Planning for Your First Required Minimum Distribution in Retirement
Jamie Hopkins, Managing Partner, Wealth Solutions Qualified retirement plans – such as 401(k)s, 403(b)s and IRAs – offer clear tax advantages. Traditional 401(k)s,…

Senate Addresses Taxes, Deficit, Inflation, Health Care in Proposed Bill
By Jamie Hopkins, Managing Director, Wealth Services Sonu Varghese, Director, Investment Platforms; and Ryan Detrick, Chief Market Strategist, contributed to this…

How Can a Financial Plan Help Relieve Stress? A Former-NFL Player’s Perspective
Jamie Hopkins, Managing Partner, Wealth Solutions Marques Ogden thinks back on 2013, when he was living in Raleigh, North Caroliona. He had no financial planning…
What You Need to Do 10, 5 and 1 Year Before Retirement
by Jamie P. Hopkins, ESQ., CFP®, LLM, CLU®, ChFC®, RICP® Regardless of how far off you are from retirement, there’s one main goal your planning should be…
What is the SECURE Act 2.0? Key Takeaways from the Latest in Retirement Legislation
By Jamie Hopkins, Managing Partner, Wealth Solutions The next wave of retirement planning reform is headed for shore. The Securing A Strong Retirement Act of…
Most Changes to Personal Taxes, Retirement Plans Dropped from Build Back Better Act
In September, I covered the proposed tax plan released by Democrats on the House Ways and Means Committee, which would help pay for the $3.5 trillion Build Back…
Proposed Bill Includes Tax Increases for High Earners, Retirement Account Changes
Last week, Democrats on the House Ways and Means Committee released a draft of their proposed tax plan, which includes changes to corporate, personal and other taxes,…
Thinking of Social Security as Our Biggest Asset
You might have more money stashed away in the Social Security trust fund than anywhere else. In fact, what you put into Social Security very well might be your biggest…

What to Consider if You Receive the Monthly Child Tax Credit Payments
The first payment of the Child Tax Credit started hitting bank accounts on July 15 and will continue every month for the rest of 2021. The monthly distribution…

Your High-Income Years are Key to Retirement Planning. So Get Stubborn
There’s a funny quote from Cal Ripken Jr., the Iron Man of baseball: “A lot of people say stubbornness is a bad thing, but it’s served me well.” When it…

Rebate Checks, Child Tax Credits, Unemployment Benefits and More: What You Need to Know about the $1.9 Trillion Stimulus Package
The latest stimulus package – signed into law Thursday by the Biden Administration – is built to boost the middle class and low-income Americans, the goal…

17 Things You Need to Know About the New Stimulus Package
By Jamie Hopkins, Director of Retirement Research at Carson Congress passed the new $900 billion economic relief and spending bill on Monday. While most of the focus…

In the SECURE Act Era, You’ll Need a New Retirement Strategy. Roth Conversions Could Be It.
By Jamie Hopkins, Director of Retirement Research Get ready for a new normal. With the SECURE Act comes the demise of the stretch strategy – and that could cost…

Yes, Social Security Income Is Taxable – But Yours Doesn’t Have To Be
By Jamie Hopkins, Director of Retirement Research As you move toward retirement, you can’t be content just to accumulate assets. You need to develop a retirement…

The Progression of Financial Planning Through Every Decade of Your Life
By Jamie Hopkins Your career and lifestyle look completely different when you’re in your 20s compared to when you’re in your 60s – your financial focus and…

5 Reasons to Think About Long-Term Care Planning Today
By Jamie Hopkins, Director of Retirement Research at Carson Group I once received an email from a family friend about long-term care insurance. He was frustrated…