The Ambient Advisor Blog

The cost of college tuition has gone up significantly faster than inflation over the past several decades. The high price tag now associated with a college education makes it critical for families to carefully plan how to pay for higher education expenses. Part of this careful planning involves reducing tax liability—the more you pay in taxes, the less you will have available for these other important expenses. Here we discuss four especially tax-efficient ways to help your kids afford college.

Few life changes are of more consequence than a divorce. In addition to the financial and emotional difficulties, you'll face special concerns about your insurance coverage. Planning for these changes should begin long before the divorce is final. The selection of life and health insurance beneficiaries may have to be revised. If you have children, many of your insurance concerns will center on whether you are granted custody. And because it's common while married for one spouse to maintain health insurance for the family, the breakup of a marriage can have serious insurance consequences for the other spouse, especially if he or she was not employed outside the home.

Spring cleaning presents a great opportunity to clear out any items you no longer need—and the same goes for your finances. Checking in with your finances during tax season may be particularly beneficial, as it allows you to complete last year's taxes while making any changes you need to potentially improve next year's tax situation. Below, we discuss what's included in a financial review and how such a review can help you spring clean your finances.

When it comes to financial bad habits, the most common are also well known — don’t spend too much, don’t take on unsustainable debt, and avoid living paycheck to paycheck. But what happens once you’ve implemented this advice and still aren’t getting ahead? Here are five overlooked financial bad habits that could be draining your bank account.

In 2025, we observed a market environment where fiscal and monetary policy decisions, rather than traditional business fundamentals, were the primary drivers of market direction. This shift means that policy influence and market momentum have become significantly more impactful in shaping market trends, often overshadowing underlying economic performance.

Setting goals for a new year can feel overwhelming. We all know that resolutions don’t last, but we also feel the energy that comes with a new year of possibilities. Here’s a clearer path for setting and reaching your goals.

On Giving Tuesday1—the day after Cyber Monday—millions of people across the world focus their attention on giving back. Whether as a way to eke out meaningful legacies or trim your tax bills, end-of-year philanthropy is a good cause and a smart idea. Here are some tips and tricks for managing your deductions and charitable purposes on Giving Tuesday.

Thanksgiving is a holiday for spending time with loved ones, being grateful, and perhaps enjoying a bit of overindulgence. There are many financial lessons to be had in planning, preparing, and celebrating this annual feast.1 Here are four Thanksgiving lessons that might help your household's financial plan year-round.

Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) are vital for those who must take an annual required minimum distribution (RMD) but seek a tax-advantaged strategy that may help lower their adjusted gross income (AGI). Using a QCD strategy, one can transfer a portion or all their RMD directly from their IRA to a qualified charitable organization while receiving tax benefits for their donation.

A Roth IRA is a tax-advantaged individual retirement account to which you can contribute after-tax dollars. A Roth conversion is when you take earned income from another retirement account and put it into a Roth IRA or a series of Roth IRA accounts.

Remember when we used to go into the bank to make a deposit or a withdrawal? Have you done that lately? And can we truly teach our children the value of money when no one is carrying actual cash around anymore? And while the concept of saving really has not changed much, what has changed is that if our kids – and adults alike – aren’t diligent about “balancing their checkbook,” then they can fritter money away too easily and get themselves in trouble. So here is what I remind my clients (ostensibly by telling them to teach their kids):

As high school comes to an end, a new chapter of life awaits high school seniors. It's an exciting and transformative time, but it also brings about new responsibilities and financial challenges. Developing good financial habits early on is crucial for a confident future.

Establishing and sticking to a budget is an important life skill to learn, even for college students who are focused on keeping up their grades and getting a good job when they graduate. Budgeting may help them understand how much money they need to cover necessary monthly expenses.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act is more than just legislation—it's a transformative opportunity for investors to align with a bold vision for economic revitalization and community impact. This strategic guide outlines how the Act leverages federal funding to support infrastructure, clean energy, and innovation, creating a fertile landscape for private investment.

There is one thing that we will most likely all do one day: regardless of your status in society, position at work, or whether you are tall or short, you may pass down assets to loved ones. When that day arrives, an estate plan is essential for managing and distributing those assets without too many hiccups. Physical real estate is one of the more valuable items on your asset list.

Planning for long-term care (LTC) is essential to financial management and personal well-being. Addressing this crucial need has become more pertinent with the ever-increasing healthcare costs and a growing aging population. Having the LTC resources available may concern single and divorced individuals seeking to live independently. This article is a comprehensive guide for singles and divorcees to help them prepare for LTC care and its associated costs.

Even when divorce is inevitable, it's not something you wake up one day feeling prepared to handle. If you plan to take this step in the new year, it's essential to start getting your situation manageable before life gets too complicated. Here are some tips to help you plan for this significant life change.