Is charitable giving important to you? Are tax savings important to you? Well, I like both of those things too. Giving can be so rewarding and worth every penny. But if there’s also an opportunity to save some money on taxes while you’re at it, that sounds good to me.

With that in mind, let's take a look at a few changes to the tax rules from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act pertaining to giving that are going into effect next year. Some may help you, some may hurt you. But it's good to be aware.

Nearing the age of Medicare and feeling totally overwhelmed and a little scared about what it all means?

Dive in with us on the basics of what Medicare is, when enrollment occurs and what it includes, and the general costs you can expect.

As my clients and I enter the Tax Planning season, where we analyze and make projections about how we can save on current and future taxes, one area we like to look at is savings from charitable giving.

If you are already giving or looking to start, you might as well do it in a way that saves you a little on taxes as well. Let’s talk about a few ways to do that.

Spencer Financial Planning is 5 years old! Let’s look around at what’s going on, look back at the past 5 years, and look forward to what’s next.

We all know the familiar saying that money can’t buy happiness. But is that entirely true? Can’t the way we handle our money, the priorities and values we have around spending money, and ultimately the things, experiences, or people we spend money on… effect our happiness?

Let’s talk about a few ways that money can play into our happiness, including a study done on the matter which had interesting results.

"When you think about your finances, how far into the future do you tend to think and plan? Days? Weeks? Months? Years? Decades? Generations?"

This is a question I often ask people during the prospective client process, as how someone answers is very helpful in understanding their financial approach.

How far ahead do you think?

“If she’s being abused by her partner, why doesn’t she just leave?”

This is a common question about survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV).

In this guest blog post, Kimberly Klein outlines some basics about IPV and economic abuse, and discusses a few connections to financial planning and long-term economic stability in the lives of IPV survivors.

Behold. The end of the year is upon us.

If you’re anything like me, you probably lay in bed late at night wondering whether there are any additional last-minute strategies you can enact to optimize your finances.

That's how everyone thinks, right?

Good news! No need to miss out on your beauty sleep anymore, as there are some ideas below.

“Why do we do a thankful tree?”

Our 4-year-old asked the question as he stretched precariously to place a construction paper leaf on the highest branch he could reach.

We don’t know when we started the tradition. We think it was at least 10 years ago now. But every day between November 1 and Thanksgiving, each member of our family writes something they are thankful for on a construction paper leaf, and adds it to a “Thank Full” tree made of discarded branches.

— To read more about how gratitude, giving, and financial health intersect, click below.

As we say goodbye (good riddance?) to 2020, we turn our gaze to 2021. New possibilities. New ideas. New resolutions. What are you hoping to accomplish during 2021? A common theme for New Year's resolutions is health. Losing weight. Gaining muscle. Eating better. Taking more vacation days. Finding a church.

I have a humble suggestion. How about tending to your financial health?