Blog

Here is a preview of what I will be discussing with my UNK Personal Finance class this week.  Feel free to use any to get the conservation started at your Thanksgiving Dinner.To help prove to your family that you are paying...

TAXTEMBER: Tax Loss Harvesting

Troy Brockmeier, CFA

Monday, September 26, 2022

This week for Taxtember we are going review Tax Loss Harvesting (TLH) strategy.  Another name for TLH could be “making lemonade from lemons” since you are implementing this strategy when the market falls.  This...

Did you know there is a unique way to earn income completely tax-free?  We are not talking about some under the table cash transaction, but a legitimate way to do a short-term rental of your property, and the income you...

If you are currently a W-2 employee, analyzing your paystub can give you a great insight into what your tax bill will be in April and if changes should be made.A lot of Americans make a determination on how the tax process...

TAXTEMBER: How Income Flows on Your Tax Return

Troy Brockmeier, CFA

Tuesday, September 6, 2022

Source:  The White Coat Investor  We are back with another month of Taxtember.  A month filled with ideas and education around all things taxes.The above “flowchart” provides a nice (but detailed) view...

FIND THE EXACT DAY WHEN TO TAKE SOCIAL SECURITY

Troy Brockmeier, CFA

Saturday, July 16, 2022

At Oldfather Financial Services, we have purchased Social Security timing software that will give our clients the exact month they should begin taking Social Security. It takes into consideration your past earnings, your spouse’s...

I WON'T...

Troy Brockmeier, CFA

Tuesday, June 28, 2022

Every year in January, we try to do resolutions on what we will do for the following year. Since we are half way through the year and your resolutions probably went out the window long ago, let’s try some reverse psychology and...

It is important to trust your financial advisor. But is your financial advisor worthy of your trust? How do you know? Do they put your interests first or their own? Your advisor is in business so they have to make money but you have a...

Most people know that you should have three to six months of savings in case an emergency happens. Having money set aside in the bank can really help when a financial emergency occurs such as getting laid off of work, having a large...

TAXTEMBER - PROPERTY TAX RELIEF FOR NEBRASKANS

Troy Brockmeier, CFA

Tuesday, September 28, 2021

For Taxtember, we want to demonstrate a way for older Nebraskans to save money on Property Taxes. This is for Nebraska residents who are at least 65 years, or disabled, or are veterans may qualify for the Nebraska Homestead Exemption....

TAXTEMBER - BULLSEYE

Troy Brockmeier, CFA

Thursday, September 16, 2021

Taxtember took a whole new focus this past week when word from Washington on proposed tax increase were released. You may have felt like you had a bullseye on your back if your income was above a certain threshold. The proposed tax...

TAXTEMBER - TRIPLE TAX ADVANTAGE ACCOUNT

Troy Brockmeier, CFA

Wednesday, September 8, 2021

Nothing cooler during Taxtember than to talk about something being triple tax advantage. To achieve that label: Contributions are tax-free - You don’t have to pay income taxes as they come pre-tax from your paycheck or from your...

TAXTEMBER - TIMING, TIMING, TIMING

Troy Brockmeier, CFA

Wednesday, September 1, 2021

Welcome to another year of the month of Taxtember. A month we focus on explaining various tax strategies that are available. We have had some great market returns for the past 3 years (what pandemic?). So, your portfolio is looking...

SOME ADVISERS NEED TO BE CHECKED OUT

William Oldfather

Monday, June 28, 2021

The title “financial advisor” implies some kind of expertise in giving financial advice. But is that really true or is it just a little bit deceptive? The fact is that just about anyone can call themselves a financial...

**NEW** SOCIAL SECURITY STATEMENT

Troy Brockmeier, CFA

Monday, June 21, 2021

In May, we sent out an article on HERE’S WHEN TO FILE FOR SOCIAL SECURITY. As a follow up, we are now asking have you checked out the **NEW** Your Social Security Statement? (See above.) The Social Security Administration has...

INVESTORS BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF AMERICA

William Oldfather

Monday, June 7, 2021

For many people the stock market is a mystery. We see the numbers reported every day and when the market has big gains or losses it is headline news. But what do these numbers mean and why are they sometimes so volatile? It seems like...

SMART INVESTORS NEVER REALLY RETIRE

William Oldfather

Wednesday, June 2, 2021

On your last day of work, when you finally retire, you may think you are past the financial finish line. But in reality, it is just the beginning. Investing, taxes and financial planning completely change once you retire. For decades...

TAKE TIME TO MAKE A PLAN FOR FINANCIAL SUCCESS

William Oldfather

Monday, May 24, 2021

According to a recent survey only 33% of Americans have a financial plan. Of those who don’t have a plan 42%, say they don’t think they have enough money to have a plan, 22% say it’s too complicated and 19% say they...

