TC Wealth Partners:
Our Blog  

Mid-Year Check-In

 Summer 2017 Market Commentary: Trump Trade, Global Expansion, and the Fed

By:  J. Reed Murphy

We are mid-way through 2017. Mid-points provide opportunities to reflect on the past and look forward to the future. President Trump has held office for half a year. The Fed has raised interest rates . . .

Read More →

Spring and Carousels

 Spring 2017 Market Commentary: Trump, the Fed, and Global Growth

By:  J. Reed Murphy

Spring 2017 ushers in renewed optimism in world economies and investment markets. From where does the optimism arise? In the latest Market Commentary, “Spring and Carousels,” CIO Reed Murphy . . .

Read More →

Join our Team

 TC Wealth Partners is growing and looking for professionals to join our team.

We are in a season of growth. With growth comes opportunity. Over the next several years, we expect to hire qualified professionals to fill out our teams. We are in the business of serving . . .

Read More →

Know Your Key Numbers for 2017

 Tax reference numbers at a glance.

Tax planning is an important component to financial goal management. The 2017 Key Numbers is a handy reference that provides a high-level overview of the key financial data you’ll need for 2017, . . .

Read More →

Women’s Health Care Tab in Retirement: $79,000 More Than Men’s

 Problem is, women have fewer financial resources to pay for it.

A recent report on health care costs by Health View Services found that the majority of women aren’t saving enough for health care in retirement. According to the study, women’s health care tabs . . .

Read More →

Transitions

 Fall 2016 Market Commentary

By:  J. Reed Murphy

This fall, in keeping with the season, the market is marked by transition. How will the market react following the 2016 U.S. presidential election? What are the implications of the transition . . .

Read More →

The Best Way to Help a Grandchild with College

 NY Times author on how to maximize a 529 college savings plan.

Grandparents are increasingly stepping up to help their grandchildren fund college tuition. Many want to help their grandchildren graduate debt-free—or at least set them up so they aren’t drowning in . . .

Read More →

Fighting Financial Phobias

 Empowering women to own their money.

Destitute and on the streets. It’s a fear held by one third of women with household incomes of $200,000 or more, according to a 2013 Allianz study. First coined in the 1970s as the Bag Lady . . .

Read More →

Economic Realities and Investment Opportunities

 CIO Reed Murphy speaks on volatility at the Spring Conference.

By:  J. Reed Murphy

With the decline of global equities in the first quarter of 2016 - a drop of over 11.5% from the beginning of the year through February 11th - investors’ behavior became driven by fear. Consequently, . . .

Contains Video

Read More →

Tricks of the Hacker Trade

 The simple ways to stay ahead of them.

According to Jerry Irvine, CIO and partner of Prescient Solutions, a Chicago-area IT staffing organization, the average person receives 75 phishing scams a day and clicks on 25 of them. . . .

Contains Video

Read More →

Take the Guesswork Out of Passing on Your Wealth

 How a Letter of Wishes can help your children be good stewards of your wealth.

Will they blow it? Or will they be responsible? It’s the nagging concern that feeds the indecision about whether (and how) parents should pass on their wealth to their children. Parents worry their . . .

Read More →

A Hopeful Future After Divorce

 4 steps towards seizing financial control.

By:  Nancy T. Bell

As an unknown future looms, it’s easy to feel out of control. To lose sleep. To be hounded by the “what-ifs.” No transition creates more of a freefall than divorce. You’re in a state of fight or . . .

Read More →

Take Advantage of Required Retirement Plan Restatements

 Alphabet soup for the plan sponsor’s soul.

By:  Tami Bowman

The lingo retirement plan services providers use often sounds a lot like alphabet soup. TRA86, GUST, EGTRRA—these retirement plan acronyms can be befuddling. However overwhelming the acronyms can . . .

Read More →

Helping Loved Ones through the Last Years

 5 things I learned and wish I knew before it all started.

