GCM Blog

John Howe-Wemett, CFP®, M.S. John Howe-Wemett, CFP®, M.S.

How to Prepare for Retirement in Your 50s:Making The Most of Your Last Full Decade of Work

Your 50s are the sprint before the retirement finish line. The choices you make now will determine whether you glide into retirement with confidence or scramble to catch up at the last minute.

 The good news? You’ve still got time. The better news? This decade might be your most powerful yet.

Here are the moves that matter most before you hit 60.

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John Howe-Wemett, CFP®, M.S. John Howe-Wemett, CFP®, M.S.

Why It's so Hard to Answer the Question "How Much do I Need for Retirement?"

The amount you need saved depends on a multitude of factors. Every household has different goals in retirement, spending levels, health concerns, social security benefits, estate goals, and a bunch of other deeply unique considerations that make a universal “savings goal” a complete waste of time.

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John Howe-Wemett, CFP®, M.S. John Howe-Wemett, CFP®, M.S.

Rolling Over Your Abandoned Retirement Plan

What will you do with the money in that old 401(k) or 403(b) plan? In terms of options that won’t trigger a tax liability, you can leave it where it is, roll it into your new employer’s plan, or roll it into an IRA. There are a couple of considerations to make when trying to decide which of these options makes the most sense.

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John Howe-Wemett, CFP®, M.S. John Howe-Wemett, CFP®, M.S.

Paying Down Debt Vs. Saving

If you’re managing debt, you’ve likely wondered whether it makes more sense to pay it off or save. This is one of the most common questions I get from new clients—and one I’ve asked myself on my own financial journey.

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John Howe-Wemett, CFP®, M.S. John Howe-Wemett, CFP®, M.S.

Why Do We Struggle With Estate Planning?

The anxiety that can be caused by the thought of our own death or that of a loved one can be debilitating. It makes sense, then, that we often put off solidifying our end-of-life plans with our loved ones.

In this blog post, our resident CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional John Howe-Wemett discusses some of the things keeping us away from the estate planning table in an effort to lower our anxieties.

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John Howe-Wemett, CFP®, M.S. John Howe-Wemett, CFP®, M.S.

Year-End Financial Planning Tips

As we prepare to enter a new year, it’s incredibly important to know that December 31 is the deadline for anyone looking to optimize their financial situation. If this is you, I’m going to walk you through some critical money moves to consider before the ball drops and it’s 2025.

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John Howe-Wemett, CFP®, M.S. John Howe-Wemett, CFP®, M.S.

12 Tips for Holiday Spending

The holiday season can be one of the best times of the year for spending time with family. For most people, though, this time of year also brings pressure to spend money. Believe it or not, it’s possible to have a happy holiday season without blowing the wheels off your budget bus.

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John Howe-Wemett, CFP®, M.S. John Howe-Wemett, CFP®, M.S.

How to Move Forward with Student Loans

As you are likely aware by now, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 against the Biden Administration’s student debt relief plan which would have benefitted over 43 million student loan borrowers. Where do we go from here and what can you do if you can’t afford your payments? Find out in this special blog entry from our CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional John Howe-Wemett.

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