Alexander Velting

The economic outlook does not mean that investors should make dramatic changes to their portfolios or, worse yet, panic and sell when markets falter. Volatile periods are one of the most important times to stick with your plan and remember that a recession does not mean a lack of market opportunity. Recessions and corrections are natural features of the economic and market cycles. Sticking to a long-term plan and staying invested and diversified, even in areas that haven’t done well, remain the core tenets that I believe to create and maintain financial security for my clients. Every part of your portfolio should fit within your carefully crafted financial plan and be tied to a goal or objective—and stocks are investments for the long term.

Fed Signals Rate Cuts Are Coming—Now Comes the Hard Part News of a likely rate cut in September was overshadowed by weak economic data. We look at why investors’ concerns are warranted.

Now you’ve got more options for unused money in a 529 college savings plan. Let’s talk through the best strategy for you.

529 to Roth IRA Rollovers: How to Convert Unused 529 Funds Beneficiaries of 529 college savings plans can roll over their unused funds to a Roth IRA—without owing federal tax or penalties. Learn more about this strategy.

What could be better than a career that lets you make your own schedule? How about one that values your entrepreneurial spirit, has big earning potential, and people happy to help you along the way. Come join my team. Message me to find out more.

Is current market performance out of step with the business cycle?

What Impact Will Inflation and the Business Cycle Have on the Markets? Inflation is creeping higher, and there are signs we are in the late stages of a business cycle. We look at what this means for the economy and markets.

Did you know that your income in retirement can increase your Medicare premiums by thousands of dollars? Let’s build a plan to ensure you’re efficiently generating retirement income to minimize impacts like this.

How Retirement Income Impacts Medicare Costs If your modified-adjusted gross income is over a certain amount in retirement, you may be subject to IRMAA: an added charge on Medicare premiums.

If you have questions about life insurance as you separate from the military, please reach out.

What to Know About Life Insurance for Veterans Here’s what to know about life insurance as you separate from military service.

I am hiring! Our financial advisor role allows you to make an impact on others, while creating freedoms and flexibility for yourself. If you or someone you know would be interested in learning more, please reach out to me! You'd get to be mentored by yours truly, and work with a lot of great people. 😊

We are hiring for our summer and winter internship program, too, for college students, ideally juniors and seniors! It’s a top 10 paid internship program in the nation.

How much you need for retirement is a personal decision. If you’re looking for ways to strengthen your plan, please reach out.

What Is the Average 401(k) Balance by Age? This is how much you want to have saved at each age.

Not sure which IRA is right for you? Check out this fun guide, or send me a DM to set up a conversation and get personalized advice, tailored to your financial situation and future goals. I’m ready when you are!

Northwestern Mutual announced their 2024 dividend payout— an expected $7.3 billion. The largest-ever. I’m proud to be part of a company that shares their success with clients, and whose financial strength allows us to be there for them through all economic conditions. Get more details:

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Let’s work on these steps together.

A Financial Wellness Checklist for Your Small Business In 5 easy steps, jump start your planning with this small business financial wellness checklist.

Investment professionals talk about this a lot. But what exactly is it?

What Is Price-to-Earnings Ratio? A company’s price-to-earnings ratio does not communicate the why behind a company’s valuation. It’s up to the investor to look at the PE ratio and dive deeper to understand whether there are legitimate reasons for a company’s ratio to be higher or lower than would be expected.

These are some common questions people have been asking about the Silicon Valley Bank failure.

What to Know About Silicon Valley Bank The recent failure of Silicon Valley Bank has left investors with a number of questions. Here are answers to some of the concerns surrounding the bank’s demise.

It’s certainly possible, but it all hinges on the lifestyle you plan to live in retirement. Let’s talk about your retirement aspirations and set a savings goal that’s right for you.

Can a Couple Retire With $2 Million? Can a couple retire with $2 million? Maybe, but you should ask these questions so you can find the savings goal that’s right for you.

According to a Northwestern Mutual/Forbes survey, only 34% of business owners have a fully formed succession plan.

Have you considered how your business will endure without you? Connect with me to discuss your exit strategy today.

Guide to Business Succession Planning According to a Northwestern Mutual/Forbes survey, 74 percent of business owners want to take steps to ensure their businesses live on long after they’re no longer running them.

Take our quiz to find out.

Are Your Finances Ready for Your First Child? Your first child changes your life in the most amazing ways. But it also changes your finances. Are your finances ready for a baby? Take our quiz to find out.

Investing is a great way to grow money over time. But it’s important to manage the risks that come with investing. One of the best ways to do that is to strategically diversify you investments.

What’s the Best Way to Invest Money? There’s no one best way to invest money. But the best investment strategies tend to have one thing in common: diversification.

We’re here to help if you have questions about adapting your retirement strategy.

Should You Consider a Phased Retirement? Easing into retirement could be beneficial for both your mindset and your finances. Here’s how to know if a phased retirement is right for you.

Investing is an important part of financial planning, but it’s just one part. Please reach out if you’d like to learn more about how investing fits into a broader financial plan.

Investing While in Your 20s Learn how to start investing while you’re in your 20s, including some key investing concepts to consider and how investing is part of a larger financial plan.

Americans will transfer as much as $72.6 trillion in assets to heirs through 2045, and 42% of that wealth will come from high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth households. If you don’t have a wealth transfer plan in place, I can help you build one.

Maximizing Wealth Transfer: Estate, Gift, and GST Tax Exemptions To help maximize your wealth transfer, tax efficiency must be a top priority. By transferring your wealth in the most tax-efficient manner, you’ll pass along more of the wealth you’ve worked so hard to build and preserve for future generations.

A look at why longer-duration bonds should be part of your portfolio.

Fixed Income: The Case Against Piling Into Cash Volatility in fixed income has led investors to pile into short-term bonds. Before making any moves, it’s important to consider duration risk.

Having a solid and flexible plan can help you ensure a stable income in any economic environment.

Reach out if you have questions about how recent government actions and the current economy are affecting your retirement plan.

How Inflation Is Impacting Retirement Planning It’s important to take into account how rising costs could affect your retirement plan. Here’s how to make sure your plan is solid.

The IRS has released new income thresholds for tax brackets and a new standard deduction for 2023. Here are the new numbers and a look at how to calculate how they translate into the amount of federal tax you will owe.

Here’s How Tax Brackets Work Tax brackets can be confusing. We explain how you can use them to estimate your tax bill.

If you’re interested in retiring earlier than expected, let’s talk about how that could impact your retirement income strategy.

Thinking of Retiring Early’? Consider These 5 Things First The pandemic has prompted some people to move up retirement. But there are some financial considerations to address before you decide to retire early.

Investors tempted to time the market should think twice. See Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company Chief Investment Officer Brent Schutte’s explanation of why trying to predict market inflection points is futile.

There’s Never a Good Time to Call a Market Bottom We look at the perils of trying to time the market and why we remain convinced inflation is set to drop.

Investors continue to parse and react to often conflicting data as they try to anticipate when the Federal Reserve may ease up on rate hikes. See Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company Chief Investment Officer Brent Schutte’s latest take on where the economy may be headed and why a drop in price pressures may be on the horizon.

Inflation Fears Fuel Another Volatile Week We look at the latest inflation data and retail sales figures to determine where price pressures may be headed in the coming months.

57% of people in the 2022 Northwestern Mutual Great Realization survey cited finances as a top roadblock to reaching big life goals.

If you’re not sure what next steps to take to make progress, let’s have a conversation.

How to Build Strong Financial Habits Based on Your Personality If you haven’t been able to build financial habits that work for your personality type, Gretchen Rubin offers advice based on her Four Tendencies framework.