Blog

So many of us seem to have a love/hate relationship with New Year’s resolutions. Every year, we create resolutions, only to push them to the back of our minds by April. If this scenario sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Studies show that only 8% of people are successful in achieving any of their resolutions.

Medical costs are rising, which means that unlike the past 3 years, Medicare Part B premiums are set to increase as well. However, thanks to the “hold-harmless provision,” a law which prohibits a decrease in Social Security benefits based on Medicare premium increases, you may not have to pay more, depending on your benefits and income.

Thank you to all of our clients, families, and friends who attended our annual Toys for Tots Holiday event in our offices last weekend. As you can see everyone enjoyed the evening and we were all able to spend some quality time with Santa and Mrs Claus! Happy Holidays!

As expected, the Federal Reserve announced today that it will be increasing its benchmark interest rate for the first time since the Great Recession. It will be moving the target rate up by 25 basis points, from 0-0.25% to 0.25-0.50%.

As we approach the end of the year, it’s a good time to review your financial plan and take advantage of some last-minute opportunities to lower your 2015 tax bill. Some items require action before December 31st while others can wait until April 15th of 2016. In either case, it’s important to get started planning and coordinating with your financial advisor.

Happy Thanksgiving from the Washington Wealth Advisors team. We want to take a moment to thank you for being a part of our family. We deeply appreciate the trust you place in our firm and we take our responsibility to our clients very seriously.

It has been a volatile two weeks for the markets. After quick declines in all major indexes for six days straight the stock market staged some impressive gains the later part of last week, only to see more downside pressure as we began the month of September.

Thanks to China, the volatile markets we all experienced last week are continuing. It is times like these that make people consider the impact of such volatility on their own financial goals.  

Who has never dreamt about retiring on the beach with an ice cold piña colada by the age of fifty? As a college student, the thought has crossed my mind at least ten times per semester (especially during finals week).

In honor of  National 529 Awareness day, we here at Washington Wealth Advisors outline some of the key benefits of using 529 plans to save for your children or other family members' college costs: