Student Loan Forgiveness Best Practices
Key Takeaways: Federal student debt cancellation up to $10,000 ($20,000 for Pell grant recipients) Cancellation limited by income ($125,000 single, $250,000 for married couples) Limited PSLF Waiver ends October 31, 2022; review your eligibility This past Wednesday, the President announced a student debt cancellation plan. Unfortunately for borrowers hopeful to log in to their […]
Most Couples Shouldn’t BOTH Delay Social Security
Key Takeaways: Two-income households have more complex Social Security timing decisions The higher-earning spouse generally benefits from delaying payments The lower-earning spouse generally benefits from starting payments early We’ve written a previous breakdown on the Social Security timing decision. Briefly, between ages 62-70, if you delay taking income, your monthly benefit grows. We discussed that […]
Putting a Value on Your Social Security Benefits
Key Takeaways: Most retirees don’t think of Social Security as an asset and therefore exclude it from their balance sheet. The present value of Social Security payments over an average life expectancy can easily be several hundred thousand dollars. We can’t predict what will happen with Social Security down the road, so it is important […]
Takeaways From a Week at the Chicago Booth School of Business
As all the children in our community are getting ready to go back to school, I am reflecting on my week back in the classroom this summer. I was lucky enough to spend time at the Chicago Booth School of Business learning from the country’s leading practitioners in estate and tax planning. Earlier this year, I set […]
Educating Your Next Generation
Key Takeaways: Our most successful planning relationships are those in which we work with our client’s other professional advisors – and their children and heirs as well. Involving heirs in your financial and estate planning makes the next generation’s estate administration job much easier. You do not have to tell them every detail, but at […]
Taxes in Retirement – Case Studies
Key Takeaways: Your sources of income will change, but you will still owe taxes in retirement. In general, your principal (or “cost basis”) will be returned to you tax-free. A diversified portfolio protects in down markets and provides flexibility when planning for taxes. When you’ve spent your adult life working and saving, retirement […]
Market Volatility & Behavior Financeam i
If you feel like the stock market has been all over the place recently, there is some merit behind the feeling. So far, during 2022 we have experienced 41 days where the S&P 500 has returned greater than a +/- 1% return. This represents approximately half of the trading days of the year so […]
Give and Get: Qualified Charitable Distributions
Key Takeaways Tax reform has decreased the households who itemize to about 10% of taxpayers. Those who don’t itemize may not realize tax benefits from charitable donations. Qualified Charitable Distributions help donors above age 70 ½ realize a tax benefit. Donors younger than 70 ½ should consider the timing of their contributions. With Scottie Scheffler […]
How Much Cash Should I Hold?
Key Takeaways Rising inflation increases the opportunity cost of holding cash We believe the benefits of cash outweigh any loss in purchasing power Market drawdowns like today are relatively good times for long-term investment The question we are getting more than any other these days is, “What should I do with […]
Top 10 Personal Finance Best Practices
As more investors seek out and embrace personalized asset management and individualized financial advice, industry tycoons Vanguard and Russell Investments researched the value created by professional advice. Both companies measured the impact on investor returns when partnering with an advisor who provides skilled management and guidance. Russell Investments identified up to an additional annualized […]
Behavioral Finance and Asset Allocation
Summary Points: We simply have to watch money flow to know how “average investors” behave. Investor emotions typically run opposite to sound decision making. Sound allocation planning can provide other positive impacts on your overall plan. An emotional investor is very likely to make poor decisions over his or her financial life. Various […]
Managing a Household Allocation
One of our mantras in planning is to “Know What You Own.” Peter Lynch popularized this term during his management of a Fidelity mutual fund in the 1980’s, and we think it applies to more than just investments. Your home, your health insurance, your business, and yes, your investments each have features, risks, and opportunities […]
