Eric J. Hawk - Financial Advisor at Smoky Hill Financial Group

08/28/2026

What do you know about net unrealized appreciation (NUA) and how it can affect your tax responsibility? When selling company stocks in your retirement account, it could prove essential.

Net Unrealized Appreciation and how it affects tax responsibilities.

08/21/2026

Learn how to maximize your Qualified Charitable Distributions!

Use this handy, informative article to help your clients understand Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs).

08/15/2026

New research from The Aspen Institute looks at what it calls “essential wealth”: a benchmark for financial resilience and major life milestones.

The benchmark includes having six weeks of take-home pay in savings, along with enough net worth to support goals such as homeownership and retirement security.

According to the report, about 34.5 million U.S. households fall short of that threshold.

The estimated net worth needed varies by age group:
18-29: $40,000
30-39: $120,000
40-49: $265,000
50-64: $530,000
65+: $775,000 for a couple with no mortgage

These figures are broad estimates and can vary based on income, location, household needs, and housing costs.

The broader takeaway is that income alone does not always show whether a household feels financially secure. Savings, assets, debt, housing, and long-term goals all help shape the bigger picture.


Source:

Three in four American households lack the wealth to weather financial setbacks and achieve major life milestones.

08/14/2026

Ask yourself hard questions: Do I know enough about estate management? Will my family be ready?

Is your estate in order? This short quiz may help you assess your overall strategy.

08/07/2026

There are benefits and limitations when you decide to donate stock. Learn more from our message.

08/07/2026

Markets navigated mixed signals in July. Inflation eased, tech faced pressure, and energy surged. Meanwhile, Americans are planning record travel spending in 2026: \$1.37 trillion. What's shaping your household budget this summer?

Stocks were mixed in July as investors navigated a cross-current of news on the outlook for AI spending and Q2 corporate reports.

07/31/2026

Is it time to talk to a financial professional? This infographic will help you decide. Check it out here:

Life happens fast, and your finances can take a backseat if you’re not careful. Is it time to check in with a financial professional? This infographic will help you examine your own financial situation and decide if it’s time to step up your financial game.

07/29/2026

Heat waves can affect more than daily comfort and public health. They can also create real economic costs.

Extreme heat can reduce productivity among outdoor workers, increase utility bills, strain power grids, reduce crop yields, and keep some consumers closer to home.

One federal climate assessment found that the average number of heat waves in major U.S. cities each year has doubled since the 1980s.

Researchers have also found that more frequent extreme heat and severe droughts can weigh on gross domestic product, while heat-related economic losses have reached trillions of dollars globally in recent decades.

The impact can be especially significant for heat-exposed industries such as agriculture, construction, manufacturing, transportation, and mining.

For households and businesses, extreme heat is a reminder that weather risk can affect budgets, supply chains, labor productivity, food prices, and energy costs.


Source:

Heat waves threaten costs for the economy, sapping workers' productivity, shutting shoppers inside their homes and driving up utility costs, analysts told ABC News.

07/24/2026

What every parent needs to know about insuring his or her teen driver.

Tips on insuring your teen driver.

07/17/2026

Embrace the new digital era and ensure careful ownership, management, and estate strategy for your intellectual property.

Intellectual property ownership and its implications for ordinary people and estates.