The Social Security Administration announced today benefits will see a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) of 5.9%– the largest increase since 1982. To put it in perspective, the average increase over the past decade has been only 1.4%. This increases the maximum retirement benefit at full-retirement age from $3,148 per month currently ($37,764 annually) to $3,345 per…

In the planning department, many of our conversations with clients is about determining savings goals on an annual basis that will help propel them to their retirement planning goals discussed. For many clients, that starts with taking advantage of their company retirement plans and working to maximize their contributions, and then more detailed planning follows…

A soccer game isn’t much different than building a portfolio or financial plan. Some may be reading this and thinking wow, that’s a stretch, but please allow me to explain. Preparing for a soccer game consists of strategizing and picking your players who will hopefully bring the best performance on a certain day. Our coaches…

For at least a year now, well before the election, there’s been plenty of news, opinions, and frankly bluster about President Biden’s federal tax proposals to fund infrastructure and new social programs including education, nutrition, and childcare.  While what is on the table would certainly represent a significant change, especially for U.S. companies and high…

Earlier this year, Washington State passed the first ever payroll tax to fund long-term care needs for its residents. Effective on January 1st of 2022, Washington state residents will be subject to a 0.58% payroll tax to fund this program, designed to alleviate pressure on the Medicaid system. While this may be a benefit to…

Good Morning and Happy Friday! A couple weeks ago we touched on what an extraordinary year 2020 was for many different reasons. Of particular note has been the extraordinary “rise to the occasion” of you, our clients and friends of the firm, as many have stepped forward with generosity and care for others. Despite all…

Greetings! Life seems to always pick up the pace in the month of February. For us, we start thinking about all of the appetizers we plan on eating when watching the Super Bowl (we won’t tell you our pick!). It is also when we start thinking about taxes. While not the most glamorous topic we’ve…

Tschetter Group is proud to announce that our Financial Planner, Kelli Kingma, has passed the CFP® examination and will soon be applying for her CFP® certificate. The CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification is largely considered the highest standard in financial planning. It is a rigorous process that requires each advisor candidate to satisfy educational and experience-based…

There are times when restraint and patience may feel like foolishness. In investing, these times typically feature an “obvious thing to do”. During the late 90’s build of the first internet bubble, it seemed obvious that the easy money was betting on the latest Silicon Valley IPO. The business model, prospects for earnings and cash flow, and any real consideration of valuation (paying a reasonable price) was pretty well thrown out the window at the height of the frenzy; all that was required was a “.com” for admission. So “obvious” was the formula for investment success, that some even quit their jobs to day trade and reap the easy rewards.

Good Thursday morning! Another week and much more we could say, but we’re mostly writing to wish you a happy Easter. To say it’s been an eventful past seven weeks would be an understatement to say the least. The pace and scale of global change is unprecedented and the way we’ve felt and experienced it is on…