United Wealth Strategies, LLC - Financial Planning, Insurance & Investments

Uniting Business & Personal Strategies for Wealth ® ™

Christopher M. Parks, CPA, CFP® is here to assist in pursuing your financial planning and investment needs.

Loan Payoff

How much will it cost to pay off a loan over its lifetime?

Roth IRA Conversion

This calculator can help you determine whether you should consider converting to a Roth IRA.

Car Affordability

How much can you afford to pay for a car?

Cost of Retirement

Use this calculator to estimate how much income and savings you may need in retirement.

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Settling on a Salary

As a company's profit situation improves, business owners may be in a position to decide whether to take home a larger salary or use more of the proceeds to invest for the future. This article discusses the possibility of choosing a business-owner salary that allows for other benefits, such as building the business, saving more for retirement, and adding employee benefits.

Deciding When to Begin

Waiting until full retirement age (or up to age 70) to claim Social Security may result in significantly higher monthly benefits. At age 62, the earliest age to claim Social Security, the amount received could be only 70% of the benefit received at "full retirement age" (which ranges from age 65 to 67 depending on year of birth).

HOT TOPIC: European News Causes Market Mood Swings

In recent weeks, the yields on Italian bonds spiked to more than 7%, suggesting the sovereign debt crisis was spreading to a much larger economy and eluding the European Union’s efforts to contain it. The U.S. stock and bond markets have responded to the headlines coming out of Europe. This article explores the role of political risk in U.S. financial market volatility.

Bring Your Life Insurance Home From Work

Only 44% of American households have individual life insurance, a 50-year low. Many workers have life insurance as an employee benefit, however relying on a group policy could mean that coverage ends should a worker's job situation change. This article examines the benefits of term individual insurance and permanent life insurance.

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