Ascent Financial Group, LLC

Prepare. Protect. Persevere.

At Ascent Financial, we believe that achieving your financial goals is exactly like achieving a goal of climbing to the top of a mountain.  This goal takes careful preparation.  Proper physical conditioning, understanding the planned route, the weather, expected hiking distances, water sources, survival techniques and contingencies for unexpected situations are all essential.  The same applies to your Financial Ascent. We help our clients grow their financial lives, while helping them to protect themselves financially against unforeseen circumstances such as loss of life, loss of income, and stock market decline or volatility.
 
We also understand that the descent of that climb is just as important and challenging as the Ascent.  Making the wrong choice early on or near the top can largely affect the final outcome. We help guide our clients through these decisions to help them achieve all of their goals successfully and with confidence.
 
Our Mission is simple:  to teach, coach and guide you through all phases of your climb to successfully attain your financial goals, and ultimately your life goals. 
 

Gary Benke, Ph.D, CMFC, RFC, CLTC
President
Ascent Financial Group, LLC
(Previously First Financial Planners)

  • Articles

    Articles

    Educate yourself on a variety of financial topics.

  • Calculators

    Calculators

    A host of financial tools to assist you.

  • Newsletters

    Newsletters

    Timely Newsletters to help you stay current.

  • E-Seminars

    E-Seminars

    Animated presentations to help you learn and decide.

  • iMoney

    iMoney

    Ideas to help simplify everyday finances.

  • Glossary

    Glossary

    Financial terms from A to Z.

  • Tax Library

    Tax Library

    Manage your taxes and prepare for the upcoming tax season.

Federal Income Tax

This calculator can help you estimate your annual federal income tax liability.

Tax-Deferred Savings

Compare the potential future value of tax-deferred investments to that of taxable investments.

Estate Taxes

Use this calculator to estimate the federal estate taxes that could be due on your estate after you die.

More Calculators →

Retaining MVPs with Executive Bonus Life Insurance

An economic recovery is likely to bring more job opportunities to top performers, but it could prove costly for businesses to replace productive employees who decide to leave. An executive bonus plan funded with cash-value life insurance can be used to reward and retain an organization's most valuable employees.

HOT TOPIC: Eye on Japan's Recovery Within a Recovery

Japan’s economy hasn’t been on solid ground since the 1990s, but now it must grapple with rebuilding after an earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear accident that have caused economic losses expected to surpass $300 billion. What is the outlook for Japan and the effects the nation's disasters could have on the world economy and financial markets?

Protection from a Range of Liability Claims

It's projected that American companies will face $183 billion in tort costs in 2011, and $152 billion of that will land on the books of small businesses. Fortunately, there are several forms of business liability insurance that can help offset these unforeseen costs.

Growth, Value, or Both

The average annual return for large-cap value stocks was about 2.1% higher than for large-cap growth stocks, yet growth stocks outperformed value stocks in 13 out of 30 years. This article examines the difference between the two approaches and describes why holding both may help investors take advantage of a variety of market conditions.

More Newsletters →

January 27, 2012 @ 04:08 PM

Dow Jones Industrials 12,660.46- 74.17
Nasdaq Composite 2,816.55+ 11.27
S&P 500 1,316.32- 2.11

[ Markets | Charts | Quotes | Portfolio ]


Market data delayed per exchange rules.
All quotes are in US Eastern Time (EST).
© eSignal. A division of
Interactive Data Corporation. (NYSE:IDC)
All rights reserved.