Year-End Financial Checklist
December 3, 2019
As 2019 comes to an end, take a few minutes to put a bow on your financial life for the year by running through this quick checklist: Maximize Employer Benefits: Spend flex dollars – Many employers offer Flexible Spending Accounts for health expenses or dependent care. Often times, balances must be spent before year-end or […]
Medicare 2019 – Key Enrollment Dates and Important Changes
November 5, 2019
The leaves are changing colors and a cool breeze is in the air, which means many retirees are securing their winter travel plans. However, before jumping on the plane to escape the cold winter months that lie ahead, it is also time for Medicare participants to decide if changes should be made to their health […]
Year-End Tax Planning – Strategies to Save
October 8, 2019
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA) put into place new tax legislation for Americans, officially taking effect for the 2018 tax year. The full effect of the changes was not felt by most individuals and families until they filed their returns in April of this year. If proactively planned for, below are […]
Child’s UTMA is Ending – What Protection Exists?
August 13, 2019
Uniform Transfers to Minors Act, or UTMA, accounts are a popular way to hold investments and bank accounts for minors. Such accounts are owned by the minor but controlled by a designated adult custodian. The minor becomes the outright owner of the account assets when he or she reaches the age of majority specified in […]
Top 2 Tax Changes That May Affect Your Retirement
August 6, 2019
There are likely substantial retirement account changes on the horizon which will alter planning for all current and future retirees. Recently, the House passed the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement or SECURE Act. The SECURE Act is expected to pass the Senate in the coming months. The two most wide-reaching changes in the […]
Governor Pritzker’s Tax Proposal – What You Need to Know
May 7, 2019
In March of this year, information was released regarding Illinois Governor JB Pritzker’s proposed tax plan, otherwise known as the “Fair Tax for Illinois.” There are a number of items in this proposal which, should this become law, could impact both individual and corporate taxpayers in the state of Illinois. Here are a few of […]
Spring Cleaning – Freeing Yourself of Clutter After a Divorce
April 30, 2019
The combination of all the documentation that is needed during divorce negotiations and the never-ending stack of documents needed by your tax preparer often create an important pile of clutter. The good news is that you don’t need to hold onto it forever. Learn more about what should be done post-divorce in this podcast featuring BDF’s […]
Smoothing Out Lumpy Cash Flow
April 16, 2019
Receiving most of your compensation in a few large paychecks is exciting to finally see in your bank account. But it causes a lot of headache when juggling cash flow for the year ahead. Financial professionals (private equity professionals, investment bankers, and asset managers) struggle with this problem given the industry’s compensation models. Investment bankers, […]
InvestmentNews awards BDF 2019 Best Places to Work for Financial Advisers
April 10, 2019
Balasa Dinverno Foltz LLC has been recognized as a 2019 Best Places to Work for Financial Advisers as announced by InvestmentNews April 1, 2019. BDF was chosen as one of this year’s top-75 based on employer and employee surveys delving into everything from company culture, benefits, career paths and more. InvestmentNews partnered with Best Companies Group, an independent research […]
5 Important Things to Know for Your 2018 Taxes
March 5, 2019
With tax time finally here, you’re probably starting to load everything into your tax preparation software or send documents to your CPA. Below are a few items that may be tougher to keep track of during the year but are certainly important pieces of information to pass along to your tax preparer. 529 Contributions/Distributions – […]
New Year, New Tax Law for Divorcing Individuals
February 19, 2019
As we get settled into 2019, we’re faced with fresh changes to the tax code, brought about by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017. One of the biggest changes that became effective as of January 1 is how alimony is treated in divorces finalized in 2019 and beyond. Before January 1, 2019, […]
State Estate Taxes – Will You Have to Pay?
January 15, 2019
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 made the federal estate tax less relevant from a planning perspective, since it raised each person’s exemption from the tax to over $11 million. So, estate taxes are nothing to worry about, right? Not so fast, since thirteen states levy their version of the tax. That is […]