Planning in a Market Pullback – A Silver Lining
Uncertainty around the impact of the coronavirus has brought a high level of volatility and has ultimately driven us into bear market territory (a pullback of 20% or more from peak levels). Daily market swings of 4%+ make it difficult…
Medical Foreign Travel Insurance
With the rapid rise in reported cases of coronavirus around the world, travelers are reconsidering their upcoming vacation plans. For many, that could mean canceling trips while for others, it means looking into travel insurance. If you’re traveling outside of the…
Real Estate (REITs) in your Portfolio: the Investor vs the Landlord
Owning an investment property is not as simple as buying a property, renting it out, and then collecting a monthly check. Landlords must manage the taxes, make necessary repairs, and find suitable tenants. While you can always hire a property…
Spousal Lifetime Access Trust & the Increased Estate Exemption
Thinking about taking advantage of the current federal estate exemption? A Spousal Lifetime Access Trust may play a critical role in your long-term estate planning. What is a Spousal Lifetime Access Trust (SLAT)? A Spousal Lifetime Access Trust (SLAT) is…
SECURE Act – Revisiting Your Estate Plan
The SECURE Act, which passed in December, made the most pronounced changes to retirement accounts in a long time. Those changes also have a ripple effect that has us revisiting our clients’ estate plans. Under previous law, non-spouse beneficiaries of Individual…
Politics vs. Company Stock Performance
Have you ever heard news about a company and noticed that the stock price did not move? Perhaps it moved in a direction you were not expecting. This happens more often than you would think in the stock market. In…
Q4 2019 Quarterly Letter – I Love the Rolling Stones!
I love the Rolling Stones! The first Rolling Stones concert I saw was 30 years ago. At that time, I remember thinking, Wow, these guys really rock. And they are kind of old. At the time, they were in their…
SECURE Act – A Major Piece of Retirement Law Change
Today, Congress passed the SECURE Act (Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement) which has been in the works for a number of years and is the first major piece of retirement law change in a decade. The bill includes…
Women and Financial Advice – 4 Myths & Misperceptions
When we’re sitting with prospective clients, we often see a similar range of emotions during our meeting. At first, they may be anxious or embarrassed, worried that they didn’t start saving for retirement earlier or that they aren’t really sure…
The Increased Gift Exemption Amount
One of the major changes in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) was an increase in the estate and gift exemption, which is the amount that one can gift during their life or at death free of taxes. …