By:  Nancy T. Bell

When my parents downsized to a duplex, we thought we had their final years all figured out—finances, housing, and medical care. Unfortunately, things rarely work out the way you plan them. Within . . .

Read More →

Swiss-Cheese Security

 How hackers are poking into your online financial records.

“Firewalls today look like Swiss cheese,” says Jerry Irvine, CIO and partner of Prescient Solutions, a Chicago-area IT staffing organization. Despite our best attempts to protect ourselves and . . .

Contains Video

Read More →

Stay in the Loop on Social Security Loopholes

 How your Social Security claiming strategies will change in 2016 and beyond.

By:  Jill L. Ward

Just when you thought you had an optimum Social Security benefits strategy in place, the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 came along and eliminated two popular strategies born out of loopholes in the . . .

Read More →

Special Needs Call for Special Trusts

 A mother’s journey to secure a future for her disabled son.

For months you planned your trip to Italy: the pasta you would eat, the museums you would tour, the monuments you would see, and the wineries you would visit. Imagine deboarding your plane and . . .

Read More →

Financial Decisions in the Wake of Widowhood

 Why it’s important to slow down, seek counsel, and develop a plan.

When Margaret’s husband passed away, she experienced multiple emotions of grief: devastation, heartbreak, numbness, and even anger. Her grieving process, however, was complicated by the myriad . . .

Read More →

IRA Rollover - Only One Per Year

 New rules for IRA rollovers beginning in 2015.

If you have recently changed jobs or have retired with an accumulation of assets in an employer-sponsored retirement plan like a 401(k), you probably have questions about how to roll over your assets . . .

Read More →

Did you know?

 A quiz to test your market and economy knowledge.

By:  J. Reed Murphy

A changing retail landscape. Growth of non-U.S. equity markets. Foreign markets. These are just a few of the headlines shaping the market. How well are you keeping on top of the stories? Test your . . .

Read More →

Spring 2017 - Did you know?

 A quiz to test your market and economy knowledge.

By:  J. Reed Murphy

Automobile manufacturing. North Korea. Tax repatriation. These are just a few of the headlines shaping the market. How well are you keeping on top of the stories? Test your knowledge of important . . .

Read More →

How to Raise a Charitable Kid

 10 ways to nurture empathy while they’re young.

The “me” culture is always pressing against parents’ desires to raise empathetic and generous kids. As hard as it is, studies show that developing empathy in children is essential to a child’s future . . .

Read More →

Taxes and Paying Off Your Child’s Student Loans

 How to avoid the gift tax.

Helping pay off your child’s student loans is a big decision. Free of excessive debt, your child will have more opportunities. But will your generosity trigger a gift tax? Read this brief Money . . .

Read More →

Market Update: The Trump Report

 Questions and Positioning:
“How should I invest for a Trump presidency?”

By:  J. Reed Murphy

As the inauguration of President-elect Trump approaches, there are many questions about how the market and economy will react. Trust Company CIO Reed Murphy discusses a few plausible outcomes. Read . . .

Read More →

Raising Your Kids to Be Entrepreneurs

 A TED talk on nurturing an entrepreneurial spirit.

Kids grow up with passions and dreams for their futures, but somewhere along the way, usually in secondary school, they’re crushed. Many are groomed for professions like medicine, law, finance, . . .

Contains Video

Read More →

TC Wealth Partners Recruits Greg Aagaard as Market Development Officer

 Chicago-area wealth management firm expands reach with new hire.

DOWNERS GROVE August 8, 2016 Trust Company of Illinois recently hired Greg Aagaard as Market Development Officer to expand its outreach to the greater Chicago area and beyond. Aagaard’s approach to . . .

Read More →

Good Reads for Raising Normal Kids in an Entitled World

 Andrew Keyt recommends resources to help parents understand and talk about wealth.

It’s a conundrum. The majority of American parents admit to being either very or extremely concerned about setting a good financial example for their children, but 72% are reluctant to talk about . . .