HERE'S WHEN TO FILE FOR SOCIAL SECURITY

William Oldfather

Monday, May 17, 2021

For the average American household Social Security is their biggest retirement asset. Yet many people fumble the kickoff to their retirement years. They just guess when it comes to the question of when to start taking their Social...

PANDEMIC A LESSON IN STOCK MARKET DYNAMICS

William Oldfather

Monday, April 26, 2021

This is an interesting time in history for everyone. We have just been through a year of crisis like most of us have never seen. Not only has the crisis affected your life this last year but it has affected your investments as well....

In a famous research experiment known as the marshmallow experiment, 4 and 5 year-old children were asked to sit down at a table in a room. A researcher then placed a marshmallow on the table in front of the child and proposed a deal....

Professor Brockmeier

Troy Brockmeier, CFA

Tuesday, October 13, 2020

I have started a new adventure this past semester as an Adjunct Professor at UNK teaching a Personal Finance class. Jeremy Armagost of Wealth Plan Partners and I agreed to each teach a class for the College of Business and Technology....

Taxtember Start Here

Troy Brockmeier, CFA

Tuesday, September 29, 2020

The month of Taxtember is now over, I hope that you have taken advantage of some of the tips and strategies that we discussed this month to lower your tax bill. I know within our office we are setting up four new Donor Advised Funds,...

Taxtember: Charitable Giving

Troy Brockmeier, CFA

Tuesday, September 22, 2020

This week for Taxtember we will discuss charitable giving strategies to reduce your taxes. With the 2018 tax cut, more taxpayers now take the higher standard deduction than itemizing their deductions on their 1040. So, a donation to a...

Taxtember: Tax Loss Harvesting

Troy Brockmeier, CFA

Tuesday, September 15, 2020

This week for Taxtember we are going review Tax Loss Harvesting (TLH) strategy. Another name for TLH could be “making lemonade from lemons” since you are implementing this strategy when the market falls. Say what you want...

Taxtember: ROTH Conversion

Troy Brockmeier, CFA

Tuesday, September 8, 2020

Welcome to the second week of Taxtember. Today we discuss ROTH Conversions. Over the next few years with the tax cuts put into place in 2018 and expiring in 2025, you are going to hear a lot of financial sites recommend doing a ROTH...

WELCOME TO TAXTEMBER!

Troy Brockmeier, CFA

Tuesday, September 1, 2020

We have renamed the 9th month of the year to TAXTEMBER!!! It is a month to focus on all things taxes because taxes matter. During this month of Taxtember, we will provide various tax planning strategies that you can implement in your...

A website designed to START HERE

Troy Brockmeier, CFA

Monday, July 6, 2020

For the last few years, our website was pretty much like every other financial advisor or broker out there. Just search “Any Financial Advisor Website” and you will see pretty pictures of a sunset or smart looking people...

WHAT CAN STOCK MARKET CRASHES TEACH US ABOUT INVESTING?

William Oldfather

Monday, May 11, 2020

There are lessons to be learned from stock market crashes. It’s a shame that many people don’t learn them. There have been many market crashes. The two I remember most are the 1987 crash when the market went down 22% in one...

BIG DROP IN DOW INVESTORS' SIGNAL TO ACT

William Oldfather

Monday, April 6, 2020

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped a total of 10,000 points in 23 days during March. If you are a do it yourself investor sitting on your hands or your advisor is telling you to just hang on, you can do better. You need to be...

WHAT YOUR MONTHLY STATEMENT WILL REVEAL

Troy Brockmeier, CFA

Wednesday, April 1, 2020

Very soon you will be notified that your first quarter statement is available or you will receive your statement via the mail. What are you going to do? Are you going to open it or just file it in the drawer? I have had several clients...

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR FINANCIAL ADVISOR

Troy Brockmeier, CFA

Tuesday, March 31, 2020

Do you operate as a fiduciary all of the time?YES, we always act in the best interest of our clients at all times. We must be transparent with all of our fees. We are not dually registered like most brokers in the community. Most...

WE'VE SEEN THE STOCK MARKET DROP MANY TIMES

William Oldfather

Monday, March 23, 2020

The novel Coronavirus COVID-19 is having an unprecedented effect on almost every aspect of our lives. Today, we are right in the middle of this crisis and life in America has changed dramatically. The danger is real and the media is...

STAY AT YOUR TARGET

Troy Brockmeier, CFA

Friday, February 28, 2020

Remember that time when meeting with your financial advisor and they started talking about a target asset allocation? Trying to determine what percentage of your portfolio is in high return stocks and how much is in low return bonds....

PETS AND FINANCES

Troy Brockmeier, CFA

Tuesday, February 18, 2020

A couple of years ago my daughter presented a 27 slide PowerPoint presentation on why gerbils make great pets. She was twelve at the time and has done a wonderful job taking care of Mochi and Jupiter. A year ago she started hinting...

