I know I have been hinting at a new website for a while, but it’s really going to happen.

The long-awaited, new website is nearly ready to launch. Just a few tweaks, I am told, and we will be good to go.

Or did they say weeks? (Sorry it’s taken so long).

Nevertheless, this will be the last blog post on this website.

According to my current website host, we’ve posted 320 (mostly) original blog posts since this website originally launched in September of 2013!

Soon, the new website will be live and we will resume posting new, original blog posts each week.

The same, but different

We look forward to what the new year, new decade, and new website will bring, but there is a lot that will stay the same.

The new website will have the same web address. We will continue to post meaningful, original content for our readers each week. And clients will continue to be able to access their accounts in the same ways they always have.

Most importantly, our commitment to you, our clients, to providing the best financial planning and investment services possible, and to always putting your interests before our own will never waiver.

“Getting old ain’t for sissies”, according to Bette Davis.

If you are a client “of a certain age” we’ve likely talked about the need for long-term care insurance. Or at least the need to have a well-informed discussion about how to pay for care in the event you or your spouse should need it.

As a financial planner I see what happens to a family’s personal finances when a client or their spouse requires some level of long-term health care. I have also witnessed the lengths that spouses and other family members will go to help their loved ones, even to the point of putting their own mental and physical health, financial security and quality of life at risk.

Whether or not to purchase a long-term care policy is a big financial decision. Premiums are not cheap and they will likely increase over time. Long-term care insurance isn’t the answer for everyone and it probably won’t cover 100% of your need. Nevertheless, having a realistic plan to provide care is a key part of your retirement plan.

Below is a link to an article written by MorningStar’s Christine Benz about the statistical likelihood of needing care and the costs associated with it.

Must Know Statistics About Long-Term Care: 2019 Edition.

Give it a read and draw your own conclusions.

Atul Gawande, author of the book, Being Mortal, looks at long-term care from a different angle. He argues that if you live long enough you will either require long-term care or you will be a caregiver to someone who requires care.

If you would like to know more about how long-term care planning fits into your retirement strategy, please contact me directly.

If you would like more information about long-term care in general, click this link from the State of MN.

The first Tuesday in December is “Giving Tuesday”. Last week we gave thanks for the blessings in our lives. The week before Minnesotans gave to the max as they donated over $21.6 million to their favorite charities on Give To The Max Day 2019.

This time of year is definitely the season for giving.

Of course, you can make a financial gift at any time of the year, but during the holidays people tend to give more as they try to meet year-end tax deadlines before the next tax year begins.

Dana Holt, founder of Holt Consulting, is charitable gift planning educator, coach and professional speaker. She teaches financial advisors, planned giving professionals and others how to make the most of their clients’ resources to make a difference in lives of others and the organizations they love.

Below is a guest post from Dana regarding three common, but very effective strategies to make the most of your year-end charitable gifts.