Wood Financial Services LLC

Category Archives: Investing

Book review – “F.I.R.E. for dummies”

On April 28, 2024, Posted by , In Investing,Margin,Retirement, With Comments Off on Book review – “F.I.R.E. for dummies”

I know Jackie Cummings Koski, CFP, AFC, MSPFP and financial educator, from a number of professional groups and for several years now. She’s one of those people I keep an eye on as being a few years ahead of me professionally, with (like me) a strong interest in sharing her…

Brain development and executive functioning – why the future isn’t real yet

On December 19, 2023, Posted by , In Investing,Know thyself, With Comments Off on Brain development and executive functioning – why the future isn’t real yet

Earlier this month I attended a presentation by executive functioning coach Sarah Ward, co-director of Cognitive Connections. She was teaching parents how to make their home structure support better executive functioning. I was attending this to help figure out how to set up my home to better support my children,…

Just because it’s small, doesn’t mean it’s not worth preserving

On December 10, 2023, Posted by , In Community build,Investing, With Comments Off on Just because it’s small, doesn’t mean it’s not worth preserving

It can be hard to get started with investing. It doesn’t feel like much, it grows so slowly, it doesn’t feel like it’s going to add up to anything worth while. And you may feel like the only one trying to do anything. But we can draw analogies to nature,…

SECURE Act 2.0 – what it means for you

On December 24, 2022, Posted by , In Investing,Retirement,Taxes, With Comments Off on SECURE Act 2.0 – what it means for you

The piece of legislature known as the SECURE Act 2.0 has been passed by both the US Senate (Thursday) and House (Friday), and is waiting for the signature of President Biden (presumably after the holidays). The SECURE Act 2.0 is actually part of the 2023 omnibus spending bill – the…

Black Friday Milestones

On November 26, 2022, Posted by , In Investing,Retirement,Social Security, With Comments Off on Black Friday Milestones

What does Black Friday have in common with ages 50, 55, 59 1/2, 60, 62, 65, 67, 70, 70 1/2, and 72? They’re all milestones. Many Americans know Black Friday was traditionally the day that stores would “hit the black” with their finances for the year. But how many Americans…

Why should I manage my asset allocation and asset location at the household level?

On November 5, 2022, Posted by , In Investing, With Comments Off on Why should I manage my asset allocation and asset location at the household level?

Unless you’re already a finance geek, you probably looked at today’s article title and went “huh?” No worries, it’s not as bad as you think. Two of the primary considerations with investing are asset allocation, and asset location. At a high level, asset allocation is your willingness to ride the…

Impact of New IBond Rates

On November 4, 2022, Posted by , In Investing, With Comments Off on Impact of New IBond Rates

Earlier this week, the semi-annual reset of I-Bond interest rates happened. The interest rate went from 9.62% (May-October 2022) to 6.89% for newly issued I-Bonds (November 2022-April 2023). With the cut in rates, the very short window between announcement and implementation caused enough demand in a short enough window that…

Do you know the 2023 tax-related contribution limits?

On October 23, 2022, Posted by , In Investing,Savings,Taxes, With Comments Off on Do you know the 2023 tax-related contribution limits?

More and more of the 2023 tax related numbers have been released by the IRS throughout 2022. Here are those thresholds. Still need the 2022 thresholds? You can find those here. These numbers were released earlier this year Self HSA contribution – $3850 (up from $3650) Family coverage HSA contribution…

How The Inflation Reduction Act Benefits You

On August 16, 2022, Posted by , In Insurance,Investing, With Comments Off on How The Inflation Reduction Act Benefits You

Today, August 16, 2022, President Biden signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act . While it is confusingly abbreviated IRA, it has no impact on your tax advantaged savings vehicle with the same acronym. So what does the Inflation Reduction Act mean for you? Only a couple of factors will…

Your enrollment window is closing on your 457b

On June 13, 2022, Posted by , In Benefits,Investing,Savings, With Comments Off on Your enrollment window is closing on your 457b

If you are a highly compensated employee in a non-governmental non-profit, and you have access to a 457b, it’s likely that your enrollment window for your 457b is rapidly closing – June 15, 2022. If your 457b is on the half-year schedule, and you miss this May 1st through June…