The financial planning and investment landscape changes at a dizzying speed – and often with conflicting messages. Read our team of experts’ advice on saving, spending, investing, retirement, taxes, giving and more to help you enjoy a full life.
The financial planning and investment landscape changes at a dizzying speed – and often with conflicting messages. Read our team of experts’ advice on saving, spending, investing, retirement, taxes, giving and more to help you enjoy a full life.
April 27, 2021
When a spouse passes away, the list of things the survivor must do may seem endless. In the weeks following their death, there are decisions to be made, paperwork to be completed, and lots to track down. Suppose a surviving spouse is the primary beneficiary of a retirement account (such as a Traditional IRA, Roth […]
April 20, 2021
This past winter, I built an ice rink in our backyard. It was a labor of love—for every hour of work that went into it, we probably enjoyed about 10 minutes of equivalent ice time. Even with that trade-off, it was entirely worth the effort. Attempting to be a good neighbor in our new home, […]
April 13, 2021
The financial news outlets are always talking about the next hot stock. “Buy this stock, or you will regret it” or “It’s time to dump this stock; it’s done for!” When listening to the 24-hour news loop day in and day out, it’s hard for many investors not to feel a bit of FOMO (fear […]
April 6, 2021
The rise of unemployment and the increase in unemployment benefits resulting from COVID-19 has pathed the way for criminals to take advantage of state governments and their unemployment programs and filing systems, resulting in a significant spike in fraudulent unemployment claims all across the country. Criminals take on innocent people’s identities, using their social security […]
April 1, 2021
When people think about their personal philanthropy, they often envision giving weekly to their church or writing checks to an organization during an annual fundraiser. However, many people don’t realize that there are multiple other ways to give, some of which provide financial benefits above and beyond a simple tax deduction. While it’s true the […]
March 30, 2021
One of the common pain points for financial professionals (private equity professionals, investment bankers, and asset managers) that we hear is “I pay too much in taxes.” Most professionals typically are talking about income taxes; however, estate taxes often get overlooked. If you are a private equity professional, one of the great tactics unique to […]
March 23, 2021
President Biden recently signed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (the “American Rescue Plan”). The package expands relief provisions first introduced in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act from March 2020 and introduces new measures to help families and businesses. What does this mean specifically for you? Below is […]
March 16, 2021
Last fall, I received a phone call from Mark, an owner of a successful multi-generational insurance agency. Mark is in his late 50s and has been running the family agency for the past two decades. Mark was stressed out over the thought of selling his agency. He had multiple offers from competing agencies that were […]
March 9, 2021
Now that tax time is here; you’re probably starting to load everything into your tax preparation software or send documents to your CPA. There are many tax documents mailed to you or available online, but what about some of the items that are tougher to keep track of? Here are six tax strategies that are […]
March 2, 2021
Stock options have long been an attractive component of executive compensation. Sometimes we are asked if it is possible to transfer employee stock options to family members as part of an estate reduction strategy. It’s an interesting question and possible under certain circumstances. For executives that know they have enough to meet other goals and […]
February 23, 2021
Now that the political picture has come into sharper focus, many investors wonder what they should be thinking about in terms of tax planning. While the Biden administration has yet to roll out specific tax-related priorities, most observers believe that some tax reform is forthcoming. With that in mind, what should attorneys be thinking about […]
February 16, 2021
When a spouse passes away, the remaining spouse is often left to grieve the loss of their partner and to wade through a seemingly unending list of things to do. If you’ve lost a close family member, you’ve probably experienced needing to make final arrangements, settling final bills, going through financial records, etc. While it […]