Retirement Resources

Merit is here to serve as a resource to you. Our goal is to help educate you to understand the necessary steps to make the best decision for you and your family.

Pros and Cons of Hiring a Financial Advisor: What You Need to Know

Pros and Cons of Hiring a Financial Advisor: What You Need to Know

Written by Brad Cast, RFC®, Wealth Manager & Partner In the world of personal finance, many people turn to financial advisors to help them make...
4 Things You Can do to ‘Recession-Proof’ Your Retirement

4 Things You Can Do to ‘Recession-Proof’ Your Retirement

Written by Kirk Wilkerson, CIMA®, CFF, Regional Director & Partner Many of us have a specific time by which we'd like to retire, such as...
8 Helpful Financial Planning Tips for a Great End of Year Review

8 Helpful Financial Planning Tips for a Great End of Year Review

Decisions are best made with a little time for reflection, good information, and advice from experienced professionals. These final weeks of the year are a...
How to Find a Financial Advisor Who is Truly Client Centric

How to Find a Financial Advisor Who is Truly Client-Centric

Written by: Joe Cilley, CFP®, Regional Director of Financial Planning Recently I saw an online profile of an advisor claiming to be “the easiest advisor...
Wealth Planning for Age 90, 100, and Beyond

Wealth Planning for Age 90, 100 – and Beyond

Thanks to medical technology advances, we’re living longer and in better health than ever. Some experts—like Harvard University Professor of Genetics David Sinclair, author of...
Social Security Guide

Social Security Guide

Written by: Tony Pitzer, CFP®, Partner, Wealth Manager If you’re at the beginning or middle of your working career, you may not have given much...
Financial Planning Checklist

Financial Planning Checklist: 8 Essential Components

Written by Andy Lubben, Regional Director | Partner We all know how important financial planning is. A financial plan acts as a guide as you...
doctor and patient

Making Sense of Medicare and Planning for a Healthy Retirement

Written by: Scott Crowe, Wealth Manager & Partner Planning for retirement calls for individuals to clarify their vision regarding future lifestyles and activities. With the...
man and women working

How a Practical Risk Evaluation May Improve Your Investment Portfolio

Building your wealth is a constant balancing act between adopting new growth opportunities and hedging your portfolio against risk. You want to get the best...
15 Best States to Retire in a Tax-Efficient Way

15 Best States to Retire in a Tax-Efficient Way

Even if you have substantial savings that will see you through your retirement years, you still need to make sure you are getting the most...
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Afraid of Outliving Your Retirement Savings? Here Is What You Need to Know

Written By: Brad Cast Outliving your retirement savings is a concern that many retirees face. You spent your entire working life saving so that you...
Retirement and Inheritance Fund Planning

Retirement and Inheritance Fund Planning: A Retirement Specialist Weighs In

No matter how old children get, parents will always see them as their little kids. They have years of memories of helping them get through...

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