BE WARY OF WORKSHOPS

William Oldfather

Friday, January 31, 2020

I wrote a column about 2 years ago about free dinner seminars. If you are over 55 you know about these free dinner invitations you used to get in the mail. You show up for a free dinner but you have to sit through a not so subtle sales...

FROST POINTS

Troy Brockmeier, CFA

Monday, January 13, 2020

I think parents of Scouts like to see the expressions of co-workers when they asked what they are doing this weekend. Camping! So, that is what I did this past weekend. Our Troop along with several other area Boy Scout Troops headed...

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM OLDFATHER FINANCIAL!

Troy Brockmeier, CFA

Thursday, January 2, 2020

Happy New Year from Oldfather Financial! We wanted to provide everyone a 2020 Quick Reference guide on Contribution Limits and Tax Reference. CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE GUIDE This will give you the contribution limits for various...

My son Charlie has just achieved the rank of Eagle Scout with Troop 158. We are very proud of his accomplishment and he came away with a lifetime of memories during this journey. Compared to sports, Scouting gives a parent and child...

In the last Journal, Bill discussed various details to keep the Tax man away. To continue in that theme here are some other ideas/suggestions on what to do before the end of the year…. Contribute Maximize your contributions to...

When you are working your income is your paycheck but after you retire things can be much more complicated. When you are working the taxes you pay are pretty straight forward. You make this much you pay that much. When you retire...

Age alone doesn’t kill the bull. Of course I am talking about the stock market. The bull market is over 10 years old and it’s been a great ride. On March 9, 2009 the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 6,547, today it is...

Solo 401k – Best idea out there There can be a lot of benefits when you are self employed. You are the boss. You can set your own hours, dress code, and when you will take vacations. Most self employed owners do not realize there...

One of the key investment concepts most investors do not understand is risk versus return. This important idea means that generally the more return you get the riskier the investment. It sounds simple but it can get complicated fast...

School is back in session and usually the first essay that a student does is writing about what they did this past summer. So for that theme, we wanted to let you know what we have been up to at Oldfather Financial Services. Reduce...

If you ask that question to any Financial Advisor the answer will be a resounding “YES”!!! However, the answer is probably closer to a “Maybe”. A few years ago Vanguard quantified that a Financial Advisor can...

I just got back from a great time white water rafting the Colorado River with my father. On the long car ride home I got to think about how white water rafting can be a lot like investing… Here are the similarities that I see:...

For almost three decades, I’ve been helping people become financially successful mainly by giving advice about how to save and invest. In that time I’ve seen my share of people making bad financial decisions. I’ve...

Everyone knows as we age our healthcare costs will increase. Many seniors struggle to keep up with the increasing cost of healthcare while their incomes are static or even decreasing. Once you reach age 65 the overwhelming majority of...

Investors seriously underestimate the importance of the fees they pay. In fact most investors don’t even know what they are paying their financial advisor because it is secondary to the sales process. Once you are hooked you are...

Only looking at income gets a lot of investors in trouble. In this consumer society we are trained to look for the best deal so who wouldn’t take a 5% return over a 2% return? But total return and principal protection are much...

Have you ever dreamed about winning the lottery? All you have to do is pick 5 numbers from 1 to 69 in order and a sixth Powerball number from 1 to 26. It seems like you would have a pretty good chance. But you really don’t. The...

It is tax season and as Americans get their tax returns back they are discovering any charitable gifts they made in 2018 may no longer deductible. This is because the new tax law effective for the first time in 2018 raises the standard...

We have heard plenty about the methods (money) that families will go through to get their children into various schools. I have been taking particular interest as my son applied last year to some of the schools and ultimately decided...

A million dollars is not what it used to be. Not so long ago a millionaire was the person who inherited their money, lived in a big house, drove an expensive car, had a high paying job. They were living the good life. This stereotype...

It is becoming increasingly difficult for children to have better lives than their parents. The high cost of education and the shrinking middle class are just two of reasons for this. Not too long ago you could make enough money at a...

Who is your financial advisor? An acquaintance, friend, a friend of a friend, someone you know from church, your college room mate’s brothers friend? The relationship with your financial advisor may be a very personal...

The ROTH IRA is a great way to save for retirement. A ROTH is a retirement account much like a traditional IRA. The contribution limits are the same, $6,000 a year for 2019, with investors over age 50 able to save an additional $1000....

Jack Bogle recently passed away at age 89. You probably don’t know his name but he was the leading voice for the small investor in the financial services industry. Jack Bogle was a hero to me and had tremendous influence on my...

I have seen a lot of people over the years make simple mistakes with their money. The following is a list of the most common mistakes. Take a look at the list and see if there is something you can do to improve yourself and your...

