Douglas S. Wright, Waddell & Reed - Southlake, Texas

Welcome to our Web site, where you’ll find a wealth of information in the form of newsletter articles, calculators, and more.

We hope your visit will help you understand the opportunities and potential rewards that are available when you take a proactive approach to your personal financial situation. We have created this Web site to help you gain a better understanding of the financial concepts behind insurance, investing, retirement, estate planning, and wealth preservation. Most important, we hope you see the value of working with skilled professionals to pursue your financial goals.

We’re here to help educate you about the basic concepts of financial management; to help you learn more about who we are; and to give you fast, easy access to market performance data. We hope you take advantage of this resource and visit us often. Be sure to add our site to your list of "favorites" in your Internet browser. We frequently update our information, and we wouldn’t want you to miss any developments in the area of personal finance.

Life Insurance

How much life insurance would you need to produce a sufficient income stream for your family?

Taxable Equivalent Yield

Calculate the rate of return you would have to receive from a taxable investment to realize an equivalent tax-exempt yield.

Retirement Portfolio Lifespan

How Long Will Your Funds Last?

Risk Tolerance

This calculator is designed to help you clarify your comfort level with investment risk.

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Tax Changes for 2012

Mandatory annual inflation adjustments generally affect federal income tax brackets, retirement plan contribution limits, and estate tax exemption levels. Here are some of the major changes that could affect readers in 2012, with a table showing 2012 income thresholds for the six federal income tax brackets.

Doing Your Heirs a Favor

Although a will and a trust specify disposition of assets, many other details of an individual’s final wishes might be explained in a letter of instructions. This article offers some topics to consider addressing in the letter to help loved ones make decisions and take care of final arrangements.

There’s Still Time to Catch Up

Worker confidence in affording a comfortable retirement fell to a record low in 2011, but investors aged 50 and older may be able to make up for lost time by maximizing contributions to retirement plans and taking advantage of catch-up contribution limits. The accompanying chart shows the potential difference in accumulation by taking advantage of catch-up contributions.

Preparing to Turn the Corner

What happens to a multiple-owner business when one of them chooses to retire or must leave suddenly for some other reason? Death, disability, divorce, & bankruptcy are just a few of the events that can affect one owner and threaten the future of the business. This article discusses the reasons why it may make sense for a small business to have a buy-sell agreement in place.

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