There are many rising costs senior citizens have to contend with, but your property taxes might not be one of them anymore. We took a look at programs affecting the Kansas counties surrounding Kansas City to see how you can save on property taxes. The ability to “freeze” or lock in your current property tax costs using the Homestead Act is one potential option.

You may also be eligible for other programs to assist with your property tax bills. However, there are rules and restrictions to qualify. If you’re on the Missouri side of Kansas City, check out our article on Kansas City, Missouri programs.

Rising costs and running out of money are a huge worry for many retirees. However, moving forward, you may be eligible for a new “tax freeze” on your Missouri personal property bill. Every little bit helps!

You need to be aware of many different rules and procedures. It’s also important to note that not all counties in Missouri are implementing this new benefit. You’ll need to check your specific county to see what applies to you.

Roth IRA conversions are a valuable tool in long-term tax planning. This method might save you tens of thousands of dollars or more on your taxes. But is there a best time of year to complete Roth conversions?

You must consider many variables to determine what’s best for you. Life happens, and your tax-saving strategies must be adjusted accordingly. This is why we typically evaluate and complete Roth conversions annually.

Getting accurate and timely information is critical to your success every tax season. Unfortunately, not all of the details about your financial life show up in your tax documents. Your accountant will need your input to understand the context of your tax documents.

You don't want to miss out on any potential tax savings or make a mistake on your taxes. This is why communicating and collaborating with your financial planner and accountant is so important. Timely and accurate information can prevent problems and possibly keep more money in your pocket.

This post was last updated on January 08, 2024, to reflect all updated information and best serve your needs.

Are you looking for ways to avoid taxes on retirement and Social Security income? There are many retirement tax strategies you should be aware of. You may even be looking for how to avoid taxes on withdrawals from your 401k or other investment accounts.

This post was last updated on January 07, 2024, to reflect all updated information and best serve your needs.

It seems like Roth conversions are all the rage, but are they really the right thing for you? There are many potential benefits, but there are some trade-offs to consider as well. The decision to use a Roth conversion incorporates a much longer timeline than many other tax-saving strategies.

This post was last updated on December 30, 2023, to reflect all updated information and best serve your needs.

If you’re required to take Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs), then knowing your options is important. Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) are a useful tool to keep in mind.

If you’re like 69% of Americans, you may have less than $1000 saved. Putting money away is a struggle for many individuals, but part of the problem may be how they’re doing it. 

One possible way to make saving easier is to utilize multiple accounts. Today, we’re going to look at the various reasons you should be saving and the types of accounts you can use to reach your goal. 

Many Americans are one paycheck away from going into debt to pay for an emergency. A report by the Federal Reserve on the economic well-being of U.S. households found that 40 percent of American’s can’t afford an unexpected $400 expense. Having some extra cash can help you be prepared in case financial disaster strikes.

There are many different ways to save money – some easier than others. Pick what works for you and stick with it for a few months, setting aside the money that you save in a separate savings account. You can use the extra money to start an emergency fund or invest for retirement.

If you’re looking for some ways to earn extra cash, getting a side hustle can be a good idea. Having extra money can help you cover your bills or pay down debt. Maybe you want some spending money for the weekend? Or you’d like to save up for a vacation? Earning money on the side can make a big difference and help you achieve your goals faster.

There are many different ways to make extra cash. Some require you to have specific equipment while others don’t need much in terms of startup costs. Browse through the ideas below and pick a few you can try out over the next few weeks.

This post was last updated on June 16, 2023, to reflect all updated information and best serve your needs.

Check out Clint’s interview on the Crushing Debt podcast! In the episode Clint and Shawn talk about the Financial Freedom Blueprint course and the financial planning process NextGen Wealth uses to help clients. You can listen to the episode on your favorite podcast player or just click the play button below.

This post was last updated on May 26, 2023, to reflect all updated information and best serve your needs.

Retirement doesn’t mean you’ll no longer need or want to bring in any additional income. This is far from the truth for many people who’ve found ways to generate additional income after reaching retirement.

Do you know how much you should have saved to retire? What if you want to retire by 60 or 65 – maybe even sooner like 50? The answer depends on many variables in your life and potential income sources.

There’s not really a “magic number” like, “If you have __, you can retire at __ years old.” We first need to figure out what your anticipated income needs will be in retirement – we can call this educated guessing. Once we have our best estimate (guess) of your expenses, we can start to uncover how much you might need for retirement.

Have you ever been afraid to log into your bank account or check your credit card balances? If you’re losing sleep over your personal finances, you’re not alone. According to a Bankrate survey, 36 percent of Americans are losing sleep over money troubles.

While money anxiety can be more common than we realize, it’s important to address it sooner rather than later. Ignoring your finances will hurt you in the long run, even if it feels better to bury your head in the sand right now. Money troubles never go away unless you take charge of your situation and address them head-on.

This post was last updated on January 20, 2021, to reflect all updated information and best serve your needs.

This article WILL NOT teach you how to win the lottery. However, it will teach you how to invest any large lump-sum of money that you come into unexpectedly. if you're looking for lottery get-rich-quick schemes, this is not the right article for you.

Budgeting and saving money are closely related because budgeting is the most effective tool people use to save money. And no, budgeting isn’t just about tightening the belt and spending less. It’s about putting your money to work for you so that you prioritize and spend on the things that are most important.

So today I will be sharing with you some of the most effective tips that you can use to be successful when it comes to budgeting and saving money.

As the old saying goes, the only constants in life are death and taxes. However, while you can’t avoid paying your share to the government, you may be able to lower your tax burden. Income shifting is a well-known tactic for moving money around so that you don’t have to pay as much in taxes. Today, we’re going to dive into this strategy and see how income shifting might be able to lower your taxes. 

What is Income Shifting?

The name of this tactic kind of gives it away. To reduce the amount you owe, you simply shift your income to another person. Let’s say that you’re in a relatively high tax bracket (i.e., 35 percent). So, instead of paying all of your income at that rate, you give part of it to a relative in a lower tax bracket (i.e., 10 percent).