Happy New Year! This always is a time of reflection and investors should not be in any different. As we all saw in December, the market won’t always be in our favor. The stock market and interest rates are items an investor...

A ROTH IRA conversion is a way to take existing traditional IRA accounts and convert them into a ROTH IRA. The big advantage of a ROTH is that you have no taxes when you withdraw the money and there is no requirement to take minimum...

At times like these investors are paying closer attention to their 401(k)’s and other investments. Many of you are opening your statements and seeing the change in the balance from last month and feel like you have to do...

Today I am going to talk about variable annuities. I do not sell them, in fact I don’t sell any investment products but most “financial advisors” do sell annuities. If you think today’s politics are polarized...

The recent slide in the stock market should not be a surprise to anyone. Since the epic decline during the financial crisis 10 years ago the stock market has gone almost straight up more than tripling in value. The fact that it’s...

The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 25% in 2017. It was a good year, but it was also one of the quietest years for stocks since 1964. The volatility or the day-by-day up and down fluctuations of the market was the lowest in over 50...

What is the retirement gap? The retirement gap is the difference between your retirement income and the actual expenses you will have after you retire. The number one cause of this gap is that people are living longer. It makes sense...

How is your health? I am not talking about whether you have the flu. I am talking about your financial health. There are many indicators of your financial health but the one most used by financial planners is your net worth. It is...

Everyone has heard about how the new tax law is less complex and saves people money. The new law will reduce taxes for a large number of people and make it simple for some people to file their taxes. The main reason for this is that...

I will stop procrastinating – tomorrow. Procrastination is that strong and mysterious force that keeps us from completing important tasks. Like the college student that pulls an all-nighter to cram for the big test the next day....

COUNT ALL COSTS BECAUSE FEES MATTERMarch 18, 2017Those of you that regularly read this column know I am a huge fan of Warren Buffett. Not just because he has built the worlds 4th largest public company from the ashes of a failing...

Higher Education Demands Savings Plan with Traction March 17, 2017 Saving for higher education expenses is a major financial goal for many families. Remember it is always cheaper to save now rather than borrowing later. In most cases...

That Free Dinner and Seminar Could Cost You March 4, 2017 Did you know that there are five seasons not four? They are winter, spring, summer, fall and seminar season. As sure as spring follows winter - for a couple of months after the...

A gift to your church or your favorite cause is the perfect way to give back to your community and provide help to those who are less fortunate 12/3/2016

Whether you are planning a trip, a project at work or just deciding what you are going to do for the holidays you have to imagine the future 11/19/2016

Stock market investors underpform the stock market by a substanial amount every year for two main reasons 10/05/2016

A retirement plan is all about saving but you also need to know how and why it works. 9/19/16

Big changes are coming for your retirement accounts. 9/19/16

No one likes to think out their own demise 7/28/16

If you want high standards, you'll want the fiduciary standard. 3/19/16

History is littered with people who made bold predictions about the future and turned out to be spectacularly wrong. 1/16/16

Investors are focused on return more than risk. 12/19/15

The Baby boom generation will begin to turn 70 next year. The boomer generation kicked off in 1946 with a 22% increase in babies being born compared to the previous year. 10/29/15

Investing is defined as purchasing an item or an asset with the hope that it will either appreciate in the future or generate income. 7/25/15

Customer Service Checklist

Troy Brockmeier, CFA

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

We will be covering this during our Fall Client Meetings... Customer Service Checklist OFS Portal - Through our online portal you have access to: Account Balances Portfolio Performance Asset Allocation OFS Document Vault – 1099...

ROTHtober

Troy Brockmeier, CFA

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

ROTHtober  ROTH Contributions A ROTH IRA is a tax-advantaged individual retirement account to which you can contribute after-tax dollars. The primary benefit of a ROTH IRA is that your contributions and the earnings on those...

I attended the 50th annual Berkshire Hathaway meeting in Omaha at the beginning of May 5/9/15

Talking to people about their finances every day I hear some a really interesting things. 2/5/15

We have all heard about the boiling frog syndrome 12/30/14

There are few words in the English language that will scare people more than the words “financial planning”. 11/23/14

Have you ever purchased a used car? 7/21/14

There is a story on Wall Street that is more than a century old about a visitor to New York who admired the yachts the bankers and stockbrokers had moored in the harbor. 6/30/14

Over time if you are losing money in the stock market it is your own fault. 5/27/14

No one wants to think about their own mortality. 2/18/14

What is wealth? The concept of wealth can apply to anything of value. 2/10/14

Investors really love stocks, and because of that the stock market is hovering around an all time high. 11/14/13

Banks and Brokerage firms are frequently fined hundreds of millions of dollars for selling bad investments. 8/19/13