Kaizen Capsules

Last week, Katie, our Client Service Administrator, received a call from the “IRS” stating that she was being investigated, and requesting personal financial information. Fortunately, Katie recognized the scam and ignored the call.

We have been monitoring the situation with Washington State’s Guaranteed Education Tuition (GET) program, which is currently closed to new investors.

I am writing to summarize market performance in 2015 and to briefly share some thoughts on the outlook for the period ahead. These days, most newspaper headlines paint a dim view of the future. Without dismissing the very real issues that we are facing around the world, I want to share why we should be optimistic about the future.

You may recall the previous post discussing the Medicare Part B premium increases. Well, recently Congressional leaders and the Obama Administration fixed that potentially alarming premium increase under the recently-passed government budget deal.

 Retirement—financial independence—is a fundamental goal in financial planning. Today, baby boomers think about retiring between age 62 and age 65, and few consider working beyond age 70. But according to a recent Reuters report, millennials are likely to have to work until an average of 75 years old, 13 years longer than retirees today.