Roth IRAs and 401(k)s are wonderful savings vehicles. Although you cannot claim a tax deduction for them, their earnings are untaxed and there is no income tax due when withdrawn in retirement, providing some requirements are met. Whenever possible, we recommend some portion of savings be devoted to Roth accounts. Ideally, entering retirement, one would […]
We were pleased to recently be featured in Financial Advisors IQ, an on-line service provided by the Financial Times for advisors. For the article, please see https://financialadvisoriq.com/c/1221023/135053. Financial Advisor IQ (FA-IQ) is a member of the Financial Times family of news services covering the investment management industry, including sister publications Ignites and FundFire. Launched in 2013, FA-IQ is “all about the […]
At this time of year, I usually like to write to everyone about charitable giving and thankfulness for the blessings that have come our way in 2015. However, if you haven’t already heard, I need to communicate the impact of a recent Congressional budget deal on Social Security claiming strategies. I’ll briefly discuss giving, but […]
Because the markets have been rocky recently, I write to put these events in context. Market drops usually create an emotional response, when what we really need to do is to step back, take a deep breath, and behave rationally. If you have done planning with me, that also helps, as it creates a guidepost […]
This quarterly market review is a bit delayed. Nonetheless, we will take our regular temperature of the markets, with a bit of an update through October, since things keep changing. As usual, our goal is to look at recent market results, put them in perspective, and see how that experience should set our expectations going forward. […]
This month’s post is a bit more philosophical than usual. Often I provide market reviews, the latest on Washington’s background chatter on things financial, Federal Reserve policy, etc. In other works, hard information you can put to use. But equally important to information is the mindset we bring to money. Some people can have all […]
We have historically recommended that clients do trustee-to-trustee transfers when transferring assets from 401(k) to IRAs. But a recent ruling gives you yet another reason to avoid taking a check and along with it, the responsibility of making the rollover within a short window of time to avoid penalties. Please see http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/2014/04/06/irs-ira-rule-change-rollover/7317035/ for a summary. […]
Recent events at Pimco illustrate how things can change even at the best of firms. We discuss how this illustrates the monitoring required if you use active managers, the limitations of many 401(k) plans, and how it relates to our philosophy on using mostly passive investment in client portfolios. This month’s post covers: Background on […]
I am proud to participate as a fee-only financial planner in the Garrett Planning Network, which was just honored in Kiplinger’s Best of Everything 2013 for Best a la Carte Financial Planning. I concur with their recommendation after being part of the network these last two years. It is a great group of folks working […]
Resources and Links to Savings Opportunities The resources listed here have so many good tips that you could have difficulty implementing it all. The key to using them is analyzing your own cash flow to see where money “leakages” are happening. Nobody has perfect savings habits, and sometimes circumstances change. So try focusing on the […]