From a return perspective, 2022 has been a challenging year for the stock market. In this edition of Buckingham Weekly Perspectives, Managing Director of Investment Strategy Kevin Grogan shares the highs and lows over the last year and his outlook for 2023.

Eric Van Der Heide, President at Northwest Wealth Management is pleased to announce Alex Johnson has accepted the position as Wealth Advisor with Northwest Wealth Management in Spencer. Alex joins Dean Jacobsen, also a Wealth Advisor in Spencer. Northwest Wealth Management, an affiliate of Northwest Bank, offers comprehensive financial planning, retirement planning, investment management, and retirement plan services to individuals and families, large and small companies, and non-profit foundations.

The holidays usher in a joyful time of family gatherings, holiday parties, fun with friends and the promise of a bright new year. But before you put a bow on 2022, there are a few financial housekeeping tasks that you should review.

If you are overwhelmed by the process, definitions and complexities of Medicare, you are not alone. According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), almost 64 million Americans were fully enrolled in the Medicare program in October 2021.

Several years ago, I met with a wealthy widow who had been quite a bit wealthier before meeting Mr. Bernie Madoff. After that devastating experience, she was very concerned about finding an advisor she could trust to act in her best interest. I know she is not the only person who has questions and concerns about finding a reputable, honest and skilled wealth advisor. If you are in this boat, I've created a list of five criteria that should be an absolute requirement when vetting a new advisor.

Most investors have a process for deciding which investments to buy in their portfolio—with different objectives for building wealth over time. But once you've selected your investment mix, have you considered how the account that holds your investments affects what you ultimately earn?

Like kingdoms, tides and my teenage daughter's emotions, the stock market rises and falls. Although market downturns are inevitable and expected, they are never pleasant to experience. On the bright side, these dips present an opportunity to make the proverbial lemonade out of lemons by allowing Uncle Sam to share the pain. This is accomplished through a process called tax-loss harvesting. I will break down this strategy into the three “P”s: principle, process and payoff.

Midterm elections are just a few months away. This can mean only one thing … a flurry of political ads interrupting your favorite television shows. All jokes aside, you can also expect to see plenty of platforms built around the President's handling of the pandemic, the response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and our current economic landscape.

I feel like the surgeon who is operating on his own child. Well, not exactly. Let me explain. I'm not a surgeon. I'm a wealth advisor, specializing in the financial aspects of college planning. And fortunately, my daughter is not on the operating table. She's a high school junior, currently scouting colleges.

Alex Johnson, Wealth Advisor at Northwest Wealth Management is pleased to announce Rhonda Maassen has accepted the position as Client Service Specialist in Spencer. Rhonda joins Alex Johnson who each began at Northwest in early February.

Every year, the market gifts us invaluable lessons on investment strategies. While each year is different, many of these lessons are reinforced or repeated year after year; that's why one of my favorite sayings is that there's nothing new in investing, only investment history you don't know. Before you read the 10 lessons 2021 taught us, I want you to remember one important takeaway: When investing, imitate the lowly postage stamp. This small object does one thing but does it well – sticking to its letter until it reaches its destination. My greatest hope is that you stick to a plan until you have reached your financial goals! Now to my top 10 lessons learned in 2021….

With the recent uptick in market volatility and the poor start to the year for the U.S. stock market, I wanted to reiterate three time-tested principles that I believe are as relevant now as they have been over the modern history of financial markets.

If your ability to pay your family's monthly living expenses relies upon maintaining your current income, this article is for you.

Guided by evidence and fueled by your ambitions, your team is dedicated to creating a wealth strategy distinctly tailored to each individual client's needs. Before 2021 ends, be sure to check out our list of seven money-saving actions that may help you maintain the greatest amount of after-tax wealth. As always, talk to your advisor to discuss how these could impact your unique situation.

Imagine that, in the foreseeable future, you'll have turned in all your company property, collected your final paycheck, and will be drinking a hurricane at half past noon while chair-dancing to “It's Five O'clock Somewhere.” You've planned on reaching that celebratory beach vacation over the many years of your career while also designing, building and protecting your financial life. By 65 you have diligently accumulated the wealth you need to retire. You've won the game, earning satisfaction and congratulations for completing a solid plan. Other than tee times, volunteer activities or family trips, there isn't much planning left to do, is there?

Northwest Financial Corp. has been awarded a 2021 Top Workplaces honor by the Des Moines Register. The Top Workplaces are based solely on the results of an employee feedback survey administered by Energage, LLC, a leading research firm that specializes in organizational health and workplace improvement. Several aspects of workplace culture were measured, including alignment, execution, and connection, just to name a few.

Making big, hairy, audacious goals is easy. Achieving those goals by yourself is much harder. Nearly everyone has had some experience with just how difficult successful personal or financial change can be, and especially sticking with it over time. For evidence, look no further than the infamous New Year's resolution.

Concerns about market downturns certainly come as no surprise. After all, steep corrections and crashes can be disconcerting for even the most steely and disciplined investors.

It's easy to think of life insurance planning as transactional in nature, and many times simply a commodity of necessity. You need to cover a financial risk, so you purchase life insurance to eliminate or mitigate that risk. That's the end of the story, right?

For the simplicity that lies this side of complexity, I would not give a fig, but for the simplicity that lies on the other side of complexity, I would give my life.