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Financial Planning
Tax & Estate Planning with Charitable Trusts
Written by Bruce Yates, Financial Advisor & Doug Custer, CFP® Investment assets have two primary benefits: the income they produce, and their hopefully increasing value. With Charitable Trusts, charitably inclined investors can support their chosen charity or foundation by donating one of these two components (principal or income), while retaining the other for themselves or…
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Optimizing the Tax Impact of Charitable Giving Under the New Tax Law
Written by Doug Custer, CFP Beginning at age 70½, IRA owners must start taking Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) each year from their IRA accounts. Unless you have made after-tax contributions in the past, these distributions are taxable as ordinary income. However, if you are charitably inclined, your RMDs can not only help you deduct more…
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5 Ways to Play the New Tax Law
Written by Joe Erickson, CPA The new tax law—known officially as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) and signed into law in December 2017—took effect at the beginning of the 2018 tax year. Among its major adjustments, the TCJA almost doubled the standard deduction, lowered tax brackets, repealed the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate,…
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Financial Fitness for Women
Written by Mary Ann Ferreira, CFP®, CDFA™, AIF® Original article posted on Market Watch Here
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Two solutions for elderly parents who are house rich but cash poor
Written by Bruce Yates, Financial Advisor A Common Financial Conundrum If your parents are getting on in years, they may find themselves facing a situation shared by many older Americans. The majority of their wealth may be tied up in the house they bought decades ago, while their liquid assets—cash and securities that can be…
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How Can You Manage Your Debt?
Understanding how much debt you can handle and being smart about managing it can help you pursue long-term financial goals. Consider the following tips when analyzing how much you owe. 1. Calculate how much debt you carry. Although there are exceptions for special situations, many mortgage providers consider the most attractive candidates to be those…
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In-Service 401(k) Rollovers
Written by Mary Ann Ferreira, CFP®, CDFA™, AIF® Does it make sense for you to do an “In-Service” (while still working) rollover of your 401(k) assets? Some 401(k) plans have high fees and expenses. In addition, the investment choices available in these retirement plans are sometimes limited. As a result of TIPRA (Tax Increase Prevention Reconciliation…
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Marriage: Entering a New Investment Life
There are a lot of issues that couples need to think about when tying the knot — wedding preparations, family, and, of course, finances. Addressing personal finance and investment issues before the big day may help improve your odds of being together years later. Here are some financial issues that you should consider when embarking…
Read More Don’t Plan for Retirement — Plan for an Encore Life
Written by Mark Jaeger, ChFC®, CFP® – CCO/COO Original article posted on Market Watch here.
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Five Strategies for Tax-Efficient Investing
You may be able to use losses within your investment portfolio to help offset realized gains. If your losses exceed your gains, you can offset up to $3,000 per year of the difference against ordinary income. After factoring in federal income and capital gains taxes, the alternative minimum tax, and potential state and local taxes,…
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