Many clients have generously offered feedback and suggestions ever since our newest website went live. Our “Frequently Asked Questions” section – and specifically our minimum asset requirements for new clients – prompted questions that I thought were worth answering for everyone. By way of background, a heartfelt “thank you!” is where we’ll start. Almost 15 […]

As discussed in January’s post, due to the newly-doubled standard deduction, many families will no longer be able to itemize contributions to qualifying charities starting this year. But don’t throw out the baby with the bathwater! You can still save on taxes by giving to charity. But start by putting away your checkbook. Charitable donations […]

Continuing our review of the 2018 tax law changes, we’ll take a closer look at the nearly-doubled standard deduction, how it eliminates the opportunity to deduct charitable contributions for many taxpayers, and two gifting strategies to consider if you’re among those impacted. The basics:  The Standard Deduction will be $12,000 for individuals and $24,000 for […]

Welcome to our first installment in a series where we’ll explore the financial planning implications of the tax law. With bills from private K-12 schools arriving in January, we’ll start with the expansion of the qualifying uses the 529 to include pre-college tuition. The news of this expansion has many parents excited, but let’s take […]

The Internal Revenue Service announced last month the 401(k) contribution limit is set to rise by $500 in 2018 – increasing the cap from $18,000 to $18,500 and from $24,000 to $24,500 for workers over age 50. They also announced that the per person gift exclusion will rise from $14,000 to $15,000. Couples will be […]

Here we go again… only this time it’s not just stolen card data from a retailer like Target. As I’m sure you read over the weekend, ALL of your personal information (birth date, Social Security number, etc.) was potentially compromised by the credit rating agency, Equifax, earlier this summer.   At this point, we think it’s perfectly […]

Encouraging news reported in the Wall Street Journal this week:  The 5.5% average growth rate in college tuition over the last 30 years is down to a mere 1.9% in 2016 – in line with the general level of inflation. A quick list of contributing factors: Supply is up: the number of two and four […]

The short answer: If you pay the premium for your employer-sponsored (“group”) disability insurance, then, in the event of a qualifying disability, the benefit is paid to you tax free. If your employer pays the premium, the benefit paid to you would be fully taxable as ordinary income The long answer: Many employers offer disability insurance to […]

Depending on plan specifics, the answer could be yes! Below are the plan characteristics we look for to make that determination: A 15% discount on the stock price at the beginning or end of the purchase period, whichever is lower. For example, if the stock price rises over the accumulation period, you’d benefit from a […]

A new study by Hendrik Bessembinder, a finance professor at Arizona State University, explains why it’s so difficult to successfully pick stocks that beat broad market returns – because very few actually do. He discovered “a mere 4 percent of the stocks in the entire market … accounted for all of the net market returns […]