Read More →

Smart Mom, Rich Mom

 The Mom-Money Connection

The mom-money connection is the focus of a new book by Kimberly Palmerbrook, mom of two and former U.S. News & World Report senior editor of money. In Smart Mom, Rich Mom: How to Build Wealth While . . .

Read More →

Is It Time to Plan for Future Medical Costs?

 Alzheimer’s Caregivers Give Up Food, Medication, Education.

“You mean Medicare doesn’t cover that?” It’s a question voiced by many caregivers who find out that many healthcare costs for diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, are not covered by the . . .

Read More →

The Flaw in Our Decision-Making Process

 Harvard Psychologist Dan Gilbert on “Why We Make Bad Decisions”

Every day we make decisions. Sometimes, we wonder if we’ve made the wrong one—and our happy ending is at stake. To help us understand the difference of a good and bad decision, Dan Gilbert, a . . .

Contains Video

Read More →

Bull Markets vs. Bear Markets

 How feelings drive your financial outlook.

“In a bull market you’re not as smart as you think you are and in a bear market you’re not as dumb as you think you are.” This was the best advice blogger and portfolio manager Ben Carlson received . . .

Read More →

Charitable Contributions from IRAs

 How much you can exclude from your income in 2016.

Background The Pension Protection Act of 2006 first allowed taxpayers age 70½ or older to make tax-free charitable donations directly from their IRAs. Technically, these taxpayers were allowed to . . .

Read More →

4 Reasons for Recent Market Volatility

 Market Commentary, January 18, 2016

By:  J. Reed Murphy

As we recently communicated, we expect volatility to return to the markets. We are amidst this as equity markets experienced a very tough first week of the New Year with a better second week, albeit . . .

Read More →

All Things China

 Market Commentary, January 7, 2016

By:  J. Reed Murphy

Even by rough-and-tumble standards, China had another bad day on Thursday. Another trading halt was implemented following a 7% drop within 29 minutes for one of its exchanges, of which China has . . .

Read More →

Know Your Key Numbers for 2016

 Tax reference numbers at a glance.

Tax planning is an important component to financial goal management. The 2016 key numbers have been released and include the following: Individual income tax planning and marginal tax rates . . .

Read More →

China in Context

 Fall 2015 newsletter on the opportunities resulting from the Chinese economic downturn.

It’s mid-fall, and we’ve just released our quarterly newsletter, which we now call “Matters of Trust”. This revamped edition contains two key articles: China in Context discusses the . . .

Read More →

When a Trust Divides

 How a corporate trustee acts as a referee.

A million dollar windfall does not land quietly, especially when it lands on a family in strife. So was the case for a family whom a colleague of mine counseled. When the father received a million . . .

Read More →

The Financially-Trapped Marriage

 A Q&A with financial advisor Nancy Bell on strategies to survive a difficult situation.

By:  Nancy T. Bell

A man and woman marry to build a home together. But instead, many couples build boxes—and step inside them. Traditional gender roles encourage the building of these boxes, especially financial boxes. . . .

Read More →

Involve Your Kids. Run the Numbers.

 Advice by Wealth Advisor Dan O’Brien on family college planning meetings

By:  Daniel P. O’Brien

College grads are drowning in debt--$1.3 trillion worth of debt to be exact. In 2016, the average student graduate owed $37,172 in student loans. That’s just $10,000 less than the average annual . . .

Read More →

Matters of Trust

 Quarterly Newsletter - Winter 2017

By:  J. Reed Murphy

Times they are a changin’. With the inauguration of President-elect Trump on the horizon, there are many questions about how the markets and economy will respond. Can stocks repeat a return . . .

Read More →

Career Take 2

 How to reinvent yourself midlife.

By:  Nancy T. Bell

The second half of your life can be better than the first. This is the encouraging reality for those of us who feel stuck in the muddled middle of our lives. Perhaps you feel trapped in the doldrums . . .

Read More →

Market Update: Post Election Highlights

 What does the Trump presidency mean for the economy and markets?

