Year-End Tax Considerations

Year end tax planning

It seems like this year has flown by faster than ever!  With the end of the year upon us, it might be prudent to consider financial decisions that may require action before December 31st. Max Out Retirement Contributions If you have taxable working income, pre-tax contributions to your employer sponsored retirement account can both reduce […]

Lemons to Lemonade

It’s impossible to predict when the next market downturn will occur, how deep it will go, or how long it will last. However, market dips can present good investment opportunities. Loss Harvesting Loss harvesting is the strategy of selling non-retirement investments at a loss to yield a future tax benefit. Typically, when your investment portfolio […]

Israel-Hamas War & the U.S. Economy

Israel Hamas War

The stock market has been choppier than ever with news headlines that consume our attention day to day. A week ago, the U.S. was absorbed with what seemed like an inevitable government shut down, only to be surprised at the last minute with the passage of a bill that kept the government funded another 45 […]

The IRS Updates Inherited IRA RMD Rules (again!)

Inherited IRA

Just four years ago, the Stretch IRA estate planning strategy allowed an original IRA owner to pass their IRA to a non-spouse beneficiary, who could extend the tax-deferred benefits through an Inherited IRA over their lifetime, essentially stretching the IRA benefits over two lifetimes. Those days are no longer! The SECURE Act of 2020 eliminated […]

A New Tax Era?

Some believe we may be on the verge of a new tax era where the lower tax rates of the past 30-years will subside, possibly reducing corporate profits, but providing much needed support for currently underfunded public programs like Medicare and Social Security. The Federal Reserve recently issued a white paper, End of an Era, […]

Does International Investing Still Make Sense?

Internaitonal Investing

Globally diversifying, or investing in a blended allocation of domestic and international stocks, has been widely accepted as a safe and prudent investment strategy that allows you to capture market rates of returns, and also provides downside protection to minimize losses. However, recent market performance has caused many investors to question if that investment theory […]

Planning for Longevity

Longevity

Have you ever wondered how long you will live? If you look at the U.S. Life Expectancy Tables, an average American male will live to 74.5 years and an American female will likely live to 80.2 years old. In Japan, males are expected to live to age 81.6 and women to age 87.7 years old. […]

Mid-Year Market Analysis

Mid Year Market Analysis

Many analysts sounded the bells earlier this year about an imminent recession looming. Active investors who buy and sell investments strategically to make profits on temporary shifts in the value of stocks might have been frustrated if they acted on the advice of pundits. That’s because market timers may have missed out on the surprising […]

What’s In the Debt Ceiling Deal?

Debt Ceiling

On June 3rd, 2023, President Biden signed into law the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023, thus narrowly avoiding a first-ever U.S. default on debt. It was predicted that the global economy would go into a tailspin, and the U.S. into a recession, had a budget agreement not been reached. Luckily that crisis was averted, safeguarding […]

U.S. Debt Ceiling Crisis

US National Debt

If the U.S. Congress is unable to come to an agreement on budgetary items and raise the debt ceiling by June, the U.S. government could default on its debt, leading to a global financial crisis. So how did our elected officials on the Hill allow us to get to this point? What needs to be […]