The math behind changing insurance coverage. Plus a new CFP® on the Arnold & Mote team and recent press.

Hi Reader,

Welcome to this month's newsletter! We've got a lot to share with you — a new CFP® on the team, and our upcoming webinar on a question more and more households are wrestling with: when does it actually make sense to raise a deductible or drop a home or auto insurance policy?

Plus, a look at recent blog posts and media interviews where we cover Roth conversions and Social Security planning.

As always, if the topics in this newsletter prompt any questions or concerns, simply hit reply to this email and we will be in touch!

Regards,

The Arnold & Mote Team

Updates on the Arnold & Mote Team:

Kyle Bakas - We're excited to share that Kyle has officially earned the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®) designation! The CFP® marks require thousands of hours of experience, rigorous coursework, and a comprehensive exam covering tax, retirement, estate, and investment planning, all backed by a fiduciary commitment to always act in your best interest. It's a milestone we're proud of, and one more way our team continues to deepen the expertise we bring to your financial planning.

Nathan Tofte - Nathan is the newest member of the Arnold & Mote team as our intern this summer. Nathan's path to financial planning began with five years serving aboard a U.S. Navy submarine as a radioman. After his military service, he attended Iowa State University for a degree in Financial Counseling and Planning, turning a long-standing interest in personal finance into a career.

Chad Gammon - It’s with a mixture of pride and sadness that we announce Chad Gammon’s departure from Arnold & Mote Wealth Management. As you may know, Chad started his own “advice-only” (hourly/subscription) financial planning firm, Custom Fit Financial a while back and it is a success! It’s hard to set up a new firm and jump right in with clients, but Chad is doing well and it’s the point at which he needs to dedicate himself full-time to his firm. We’re going to miss his skill and presence at the office, but he’ll always be a friend of the firm, and we look forward to his continued success. We are immensely glad we can support more fee-only, fiduciary advisors in the area!

Our Next Webinar: A Smarter Way to Make Insurance Decisions - When to Raise Deductibles or Consider Dropping Coverage

Stories of home and auto insurance rate increases have been front-page news in the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and likely your local news as well. Iowa, Minnesota, Colorado, California, and Florida in particular have seen some of the highest increases in premiums.

At the same time, many retirees are looking at their investment portfolios near all-time highs after years of growth.

This combination has led to more households considering reducing or even dropping their homeowner's insurance altogether. Over the last 5 years, the share of homeowners without coverage has nearly tripled, from 5% in 2019 to more than 14% today, according to a LendingTree study and data provided by the Insurance Information Institute to USA Today.

The trouble is that the industry offers no consistent framework for households making these decisions. So, this month, we're going beyond the basic rules of thumb most rely on, and showing how your financial plan can guide these decisions.

In this webinar, we’ll cover:

• Why using net worth as a basis for making insurance decisions is incorrect - and the smaller number that should drive insurance decisions
• How to calculate the breakeven point for every major policy - homeowners, auto, umbrella, and deductibles on those policies
• When to raise your deductibles - why low deductibles are almost always overpriced once you have significant retirement savings
• Identifying coverages that you can safely reduce vs. coverage to always protect - the patterns that emerge once you run the math across policy types

By the end, you'll have replaced guesswork and gut feeling with a framework you can trust, and the clarity to make these decisions on your own terms.

Join us for the live broadcast at noon Central Time on Friday, July 3rd, streamed on our YouTube channel here:

Want a reminder before we go live? Click the button above and subscribe to our channel to be notified as the webinar begins:

If you can't attend live, a replay of the webinar will be accessible immediately after and available alongside recordings of all previous webinars on our YouTube channel.

Have a question you'd like us to address during the webinar? Just reply and let us know.

Miss last month's webinar? You can view a replay of Trump Accounts vs 529s vs Brokerage Accounts - How to best save for your children and grandchildren, here.

From the Arnold & Mote Blog

​Should You Convert Your Entire IRA into a Roth?​

Converting your entire IRA to a Roth can trigger far more tax than the headline brackets suggest — IRMAA surcharges, Social Security taxation, and other hidden costs can push your real rate past 30%. Our latest post explains when a full conversion is worth it, when it isn't, and the assets you should usually leave untouched.

Arnold & Mote Featured in the Press

NTD: 4 Key Social Security Strategies​

In a recent NTD News feature, our own Matt Hylland argued that Social Security is one of the best annuities you can buy. It is inflation-protected, guaranteed, and most valuable precisely when you delay it. Read the full piece for his take on this important decision in any retirement plan.

See our other recent press mentions on our Press Page.

Looking for Something From a Prior Newsletter?

As a reminder, you can now find the last 12 months of our newsletters here:

Whether you’re new and want to browse newsletters you missed or are trying to follow up on a topic from a few months ago, we’re now publishing all newsletters at the link above. We'll also keep this link at the bottom of all future newsletters.

Quinn and the Arnold & Mote Wealth Management Team

(319) 393-4020

​Send us a message​

​Contact Us | Blog | arnoldmotewealthmanagement.com​

​Facebook | LinkedIn | YouTube​

You are receiving this newsletter because we've talked with you in the past about financial planning and wealth management. Privacy Policy​

The information herein was obtained from various sources. Arnold & Mote Wealth Management does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of such information provided by third parties. The information given is as of the date indicated and believed to be reliable. Arnold & Mote Wealth Management assumes no obligation to update this information, or to advise on further developments relating to it. This is for informational purposes only. Investing may involve risk including loss of principal. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.