By:  J. Reed Murphy

Donald Trump won the 2016 U.S. presidential election. This caught pollsters, prognosticators and even many in the Trump camp by surprise. The markets were also surprised. How will Trump’s . . .

Read More →

Money Market Reform and Investor Impact

 How TC Wealth Partners is responding to the changes.

In response to the financial crisis of 2007-2008, the Securities and Exchange Commission has introduced new regulations on money market funds to improve the stability of money markets and prohibit . . .

Read More →

Geopolitics: Is Anger the New Hope?

 Summer 2016 Market Commentary

By:  J. Reed Murphy

What is at the heart of Brexit and the rise of populism? Do U.S. politics affect the markets? What are portfolio implications of all this volatility? These are just a few issues that Trust Company . . .

Read More →

The British Are Leaving! The British Are Leaving!

 The financial implications of the Brexit.

By:  J. Reed Murphy

In a twisted play on the famous Paul Revere warning that “The British Are Coming!” the British people voted to leave the European Union (EU). This announcement is reaching far beyond the . . .

Read More →

The Simple Path to the Retirement of Your Dreams

 How to take advantage of your company’s retirement plan.

By:  Michael R. McMorris

Retirement saving is not rocket science. Yet, you would think it must be given how many workers – in all industries and professions, and at all income levels – do not take the few simple steps to . . .

Read More →

Passions, Exaggerations & Fundamentals

 Spring 2016 Market Commentary

By:  J. Reed Murphy

The first quarter of 2016 was marked by passion and exaggerations. There was a runaway of negative sentiment, many fearing the global economy was headed into a recession. Are we headed for a . . .

Read More →

Study Affirms Wealth Can’t Buy You Happiness

 TED Talk “What Makes a Good Life?” explains why.

It’s true: the richest people aren’t the happiest. So concludes Robert Waldinger, the fourth director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development, who has wrapped up a 75-year longitudinal study of . . .

Contains Video

Read More →

Your Advisor. Your Choice.

 When changing your financial advisor may be the right move.

Dana was nervous as she entered our offices. She was being transitioned to my care after her wealth advisor left the firm. The relationship she had forged with her previous advisor, with whom she had . . .

Read More →

The Art and Science of J. Reed Murphy

 A profile of TC Wealth Partners’s new Chief Investment Officer.

Foaling season usually started early in January and continued through April. Reed Murphy’s family had ten broodmares and thirty thoroughbreds overall in their stable, each mare with a camera to . . .

Read More →

Stock Market 2016: What you can expect

 The major themes driving the market the year ahead.

By:  J. Reed Murphy

2015 was not a year to remember for the stock market. According to the Trust Company’s Chief Investment Officer, J. Reed Murphy, only ten U.S. stocks in the S&P 500 were positive; the other 490 were . . .

Read More →

How to Make Work-Life Balance Work

 Author Nigel Marsh offers 4 tips for professionals in a TED Talk.

Time magazine’s top 10 List of most commonly broken New Year’s resolutions included spending more time with family and being less stressed. For many professionals, these two resolutions typically . . .

Contains Video

Read More →

Medicare Premiums & Other Costs for 2016

 An explanation of and table to illustrate how your premium will change.

In 2016 Medicare Part B premiums will jump, but only for 30% of Medicare recipients. Because of a bipartisan budget deal passed in October 2015, 70% of Medicare Part B recipients will not experience . . .

Read More →

Federal Reserve Bank Senior Economist Rick Mattoon on the Economic Recovery

 How Illinois compares to the rest of the nation.

On Thursday, May 14, 2015, at the Trust Company's annual Spring conference, held at Northern Illinois University’s Naperville Campus, Rick Mattoon, Federal Reserve Bank Senior Economist and Economic . . .

Contains Video

Read More →

Lead Your Employees to a Secure Future

 Why it’s your duty and your gain.

By:  Michael R. McMorris

I recently led a 401(k) education workshop for a client’s employees. The CEO and founder of the company told me, “Early in my career the company I worked for sponsored a 401(k) plan. If we didn’t . . .

Read More →