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 […]
Evaluating a Pension Buyout
Key Takeaways: Calculating the “hurdle rate” of return is an important first step in determining whether staying in the pension or taking a lump sum is the best option for you. Beyond the math, there are other big-picture variables that should be considered before deciding. The pension vs. lump sum decision should be made […]
Year-End Financial Planning & Investments Among Market Volatility
By: Andy Reynolds, CFP®, MBA COO/Partner – Ballast, Inc. With the recent stock market volatility, many investors have, and understandably so, buried their heads in the sand, shredding investment statements without looking and focusing outside of their financial life. While many choose to simply not look, the volatility provides significant opportunities for financial improvement, several of […]
Evaluation of a Job Offer
Key Takeaways – The following considerations must be made when reviewing an opportunity to take a new job or leave a W2 salary to start a business. Nearly 93% of Americans earn income outside their primary job1. What are all the aspects of my compensation package? This includes salary and other benefits such as […]
The Driving Forces Behind the Closely Watched Consumer Price Index (CPI)
By: Brian Burton, CFP® Key Takeaways: CPI is the average change in the prices paid by consumers for a basket of goods and services over time that demonstrates price trends within the economy The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports index weights for eight major categories and many more specific items resulting in the […]
Employee Stock Ownership & Options
Key Takeaways: Company stock plans & stock options have many customizable details Employees should understand their stock plan’s features & tax consequences With correct utilization, employee stock can meaningfully increase compensation When evaluating a job offer, it is best not to focus only on salary or an hourly wage. We have the […]
Cash Flow Autopilot
The Ballast Atheneum has focused on many aspects of cash flow planning, including budgeting, retirement savings vs. paying down debt, costs of vehicle ownership, and cash flow planning vs. long-term care. This article shares a case study that we try to create for working clients. We have implemented this Retirement Autopilot for many people and […]
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, […]
Alternative Uses of Social Security Income
Key Takeaways: Many unique situations could justify taking Social Security earlier. The psychological benefits of a new income stream can relieve anxiety around a new planning strategy. To take Social Security before age 70, the financial and non-financial benefits of claiming Social Security early should outweigh the benefits of deferral. If you […]
Simplify Budgeting to One Key Number
“Where does the money go?” is a question we, unfortunately, hear all too often when discussing budgeting and cash flow. Often the only thing simple about a family’s cash flow is that it is simply confusing. Let’s look at how we help simplify complicated family finances into one key number. Often times we see clients […]
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 […]
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 […]