Blog – Retirement Planning
Are you Ready?
An experience with a client this week has reminded me yet again of the need to be prepared. What would happen if you or your spouse fell ill or suddenly became incapable of managing the family’s financial affairs?
Year-End Planning
I know that it is only the end of October and we are talking about Christmas shopping and being concerned about getting those great gifts. I cannot think of the holiday season without immediately thinking of year-end recommendations for your financial wellbeing. Since I am also concerned this year with “everything” seeming to take longer […]
More Comfort In Retirement?
We talk all the time about the advantage of those that have a pension from their previous employer. Maybe you were a school employee or a federal, state, or local government employee, and you worked long enough to qualify for a pension. Maybe you have been fortunate enough to work at IBM, Lockheed Martin, or […]
Looking Forward
Are we headed towards a repeat of 2008? We are watching a blossoming real estate market. Local real estate listings are staying on the market for an average of 17 days. We see several sellers finding themselves in bidding wars and selling their houses for more than market price. Buyers find themselves shut out of […]
Back to Retirement Basics
We often find when we ask the question – do you contribute to an IRA, people often say, yes, it is deducted out of my paycheck. I thought this might be a good time to explain the different types of retirement accounts.
Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs)
We are all continually looking for ways to save tax dollars. With the 2018 increase in the standard deduction, many individuals switched from itemizing their deductions to the standard deduction. When you take the standard deduction, you do not get a deduction for property and school taxes, medical expenses, or mortgage and home equity loan […]
Understanding the Impact of Inflation
How many of you remember gas prices at 25 cents a gallon or when a loaf of bread was a dime? Do you understand what caused gas or bread prices to soar to $3.00 or more? Product costs go up when the cost of the raw materials increase and demand outpaces supply. An increase in […]
Charitable Options that Can Save Taxes
The pandemic and other disasters like the local floods in 2005 and 2011, Hurricane Katrina, 9-11, and more show how generous Americans can be. Most want to give regardless of the tax deduction- and yet the tax deduction can also make it more advantageous.
Retirement Plan Distribution Rules
Do you have a retirement plan from a previous employer that you have left with the employer after separating from service? Once you leave your employer, you do have the ability to move qualified retirement accounts. There are two ways to accomplish this. You can do a transfer or a direct rollover. You will want […]
Is an annuity right for you?
Annuities often get a bad rap as an investment option. Like any other investment options, they serve a purpose. When they meet a need and serve that purpose, they can be the right choice. There are different kinds of annuities – fixed, variable, indexed, or immediate. There are different features – living benefits, death benefits, […]