Andrew Hammond

All Topics

From The Desk of Andrew Hammond

From The Desk of Andrew Hammond

Different times throughout the year provide different opportunities to explore certain personal financial planning strategies. At the end of the year, it’s taxes and Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs). But many of our conversations this time of year are about benefits. As we think about personal financial planning and benefits, consider the Health Savings Account (HSA). […]

AAF Wealth Management Q4 2023 Market Insight

AAF Wealth Management Q4 2023 Market Insight

Last year was eventful both economically and otherwise, from bank failures in March to Fitch’s downgrade of U.S. government debt, a collapse in inflation, and the Federal Reserve signaling it might end rate hikes. In an ongoing commitment to keep you abreast on a range of issues that might affect you and your business, AAF […]

From the Desk of Andy Hammond

From the Desk of Andy Hammond

On the Desk When asked if there are common themes as we approach the finish line of 2023, there is of course the logistical year-end planning, dotting of I’s and crossing of T’s. But conversations the past few weeks have a common thread of apprehension and unease. Unsurprisingly, the continuous stream of challenging world news […]

3.2% Cost-of-living Adjustment in 2024

3.2% Cost-of-living Adjustment in 2024

The Social Security Administration recently announced a 3.2 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for 2024. While this is higher than its 2.6 percent average annual increase over the past two decades, it is down from an 8.75 percent increase in 2023, which marked the largest in 42 years. This increase is slated to affect 66 million […]

AAF Wealth Management Q3 Market Insight

AAF Wealth Management Q3 Market Insight

The intricacies of market performance are deeply intertwined with various external factors, including inflation, interest rates, political shifts, geopolitical affairs, and natural disasters. This includes, sadly, the current humanitarian crisis in the Middle East. It is heart-breaking to see these events unfold in a region whose people have known such profound suffering for far too […]

From the Desk of Andy Hammond

From the Desk of Andy Hammond

On the Desk The last few months of the year are always a busy time. We’re helping our clients with year-end planning, tax strategies, and budgeting that comes into play with 2024 just around the corner. Last year, the name of the game was tax loss harvesting, and we still have room to be strategic […]

Federal Financial Aid Eliminates Sibling Discount in 2024-2025

Federal Financial Aid Eliminates Sibling Discount in 2024-2025

A change to the federal financial aid formula arising from The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 is set to eliminate a break that previously helped parents with two or more children in college. Currently, the Education Department divides the expected family contribution by the number of students attending college per family to determine student aid […]

AAF Wealth Management Q2 Market Update

AAF Wealth Management Q2 Market Update

This has been an eventful year for U.S. and global economies. As we close the first half of 2023, U.S. consumers have largely witnessed a slowdown on inflation, while the rest of the world continues to wrestle with it. Domestically, though, we are beginning to see the cumulative effects of the past few years’ economic […]

From the Desk of Andy Hammond

From the Desk of Andy Hammond

I’ve been honored by the opportunity to set clients’ minds at ease on a couple of points this year. It has been a turbulent economic time out there, and we get a lot of questions about the impact on our lives. First and foremost: if you have questions, you’re not alone. Clients from all walks […]