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Northstar Financial Planners

Home
About
How We Help
Who We Help
Pre-retirees
Florida Retirement System Special Risk Employees
Families of Children with Special Needs
Our Process
Book
Resources
Our Blog
Newsletters
Holiday Card Archive
Contact Us
Client Login
May 1, 2025
Allen Giese, ChFC®, CLU®
One of the Best-Kept Secrets in Charitable ...

Discover how donor-advised funds offer a flexible, tax-smart way to simplify and amplify your charitable giving—without the hassle of a private foundation.

May 21, 2021
Retirement Planning
Allen Giese, ChFC®, CLU®
The 5 Biggest FRS Retirement Mistakes

Watch this video to learn about the five biggest mistakes we see FRS Special Risk participants making.

March 24, 2021
Investment Management
Northstar Financial Planners Inc.
To Bit or Not to Bit: Investing in Crypto

Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are receiving intense media coverage, prompting many investors to wonder whether these new types of electronic money deserve a place in their portfolios.

March 24, 2021
Investment Management
Northstar Financial Planners Inc.
Tales from The Crypto: Cautionary Bitcoin ...

Bitcoin and related cryptocurrencies are the subject of much debate and fascination. Given bitcoin’s dramatic price changes, it is not surprising that many are speculating about its possible role in a portfolio.

February 25, 2021
Investment Management
Steve Tepper, CFP®, MBA
Trading into Stock Frenzies: A Lesson in ...

Forget GameStop. Here’s some real-life investing lessons to learn from fictitious company LameSlop.

Kristen Luke
July 27, 2018

Sesame Seed Economics

Kristen Luke
July 27, 2018

One of my favorite TV shows the last few years is the HBO comedy Silicon Valley, featuring a hapless team of techno-geeks who could all become overnight billionaires if not for their own foibles and follies.

Kristen Luke
July 25, 2018

Taxes in 2018—What’s New?

Kristen Luke
July 25, 2018

We talked with Andrew Kramer, CPA, to learn about the new tax rules that went into effect this year.

Kristen Luke
June 27, 2018

Stress Testing Your Insurance

Kristen Luke
June 27, 2018

Let’s talk about insurance. If you made it past the that first sentence without nodding off, that’s a great start! For wealthy Americans, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act can have significant implications on their insurance needs.

Kristen Luke
June 27, 2018

Stress Testing Your Financial Plan

Kristen Luke
June 27, 2018

Ultra-High net worth families regularly stress test their plans to help ensure those plans are both state-of-the-art as well as in line with their needs and wants. Here’s why you should join them in that effort – even if you’re not nearly as wealthy.

Kristen Luke
June 27, 2018

Transitions

Kristen Luke
June 27, 2018

We welcome Richard Lottier to the Northstar Family.  Richard joined us as Client Service Specialist in May, 2018.

Mia Kitner
June 13, 2018

Mutual Fund Report Card

Mia Kitner
June 13, 2018

Do mutual funds reward investors for the risks they take? We take a look at DFA’s annual review to see.

Mia Kitner
May 30, 2018

Noise-Cancellation Headphones, and Other Tips to Filter Out Financial “News”

Mia Kitner
May 30, 2018

Here’s the next million-dollar idea: earbuds that cancel out the financial news so you can stay on course to achieve your goals.

Kristen Luke
April 18, 2018

Virtual Meetings: Making It Easier to Work with the Advisor You Want

Kristen Luke
April 18, 2018

We live in a wonderful era with technology advancing at a remarkable rate. And we’re finding that technology is really changing the financial advisory business.

Kristen Luke
March 28, 2018

Stupid Fitness Trends (or Why Investors Fall for Equally Frivolous Fads)

Kristen Luke
March 28, 2018

What people usually say when they first see me is “Man, you spend way too much time in the gym.” What happens next is I wake up.

Kristen Luke
March 21, 2018

Choosing the Right Mutual Fund

Kristen Luke
March 21, 2018

Imagine you are sitting there looking at the list of mutual funds in your 401(k) or retirement plan, and you’re trying to decide “Which are the better funds? Which funds should I pick?” Or maybe you are just shopping for funds to invest in.

Kristen Luke
March 14, 2018

Volatility in the News

Kristen Luke
March 14, 2018

We have all heard about the market volatility lately. But what does it mean? What exactly does volatility mean in terms of your portfolio? In raw terms, the definition implies an item or measurement scale that is prone to change. Let’s dig into it …

Kristen Luke
March 7, 2018

Northstar Movie Critic (or Why You’ll Never See a Movie on the Thrill of Passive Investing)

Kristen Luke
March 7, 2018

I’m a big fan of classic movies. I’ve seen every Oscar winner and every movie on the American Film Institute Top 400, British Film Institute Top 100, and the Internet Movie Database Top 250.

Kristen Luke
February 28, 2018

8 Things to Know About the New Tax Bill

Kristen Luke
February 28, 2018

A few highlights from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that may affect you.

Kristen Luke
February 14, 2018

A Plan For Non-Retirement

Kristen Luke
February 14, 2018

Consider this daunting statistic: If a couple retires at age 62, they had just 40 years to save for a 30-year retirement.

Kristen Luke
February 7, 2018

The Most Critical Question in Retirement Planning

Kristen Luke
February 7, 2018

People tend to have one crucial concern about retirement, and that is whether their money will last as long as they do. Our ebook offers steps to help.

Kristen Luke
January 17, 2018

Calculating Risk Tolerance

Kristen Luke
January 17, 2018

Determining how much portfolio risk exposure you should have is crucial, but just how do you figure it out?

Kristen Luke
January 10, 2018

Bitcoin 101: What You Should Know About Cryptocurrency

Kristen Luke
January 10, 2018

Bitcoin is making headlines, but is it here to stay or just a bubble? We explore the basics of cryptocurrency.

Kristen Luke
January 3, 2018

Parents of College Students: Please Read

Kristen Luke
January 3, 2018

We can’t always protect our children when they are young adults, but a power of attorney can help us help them should they become incapacitated.

Kristen Luke
December 20, 2017

GREAT QUESTIONS TO ASK A FINANCIAL ADVISOR

Kristen Luke
December 20, 2017

When you are shopping for a financial advisor, ask these five questions for insight into whether the advisor can really help you.

Kristen Luke
December 13, 2017

NORTHSTAR’S READING LIST

Kristen Luke
December 13, 2017

With the holidays’ approach, many of us are thinking of New Year’s resolutions. If yours is to read more books, this list might help.

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