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.
Read MoreAmidst 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.”
Read MoreAdvisor Brittany Mollica is featured on this week’s episode of The Mind Money Spectrum podcast. She speaks with hosts Aaron Agte and Trishul Patel to discuss credit scores. Learn how you can identify which actions will help build your credit score when you're just getting off the ground, or what you can do to improve a less-than-ideal score.
Read MoreHow do you make wise decisions with confidence in a world with so much uncertainty? In today’s Hilltop at Home, advisor David Wise shows you one way: using a Monte Carlo simulation to view your financial plan in 1,000 different market scenarios, so you can better prepare for the unexpected.
Read MoreUnfortunately, the real world is unpredictable – many factors in the financial planning formula are random and uncontrollable. So how can you make wise decisions when you cannot control everything?
Read MoreAlthough a steady investment return makes for a useful planning assumption, it’s not very realistic. The good news is we have a tool that supplements the usual model and gives us a more realistic picture of market uncertainty: the Monte Carlo simulation.
Read MoreBen Yeager and David Wise discuss Hilltop’s views on COVID vaccine distribution, market risks and opportunities in a post-pandemic recovery, and how to maintain investing discipline.
Read MoreIf you’re starting 2021 with a goal of bettering your finances, it may be time to improve your credit score. Here are 6 simple steps to improving your credit score.
Read MoreRefinancing your mortgage solely to get a lower interest rate isn’t always the smartest financial move, so here are some questions to consider before you call up a mortgage broker
Read MoreBrittany Mollica and Chris Hostetler discuss Hilltop’s latest market views including COVID-19, the presidential race, the economic downturn, and how you can tend your investments through all of it.
Read MoreElections matter, but how will the polling season affect your portfolio? We want you to be prepared for short-term volatility, so David Wise brings you 4 tips for navigating your portfolio through the election (a supplement to our recent blog post on Politics and Your Portfolio).
Read MoreDoes the election matter? Absolutely! Does it matter to your investments? Maybe not as much as you think. It’s normal for election years to breed anxiety, division, and uncertainty, but we’d like to explore what this actually means for the investment markets and whether you should be changing your investment strategy over the next few months.
Read MoreThis year has changed life for everybody, and your cash flow is not immune to the disruption. While we love encouraging you to save for long-term goals, you shouldn’t feel guilty if you can’t prioritize savings right now because of COVID. Brittany Mollica reminds you: sometimes you just need to play defense.
Read MoreIf you’ve been offered an early-retirement package, do you know what to do with it? It’s much more complicated than a simple “yes” or “no.” While it’s a great problem to have, you do have some big decisions to make. Chris Hostetler helps you figure out where to start.
Read MoreDavid Wise and Chris Hostetler discuss Hilltop’s latest market views including economic reopening post-coronavirus, election uncertainties, creative destruction, and what it all means for your portfolio and financial plan.
Read MoreHilltop is facing a new test, along with everybody right now. We need to figure out how to safely reopen our office following a global pandemic. Our challenge is a microcosm of a much larger social question right now, so we thought it might be helpful to share how we are thinking about reopening.
Read MoreDavid Wise discusses the importance of understanding your tolerance for investment risk.
Read MoreWith mortgage rates at historically low levels, you might feel compelled to browse Zillow in search of your perfect first home. Going through the process firsthand has caused me to think about how to know when you’re ready to make the leap from renter to homeowner.
Read MoreIn our previous post, “Do I Need a Trust? Part 1”, we explored the benefits a trust can provide: control, probate relief, privacy, estate tax and creditor protection, among others. Now let’s walk through a few specific examples where a trust may help you accomplish your goals.
Read MoreIs the extra cost and trouble of a trust really worth it? As with so many other questions, it depends on your circumstances and goals. There are a number of types of trusts designed to meet different needs, whether you’re looking to preserve wealth for future generations, protect your heirs from themselves or harmful situations, or simply avoid the legal hassles of the probate process.
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