By Todd Brost, CFP® History of the Roth IRA? It is named after the late U.S. Senator William V. Roth Jr., who was a WWII veteran, a lawyer, and the legislation’s sponsor. It was created by the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997. Contributions to Roth IRAs grew from $8.6 billion in 1998, to $605 [...]
By Brandi Graham, CFP®, CTFA With increased standard deductions, more taxpayers are finding they are no longer able to deduct cash contributions to charities on their tax returns. Are you looking for smarter ways to maximize your charitable gifts while minimizing taxes? Read on for some strategic methods to give more effectively. DON’T [...]
Giving to charity is as American as apple pie. U.S. News and World Report in fact ranks the United States as the most generous country on earth1. However, there are some unscrupulous actors out there so before you give, take a few points under consideration. First, there are many scammers more than willing to take [...]
By Mason Jones, CFP® It is easy to forget why we are here, what we want, and most importantly, what we value because of the mundane details of everyday life. With that said, since we are a month into the new year, there is no better time than right now to share a [...]
By: Lynda Tull, Associate Advisor Have you heard of the IRMAA in regards to your Medicare Part B and Part D premiums? Chances are, if you have then you likely are paying these extra surcharges. These “surcharges” or additional insurance premiums increase your regular Medicare premiums when your Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) on your [...]
Written by Darren Wilcox, CFP®, J.D. Most everyone is relieved to have 2020 finally in the rearview mirror. As the calendar rolls over to a new year it brings up discussion of a stock market phenomenon known as the January Effect. For those unaware, the January Effect is essentially the belief that no matter [...]
By Darren Wilcox, JD, CFP® With the fall in temperatures has come a rise in the number of COVID-19 cases, and unfortunately we are all impacted in some way by this virus. While social distancing, wearing a mask, and avoiding non-essential travel are all great ways to reduce your likelihood of contracting COVID-19, here are [...]
By Kelly M. Lewis, CFP®, JD, LLM Check your most recent paystub dated after September 1st, 2020. Did your paycheck increase without you actively making any changes to it? If you make less than $104,000, then it might be because of President Trump’s new payroll tax deferral that is now in effect through the [...]
Written by Sarah E.J. Collier, J.D. You saved, saved and then saved some more to establish your emergency fund. Saving the 3-6 months’ worth of expenses to establish your emergency fund was no easy task. However, you just went through a financial emergency and drained your emergency fund. While this can make you feel defeated, [...]
By Andrew Baron, CFP® The first thing to do when beginning a financial plan is to develop a spending plan. The plan should be both comprehensive enough to effectively keep track of all the moving parts and simple enough to be useable. It’s difficult to follow a plan if you barely understand it! At the [...]
