Hilltop Views Blog
Considering Professional Management of Your 401(k) - Five Ways Your Advisor Can Help
If you’ve built up substantial savings in your 401(k) or another retirement plan, professional management could provide significant benefits. Here are five ways an advisor can help.
Hilltop Market Update: 3rd Quarter 2022
Ben and Curtis share Hilltop’s current views on the Fed’s tightrope act, recession concerns, persistent inflation, how we’re navigating current markets, and more.
Living in the Moment While Planning for the Future
When it comes to financial goals, we’re often thinking about big, long-term objectives like saving for retirement, paying for college, or buying a home. Life is all about balance, though: you deserve to enjoy life now while planning for the future, so it’s important to consider what your shorter-term priorities might be.
Hilltop Market Update: 2nd Quarter 2022
Chris and David share Hilltop’s current views on the Fed, inflation, deglobalization trends, how we’re navigating current markets, and more.
Hilltop Market Update: 1st Quarter 2022
Curtis and Rusty share Hilltop’s views on inflation, economic reopening, market opportunities, and more.
Understanding Early-2022 Market Uncertainty … and 3 Strategies to Manage Volatility
Hilltop will share our quarterly outlook video in a few weeks. But with the daily fluctuations being as wild as they are, we wanted to share a sneak preview of our thoughts.
Child Care: Is It Worth the Cost?
For families who are in the position of paying for daycare or a nanny, it can still be a complicated decision to make because there are many factors to consider - some of these factors are financial, some are less quantifiable. While every family should make the decision that is uniquely best for them, it is wise to weigh the potential advantages of either choice.
Hilltop Views: Case Study - Gifting Appreciated Assets
The new year is right around the corner, so it’s a great time to revisit your charitable gifting strategy. In today’s installment of our series “Uncertain Seas: Navigating 2021 Tax Reform,” Brittany Mollica has a case study in some tax-efficient ways to give.
Hilltop Market Update: 4th Quarter 2021
Brittany and Ben share Hilltop’s views on 3 factors causing recent market volatility, key threats to the ongoing economic recovery, and where we see opportunities in the current markets.
Hilltop Views: A Case Study in Roth Conversions
Today we have a case study exploring one way to reduce long-term taxes and build net worth. Exploring Roth conversions, Chris Hostetler shows how reading the winds of your changing tax liability can help you decide whether this strategy might work for you.
Hilltop Views: Tax Planning in Action
Today David Wise demonstrates how we use two of our planning tools, eMoney and Holistiplan, to help you steer your financial ship through changing tax waters.
Hilltop Views: Tax Preparation vs. Tax Planning
In this Hilltop Views video, we discuss the differences between income tax preparation and tax planning. As financial advisors we know enough to help navigate the choppy seas of income tax, but we are not income tax professionals. We’ll always make sure to collaborate with your tax advisor before setting a course.
Hilltop Market Update: 3rd Quarter 2021
As we monitor an economic recovery like no other, Hilltop presents our third quarterly Economic and Market Update of the year. Brittany Mollica and Chris Hostetler cover Hilltop’s views on the current economic expansion, inflation, and labor markets. And of course we discuss the virus, variants, and vaccines. If you have questions or would like to discuss anything, we look forward to hearing from you.
Inflation is Here; How Worried Should You Be?
It’s easy to find headlines these days expressing concern about rising prices. … But before we decide whether to worry, let’s explore what inflation is and what typically causes it.
3 Steps to Create a College Savings Plan
Given how expensive college (and children in general) can be, it’s important to plan ahead. Here are three steps for setting and reaching your college savings goal.
Hilltop at Home: Longevity Risk and Living Your Best Life
We’ve shared how we help our clients prepare for the financial risk of a long life expectancy. But why does longevity planning really matter? In this Hilltop at Home video, David Wise provides 3 ways that longevity planning can help you live your best life in retirement.
Hilltop at Home: Longevity Risk in Financial Planning
Everyone hopes to live a long and healthy life, but a long life can also be a financial threat. This is called “longevity risk” and although it is a key financial planning concept, it can be difficult to quantify. In this Hilltop at Home video, Brittany Mollica shares a case study illustrating how we review each client’s longevity risk.
Hilltop at Home: Renewing Your Priorities
These days, everybody is talking about a post-COVID world and the “new normal,” but nobody knows exactly what it will look like. But we’re hoping we will all work together to make it better than the old normal. Continuing our “Foresight From 2020” series with a new Hilltop at Home video, Chris Hostetler discusses how you can seize this moment and renew your own priorities.
My Experience with COVID: Four Estate Planning Lessons Learned
Let me tell you a story about a 42-year-old lawyer and her 72-year-old mother who got COVID within days of each other in January. The dark cloud is that we got sick, but the silver lining is we can find some valuable estate planning lessons in the experience.
Hilltop Market Update: 2nd Quarter 2021
Amidst a strong start for the markets in 2021, Hilltop presents our second quarterly Economic and Market Update of the year. Curtis Byrd and Rusty Eriksen discuss Hilltop’s views on the market impacts of COVID vaccines, fiscal policy, and the economy’s evolving “new normal.”