The Woodward Financial Advisors Blog

As a Financial Advisor, I cannot help but see the significant parallels between the consistent habits we need to maintain (or achieve) good health and those that help us be more successful in the pursuit of our various financial goals. We all seem to know what to do at a high level: save more, spend less, invest smartly, eat healthier foods, work out. What I find isn't always recognized is the relationship between the time and intensity of these actions.

The word “inflation” carries with it a negative connotation, and we’ve certainly been hearing about it more and more this year. After last year’s economic shocks and the shutting down of large swaths of the global economy, it’s not surprising to see prices for most goods and services rebounding.

The air is cooler, the leaves are crisper, and pumpkins are absolutely everywhere. It’s officially Fall, so we figured we’d reflect back on all that the WFA team was up to this past summer! From a trip to a dude ranch, to reuniting with family members, to awesome hikes with beautiful views, the WFA team had a lot of fun this summer. While we usually write about financial planning and investment-related topics, we thought it would be fun to share what we were all up to outside of the office.

We’ve seen the rough parts of the mountain. We’ve witnessed the stories and led many expeditions. Our advisory team is a community of Sherpas, and we share stories about different client situations to increase our knowledge base and ultimately our clients’ future success. We’ll put all that we’ve collectively learned to use for you.

The challenge is that instead of you running the numbers, the numbers are now running you. So how can we get back in charge?

Folks are sometimes surprised to find out that Social Security benefits are taxable, like how salary is taxed as ordinary income at your highest marginal rate. But not all the benefit is taxable: depending on your other income, you may be taxed on as much as 85% of your Social Security benefit, or as little as 0%.