Szarka Financial

10/25/2026

Before you start house hunting, find out what you can realistically afford. This calculator factors in your income, debts, and down payment to give you a number.

10/22/2026

Trust & Will's 2026 Estate Planning Report found that 56 percent of adults don't have core documents in place, including:

📝 A will: who gets what, and who is in charge of making it happen

🏥 A healthcare directive (or living will): what you want if you cannot speak for yourself

✍️ Two powers of attorney, one for medical decisions and one for financial decisions, each naming a specific person

📄 A letter of instruction: the practical map to where accounts live, who your professionals are, and what your kids or pets need

The friction is that estate work forces a family to sit with mortality, name specific people for specific roles, and make decisions that feel too permanent to rush.

Without something in writing, though, families are left improvising during one of the most difficult moments of their lives.

Most say they fully intend to get to it, but too many put it off until it's too late.

Don't put it off. Talk to a financial professional who can help.

10/21/2026

Surprises crop up every day, and they’re a great reason to work with us.

10/20/2026

TV EVENT / Today at 12:25 PM!
WKYC Studios Channel 3 /
Szarka Financial helping Northeast Ohio Since 1985

If you're wanting to gain insight on current financial issues, tune in to Studios Channel 3 on Tuesdays at 12:25 pm for our new segment.

Les & Alex are set to deliver fresh insights and actionable strategies designed to help you confidently manage your financial journey in today’s evolving landscape.

Replays on our YouTube channel>
https://www.youtube.com/user/szarkafinancialmgmt

10/19/2026

Social Security recipients will receive a 3.6% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) in 2027, translating to approximately $75 more per month on average.

The increase comes as inflation continues to affect everyday expenses. September's Consumer Price Index showed prices rising 3.7% over the past year.

But will the adjustment be enough? A September AARP survey found that roughly three-quarters of adults age 50 and older didn't believe a 3.5% COLA would keep pace with rising prices.

The actual increase will vary by recipient, and expenses such as health care, housing, and groceries may affect how far that additional income goes.

The Social Security Administration projects a 3.6% cost-of-living adjustment for older adults and people with disabilities starting in 2027.

10/18/2026

Committed to increasing your financial literacy? Don't be afraid to ask questions.

10/16/2026

Fidelity's 2025 wealth transfer study found that roughly 67 percent of parents age 55 and older have never told their adult children what they will inherit, or whether they will inherit anything at all.

About 33 percent would prefer the kids are kept in the dark about the amount.

Their reasons should feel familiar:
✔️ Worry that a specific number will dampen a child's drive
✔️ Discomfort talking about money at all

The same study found:
Most adult children say they are ready to handle whatever they inherit and would rather shape things while their parents are still around to explain the "why" behind decisions.

Families who have inheritance strategies share some similar habits:
💬 Kids know who the financial professionals are and how to reach them
💬 Everyone knows where the estate documents are
💬 They try to manage any surprises well ahead of time

So, do you tell your children or not?

There's no single right answer here.

Sharing exact numbers isn't necessary, but most families find that a broad discussion can help with priorities and expectations.

10/14/2026

A mother in California picked up the phone and heard her daughter's voice, panicked, saying she'd been kidnapped and needed money immediately.

What she'd heard wasn't her daughter. It was an AI-generated clone of her voice.

In a 2025 study, scientists found that when people heard a cloned voice, they correctly identified the voice as AI-generated only about 60 percent of the time.

The FBI attributed more than $890 million in 2025 losses to AI-enabled fraud, and voice cloning is one of the main drivers behind that number.

It is not only older adults being targeted. Younger family members get these calls too, often framed as a sibling or friend in trouble. Older adults just tend to lose the most per incident.

Two ways to protect your family.

🔐 Agree on a private code word or question with the people a scammer is most likely to impersonate (kids, parents, spouse)

📞 If a call like this comes in and you have not set up a code word yet, hang up, then call the real person back

When in doubt, slow down and verify.

10/14/2026

When considering a record keeping system for your business, you need to ask yourself some very important questions

10/14/2026

Your child may already have a Trump Account. That doesn’t mean it’s set up.

The Treasury Department says automatic enrollment now covers every eligible child with a valid Social Security number. But a parent or legal guardian still has to formally activate the account, either at trumpaccounts.gov or through the program’s app.

📌 Babies who are U.S. citizens with a Social Security number and were born between January 1, 2025, and December 31, 2028, may qualify for a one-time $1,000 government contribution once the account is claimed.

A few details families are weighing: Yearly contributions are capped at $5,000, though government and charitable contributions don’t count toward that limit. The money generally can’t be touched until a child turns 18, and earnings are taxed when withdrawn. That’s a key difference from 529 accounts, which grow tax-free but are limited to education costs.

Which account fits best depends on what a family is saving for, and that’s a conversation worth having with a financial professional.

Your child may be enrolled in a “Trump Account” whether you realize it or not. Rolled out earlier this year, the Trump Accounts program allows parents to claim special investment accounts for children who are 18 years old or younger.