Category: Retirement

Google provides an extensive range of benefits that can enhance your wealth, manage risk, and secure your future. By integrating Google’s compensation, retirement, and health benefits into your financial plan, you can better align these offerings with your long-term goals. Equity Awards Google’s stock units (GSUs) can be a powerful tool for achieving financial objectives. [...]

Beginning September 30, 2025, the U.S. Treasury will no longer issue paper checks for most federal payments. This change affects how Social Security benefits, tax refunds, trust and estate payments, and other government disbursements are delivered. All payments will transition to Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT), such as direct deposit into a bank account or a U.S. Treasury–issued Direct Express® [...]

In Coldstream’s inaugural Ask the Expert videocast episode, Wealth Manager Glen Goland, JD, CFP®, invites guest Elma Friend, President of Willamette Valley Benefits, to discuss Medicare. With over three decades of experience in healthcare and a focus on Medicare, Elma brings a wealth of expertise around Medicare trends and issues. Willamette Valley Benefits specializes in [...]

It’s that time of year again. The leaves are changing, the weather is cooling, and Medicare Open Enrollment is right around the corner. For many, this season brings a mix of confusion and stress. So many plans, acronyms, and deadlines—it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. But it doesn’t have to be. Think of this as your [...]

Qualified retirement accounts can be powerful tools in saving for your later years, but along with the benefits of pre-tax contributions and tax-deferred growth, there are limitations and rules that apply. A good thing can’t last forever, and―as the Beatles said―the taxman will eventually come for his cut. That’s where Required Minimum Distributions, or RMDs, [...]

As you plan for retirement, consider using one of the best options for building tax-advantaged savings—a Health Savings Account (HSA). An HSA is a medical savings account available to anyone enrolled in an HSA-compatible high-deductible health plan (HDHP), are covered under a “direct primary care service arrangement” (in which the monthly fee does not exceed [...]

Claiming Social Security is one of the most important financial decisions you’ll make in retirement—and it’s far from one-size-fits-all. Your choice will affect not only the size of your monthly benefit, but also the total amount you may receive over your lifetime. Factors such as your health, life expectancy, marital status, income needs, and confidence [...]

As wealth managers, we often help clients navigate strategies to maximize their retirement savings and tax advantages. One powerful tool in the arsenal is the Roth conversion, including the “Mega Backdoor Roth.” But what are Roth conversions, and how can they help you achieve your financial goals? What is a Roth Conversion? A Roth conversion [...]

On January 5, 2025, the Social Security Fairness Act was officially signed into law, repealing both the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO). These changes stand to meaningfully increase monthly Social Security benefits for workers who receive a pension based on work not covered by Social Security. What is the Windfall Elimination [...]