Blog
Blog
How the 2020 Election Could Impact the Markets and Your Financial Plan
Every election season, political emotions run high. Candidates tell us that this is the most important election in our lifetimes. Advertisements vilifying the opposing candidate seem to never end. Political chatter on social media picks up. Through it all, it can be hard to keep our emotions under control.
Read More
Blog
How Estate and Gift Taxes Can Impact Your Financial Plan
Heath Ledger’s death in 2008 is another tragic story of an extremely talented artist gone too young. The unfortunate circumstances of his death compounded the complexity of his estate, leaving lawyers and family in a difficult position.
Read More
Blog
How to Take Advantage of Donor-Advised Funds and Special 2020 Tax Deductions for Donations
As a CPA, one of the questions that I have been getting more frequently is, “What is a donor-advised fund?” This is not surprising as the number of individual donor-advised fund accounts has grown by over 50% for the second year in a row, according to the National Philanthropic Trust’s 2019 DAF Report.
Read More
Blog
How to Make Charitable Giving Part of Your Financial Plan
COVID-19 caused an economic shockwave that we’ll feel for a long time. Nonprofits, from large global networks to the local churches, have been hit hard, too. In a recent survey of 110 nonprofits, 80% of them said revenue had fallen across the board.
Read More
Blog
What You Need to Know When Choosing the Right Trustee
One of the most important decisions you’ll make when designing your estate plan is who to name in the various fiduciary roles – trustee, personal representative, executor and agent.
Read More
Blog
6 Planning Opportunities for 401(k)s in Light of the SECURE Act
By the very name, the SECURE Act – or Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act – is designed to enhance retirement savings. There are several provisions in the new law to help accomplish this goal.
Read More
Blog
Teaching Kids about Money from Childhood Through Adulthood
Teaching kids about money is especially complex – you aren’t just passing on a few bucks to go to the movies, but an array of attitudes, values and assumptions regardless of whether you mean to. Your kids watch, in a way not even they are aware of, how you interact with finance and how you model it for them.
Read More
Blog
Roth Conversions and Tax-Loss Harvesting: 2 Strategies to Leverage in a Down Market
You’ll be tempted to make rash decisions, and if panic rules the day, you’ll likely regret your choices. As any wise financial advisor will counsel you, it’s important to think long-term. Lean into your financial plan, not away from it.
Read More
Blog
I Hate Uncertainty, Do You?: What Matters Is How We React
I am uneasy with uncertainty and crave a precise, predictable world. Are you like me? Science demonstrates that you, like most humans, probably are. This conflict in our minds during a crisis creates mental and physical stress, often tempting us to act in ways that are unhealthy. Those reactions come from the part of our brain that evolved to protect us from Saber-Tooth Tigers.
Read More
Blog
Coronavirus and the Markets Q&A: 5 Industry-Leading Voices on the Magnitude of the Downturn, What Investors Can Do and More
We put together a roundtable discussion of investment experts across financial disciplines to give us some insight on the current markets. This group represents decades of experience in the fields of investment management and financial research and strategy.
Read More