement

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Getting Ready for Retirement? Take These Essential Steps for a Smooth Transition

Retirement is an exciting milestone—a time to leave behind the hustle and bustle of work and embrace a new chapter filled with more freedom and opportunities to enjoy life. But before you clock out for the last time, it’s essential to make sure you’re fully prepared for this significant lif …

What Medicare Doesn’t Cover (and What You Can Do About It)

Navigating Medicare can sometimes feel like a maze. Understanding what’s covered—and what isn’t — can be tricky. While Medicare does offer a lot of valuable services, it doesn’t cover everything. Let’s discuss some of the most common things Medicare won’t cover and share solutions to help y …

Managing Your Wealth (and Sanity) in an Election Year

Are you wondering what impact the election year will have on your investments? Managing your wealth probably isn’t as convoluted by the election as you might think.   Our Managing Your Wealth (and Sanity) in an Election Year Webinar hosted by leading voices in the financial services space, …

Medicare and Managing Health Care Costs in Retirement

Medicare and Managing Health Care Costs in Retirement

Health care costs in retirement aren't going anywhere. Naturally, as our bodies get older, it costs more to keep them running. Let's look at the parts of this vital program and how it plays a part in your financial plan.

Your Legacy

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Choosing the Right Trustee for Your Estate Plan

One of the most important decisions you’ll make when designing your estate plan is who to name in the various fiduciary roles: trustee, personal representative, executor and agent. While a critical decision, it’s often given significantly less thought than the distribution of your assets. B …

Revocable Living Trusts as part of an Estate Plan

Our latest webinar, Revocable Living Trusts as part of an Estate Plan with Carson Group’s Director, Trust Services Scott Berryman and Manager & Sr. Wealth Planner Tom Fridrich is now available for viewing on-demand. 

Estate Planning

Often, people believe that estate planning only benefits the very wealthy, but nothing could be further from the truth. It’s something everyone needs to engage in regardless of age, estate size or marital status. If you have a bank account, investments, a car, home or other property—you hav …

A Guide to Gifting to Your Heirs

A Guide to Gifting to Your Heirs

Gifting to your loved ones now or posthumously each carries their own positives and negatives as they relate to your estate plan, taxes, your goals and your legacy.

Your Freedom

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7 Economic Myths Busted

By Ryan Detrick, Chief Market Strategist We’ve been hearing many of the same myths over and over, yet we don’t think they are the big worry that the media and many make them out to be. These are legitimate concerns and have many investors worried, but we think the chances of them becoming l …

Investing in Your Child’s Financial Future: Helping Kids Develop Strong Money Management Skills

Gaining financial literacy at a young age is a vital key to finding financial freedom later in life. Give your kids the lessons they need now to make better decisions about money in the future.

Financial Resolutions to Take Into the New Year

Tom Fridrich, JD, CLU, ChFC®, Senior Wealth Planner Thinking about making some New Year’s resolutions? Add financial wellbeing to your list. It’s a terrific time to identify goals and opportunities that may put you in a better financial position — not only in the upcoming year, …

When Shifting Goals Mean Shifting Plans

When Shifting Goals Mean Shifting Plans

Your financial plan shouldn't look the same at 55 as it did when you were 35, right? So how do you know when it's time to adjust your plan?

Market & Investments

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Market Commentary: S&P 500 Has Another Strong Month, but Watch Out for October Jitters

The Bull Market Continues Stocks had a rough start to September, but the bull market continued and it is looking like the S&P 500 will be higher this year in the usually weak month of September. (The S&P 500 was up 1.7% on a total return basis as of Friday, September 27, with one tr …

Facts Vs Feelings Take 5 – Will There Be an October Surprise?

October is typically the most volatile month of the year. Will this year be the same? Carson Group’s Chief Market Strategist Ryan Detrick and VP, Global Macro Strategist Sonu Varghese share their insights for investors. Highlights include:   The stock markets are up to record highs, driven …

Market Commentary: S&P 500 Makes New All-Time High as Fed Goes Big

Stocks Like Rate Cuts The big story this week was the Fed cutting interest rates for the first time since March 2020. We will get into all of the ramifications of the Fed’s decision below, but to kick off this week’s market commentary we will discuss why rate cuts can indeed be a bullish de …

2023 Market Outlook Report

2023 Market Outlook Report

Will the bull market continue in 2024? What about a recession? What will the Fed do? We take a deep dive into our outlook for 2024 in Carson Investment Research’s Outlook ‘24: Seeing Eye to Eye.

In the News

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3 Roth Conversion Traps To Avoid After The SECURE Act

Roth conversions can be a powerful tax and retirement planning technique. The idea behind most Roth conversions is to take money from an IRA and convert it to a Roth IRA. Essentially, you’re paying taxes today instead of paying taxes in the future.

10 Common Estate Planning Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)

Estate planning and end of life planning are about taking control of your situation. Death and long-term care later in life might be hard to fathom right now, but we can’t put off planning out of fear of the unknown or because it’s unpleasant. Don’t wait for life to happen to you, though.

4 Ways To Improve Your Estate Plan

Most people want to plan for a good life and a good retirement, so why not plan for a good end of life, too? Let’s look at four ways you can refine your estate plan, protect your assets and create a level of control and certainty for your loved ones.