How high do you think the Federal Reserve will have to push interest rates to fully tame inflation? Some good news first: inflation is much, much lower than it was last summer. From its 2022 peak, headline inflation has plummeted to 3.2% in July after rising slightly over June’s reading.1 Core inflation (subtracting volatile food […]

Quick question: What do you usually find yourself reading? News summaries, headlines, and quick bits to keep yourself updated? Or longer reads like books and articles? We’re ever more inundated with information that’s eager to capture our attention. We click because we want to stay up to speed and avoid missing out. The trouble is, […]

What if you could blink and suddenly be living the retirement of your dreams? What would that look like? Would you be relaxing by glittering waters on a warm, white sandy beach? Would you be on a new adventure in the great outdoors? Or maybe you’d be enjoying more time around your favorite stomping grounds. […]

With a volatile 2022 in the books and numerous uncertainties looming in 2023, we’d like to provide you with our annual Recap, Outlook, Risks, and Opportunities. 2022 Recap 2023 Outlook Asset Class Returns – Next 5 Years Risks Opportunities While sticking to the financial plan is rarely easy, history has shown it is the best […]

What would make your life better? A new house or car? A bigger paycheck or bank account? It’s easy to want more when you think of being happier and living better.1 And there’s little doubt that money can buy some (more) happiness.2 But the happiness we get from money is fundamentally limited.3 It leaves us […]

The base of your financial planning should be your goals and objectives. Goals are basically a result or achievement toward which you are willing to expend time and effort. Goals vary with the individual’s wishes; hence, you set your own. Defining effective goals requires developing some particular characteristics for those goals. For example, “I want […]

The associate minister at my church once said he lost his mother twice—once when she no longer recognized him and once when she passed away. His mother suffered from Alzheimer’s disease. According to the Alzheimer’s Association “2015 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures,” more than 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease. It was the […]

Changes in 2017.Changes in Social Security benefits for 2017 have been announced. The cost of living adjustment is an increase of 0.3% (an increase of $5 per month for the average recipient). A small increase, but an increase none the less; there was no increase in benefits for 2016.   Social Security taxes are paid […]

 Living on the Financial Edge At Paragon Financial Advisors, we recommend our clients have a 3-6 month cash “ready reserve” to meet unexpected expenditures. For most Americans, accumulating that amount appears to be much easier said than done. In the May, 2016 The Atlantic magazine, Neal Gabler wrote an article entitled “The Secret Shame of […]

How much should I own? How do I know how much death benefit is appropriate for my family? This is where working with a Financial Planner can help you accurately assess how much exactly your family would need today if you were to pass. How much of your current debts, future college costs and retirement […]