Echo Financial Planning Services

Welcome to our Web site!

If you are looking for holistic financial advice, you have come to the right place. Comprehensive financial advice focuses on identifying the value of your entire balance sheet and income statement, not simply an investment account. Working with Echo Zhang, CFP® CRC®, you get an advisor with the potential to help bring value to far more than just your investments .  

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.

 
Calculators

Lifetime Earnings

This calculator is designed to help you attach a dollar figure to your life’s work.

Loan Payoff

How much will it cost to pay off a loan over its lifetime?

LTCI Cost of Waiting

Estimate the potential cost of waiting to purchase a long-term care insurance policy.

Federal Income Tax

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

More Calculators →

Newsletters

Leaving Your Home Out of the Retirement Equation

Plummeting home prices and increased borrowing cut U.S. home equity by more than 60% during the Great Recession — and housing prices have not yet recovered. This article considers the potential drawbacks of depending on home equity to help fund retirement.

Keeping Pace with Social Security

In 2012, Social Security beneficiaries will receive a 3.6% cost of living increase for the first time in three years. But a recent study suggests that benefits are lagging far behind real expenses. This article explains how Social Security benefits are indexed and what older workers and retirees might expect from the program in the future.

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.

Tax-Efficient Investments for the Tax-Averse

Raising taxes is one of many ideas that have been proposed to help reduce mounting federal budget deficits. Readers who are concerned about the prospect of higher taxes in the future may want to consider the tax advantages associated with municipal bonds and tax-exempt mutual funds.

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