Have you seen the price for private and even public universities lately? If so, it’s likely you experienced a bit of sticker shock. The national average net price increase for the cost of attendance is bordering on 5% for both private and public universities in recent years, so this is a common challenge many families are facing.  Despite the temptation to bury your head in the sand it’s worth facing the fact that college is still very much worth the investment.

Most business owners will agree: scaling a profitable business is not easy. It takes a strong vision, sufficient capital, the right leadership and great talent to build a valuable business asset. Even if you never decide to sell, creating a profitable business asset is an incredible way to build wealth. However, many business owners lack the right playbooks and resources to unlock the wealth trapped in their business.

If retirement is on the horizon for you or if you have already taken the leap, you may have amassed savings and wealth but aren’t sure how to go about living off of that in retirement. Moreover, you may not have thought about “sequence of return risk”.

Usually, owners of pass-through entities pay federal and state income taxes on the net income “passed through” to them on their personal tax returns. The business entity itself does not pay income taxes. Virginia’s General Assembly developed a system where the business entity itself is taxed at the state level, effectively allowing a federal deduction for the full amount of income taxes paid to the state.

Start by defining the purpose of your wealth. In other words: What’s the money for? What are you trying to do with your wealth, and why does this matter to you or future generations? Reframe the language surrounding your wealth by identifying your family values.

Usually, owners of pass-through entities pay federal and state income taxes on the net income “passed through” to them on their personal tax returns. The business entity itself does not pay income taxes. Recognizing that combined state and local income taxes plus property taxes generally exceed $10,000 for many business owners, some states have developed a system where the business entity itself is taxed at the state level.

It’s difficult to make investment decisions around events. It’s easy to get emotional when there is something coming on a known timeline, especially in a world consumed by the media that is always hunting for eyeballs. It’s significantly easier to worry, and whip up media-induced panic, about something that could happen on a specific date. It makes for endless punditry building towards an inevitable climax.

Every household has division of labor, and when it comes to money, oftentimes one person is handling the monthly bills and another person is managing the long-term investment portfolio. In essence, one person is looking through a microscope, the other through a telescope—you and your partner may be seeing a very different picture. Maybe you don’t think you have time to see the other view.