Wealth Management

How comfortable are you with your future finances? Do you have a financial plan? It's not just about retirement. It's about budgeting, planning, and investing for your future.  When it comes to the financial planning process, we utilize a tool called eMoney to assist clients in developing a financial plan. A plan includes the collaboration of members of the wealth advisory, fiduciary, and investment teams of First Citizens Wealth Management as well as coordination with outside professionals.

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Tags: EMONEY, WEALTH MANAGEMENT FINANCIAL PLANNING

For many people, one of the most difficult conversations to have involves talking with an aging parent about declining health. The shifting of roles often creates strong emotions. Family dynamics can also lead to tension when siblings don’t all agree on the best course of action.    All too often, critical conversations don’t occur until problems have arisen, and sometimes they never happen at all. Over the years, we’ve helped many families navigate these conversations.

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Tags: AGING PARENT, First Citizens Wealth Management

Last year, we kicked off January by providing education centered around the important topic of estate planning. As we begin 2021 and transition to a new administration in Washington, it is yet again a good time to remind our valued clients of the importance of estate planning. A couple things to consider in 2021:  Get organized. Often, families are left gathering statements and searching out information in the wake of an unexpected loss. A new year is a great time to gather your information

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Tags: Estate Planning

We may have told you a time or two, but here at First Citizens Wealth Management, we’re A Team You Can TRUST.  And in this article, we’re going to explore yet another reason why. Did you know we offer retirement planning services on more than just an individual level? We’ve entered a partnership with EPIC Retirement Plan Services (EPIC RPS) to provide you and your business with retirement plan services. First let’s discuss why it’s important to offer a retirement

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Tags: 401(k) PLAN, RETIREMENT PLANNING SERVICES

As we transition from warm summer weather into crisp fall days, it’s a good time to think about the future. Retirement planning is such an important part of your future, and it starts with thinking about your retirement goals. And not just your goals, but how long you have to meet them, how important each one is, and the likelihood that you can make it all happen. There are so many things to think about. What expenses will you have in retirement? What other income will you have? What about

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Tags: RETIREMENT PLANNING

First Citizens Bank is pleased to announce promotions of two employees and the addition of one new member to the wealth management team. Amanda Berding has been promoted to Trust Operations Officer. In this role, Amanda leads the internal operations team in Wealth Management providing smooth and efficient operations for both internal clients and outsourcing clients. Amanda started her career at First Citizens in 2004 and has worked her way through various roles in the bank. Amanda attained

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Tags: WEALTH MANAGEMENT PROMOTIONS

Investments. Yeah, we said it.   You’re probably thinking “I don’t know much about investments. They’re scary, and maybe even a little boring”. Boring? What? No! We think investments are cool. They rank right up there with pocket protectors and dad jokes. The prospect of learning about investments doesn’t exactly scream “FUN!”, but we think it’s important to arm you with at least enough information to start a conversation. Give us an opportunity

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Tags: MUTUAL FUNDS

With a new year, comes new laws effective January 1, 2020. In December 2019, the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act (SECURE Act) was signed into law making way for changes that have a real impact on retirement and estate planning. Here are some key takeaways and what they may mean for you: RMD delay to age 72. From 1975 to 2019, an individual was required to begin taking Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) from their Traditional IRA, SEP IRA, Simple IRA, and 401k/403b

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Tags: SECURE ACT 2020

This month our team has been focusing on expanding knowledge surrounding estate planning. Contrary to what happens all too often, estate planning is not a “set it and forget it” activity. The reality is life plans and estate plans collide causing the need to review and update. Major life events such as marriage, birth, death, divorce, starting a new job or career, buying a home, starting college, illness or disability all impact our estate plans.   We get it. Talking about death

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Tags: Estate Planning

Our Trust Officers have spent considerable time the past few months learning about upcoming changes to the Iowa law regarding Guardianships and Conservatorships for adults and minors. As Corporate Fiduciaries, it is our responsibility to understand and follow changing laws and regulations when it comes to the administration of our accounts. This is one of the key differentiators between naming an individual, such as a family member, and a Corporate Fiduciary, in your legal documents. For those of

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Tags: IOWA CONSERVATORS