Educating Heirs on Student Debt
One of my favorite television shows is Shark Tank, which shows aspiring entrepreneurs pitching their business plans to seasoned investors, the “sharks,” in hopes of an investment. The sharks use their own money to invest, so they ask tough questions to help evaluate the business’s potential. Have they demonstrated sales? How much does it cost […]
Should Business Owners Raise Their Salary to Earn More Social Security?
Key Takeaways: Lower taxes are better, right? We spend a great deal of time planning around the tax code to help people accomplish their goals in the most tax-efficient manner. However, lowering taxes today often has consequences down the road. Sometimes there is a clear mathematical break-even, and other times a complex web of behavioral […]
Should Business Owners Raise Their Salary to Earn More Social Security?
Key Takeaways: Pass-through entity owners can choose to take profits as wages or distributions Increasing owner salary raises payroll tax liability but also increases future Social Security benefits Older owners and owners with non-working spouses and/or incomplete earnings records stand to benefit the most from increasing their salaries Lower taxes are better, […]
2024 Year-End Financial Insights: Markets, Taxes, AI & Election Impact from Ballast Advisors
As we wrap up 2024, Ballast is here to clarify the major financial themes shaping this year and what they could mean for the future. Listen to conversations from Ballast advisors John Boardman, Andy Reynolds, Cameron Hamilton, Brian Burton, and Frank Yozwiak as this year-end review offers insights into: 00:00:00 Begin 00:00:38 1️⃣ Markets […]
Positive Thoughts = Positive Results
If you enjoy the deep-dive economic analysis and financial planning strategies, I suggest passing over my more sentimental commentary this week. I sat down to write Sunday after an unprecedented week of family togetherness centered around Thanksgiving, filled with gratitude and positivity. It was a nice reprieve from the generally more negative outlook we receive […]
Tax Law Changes Loom at the End of 2025
We are only a few weeks from the Presidential election and, as of today, there is no clear leader across the various polls. In addition, control of the House and Senate is also not yet clear. The result of all these races will have a massive impact on how tax law is handled, particularly as […]
How Will the Fed’s Interest Rate Cuts Affect You?
Last week, the Federal Reserve announced its first interest rate cut since the early days of the Pandemic. The highly anticipated rate cut resulted in a 50-basis point (half of one percent) reduction in the Federal Funds Rate, an important overnight borrowing rate set by the Federal Reserve. Outside of Covid, the last time the […]
Doing the Math on Sports Gambling
Want updates and articles like this sent straight to your inbox? Sign up for our newsletter here. Labor Day is in the rearview mirror and for my family that means it is football and tailgating season. When I feel that fall nip in the air, I feel the urge to light the BBQ smoker and […]
Latest Data on Inflation and Labor Markets Paving the Way for Fed Rate Cuts
Following the weak jobs report that left many on Wall Street questioning the prospects of a “soft landing,” we’ve seen a bit of unrest in markets over the last few weeks. Remember, a soft landing includes cooling inflation back to the Fed’s 2% target while maintaining a healthy labor market. With a slight crack showing […]
What Happened in the Markets Last Week?
If you have turned on the news or had a conversation around the water cooler over the past week, you have certainly heard that volatility has returned to the stock market. Headlines like “Dow sinks more than 1,000 points in global market sell-off” and “Wall Street Hammered Amid Plunging Global Markets” led on all media […]
Who Wants to Talk Politics?
Thanks for taking the bait. Positive stock market performance for 2024 has been celebrated by most investors, but the rationale behind the rally is where we tend to see a spectrum of opinions. I have personally heard clients laud their candidate of choice as the primary tailwind… from both sides of the aisle. It does […]
John V. Boardman Honored for Years of Service by The Teachers Retirement System of Kentucky
LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 18, 2024) – The Teachers Retirement System of the State of Kentucky recently recognized John V. Boardman, Founder/CEO of Ballast, for his significant contributions and seven years of dedicated service to the Board of Trustees. Originally appointed to the Board of Trustees in 2017 by Gov. Bevin and reappointed in 2021 […]
