At the end of 2015, Congress permanently extended the rule allowing taxpayers to exclude from taxable income certain individual retirement account (IRA) distributions made directly to a qualified charity. Otherwise known as qualified charitable distributions, or QCDs, such transfers can provide individuals who were already planning to make a charitable gift with several tax benefits. […]
As you travel the savings road toward retirement and beyond, certain key dates will pop up. Some of these dates are critically important to your retirement planning efforts. Taking the right retirement planning steps as you reach each of the following age milestones could help you maximize your income, minimize your taxes and avoid penalties. […]
You’re house hunting, and you’ve brought along a wish list of features that you consider important, such as a certain number of bedrooms, adequate storage, and an up-to-date kitchen. But does your list include features that will affect your homeowners insurance premium? Buying a well constructed home equipped with certain safety devices may allow you […]
Although there was some notable weakness in the middle of May, the S&P 500 Index was able to rally late in the month to finish with a modest gain. Incredibly, this was the eighth year out of the past nine that stocks gained during in May. Who said Sell in May? View enlarged chart. As […]
Congrats to Phil Mickelson on his amazing victory on Sunday at the PGA Championship at the age of 50, officially the oldest person to ever win a golf major championship. This was Lefty’s 6th major victory, leaving him just a win at the U.S. Open from completing golf’s Grand Slam and winning all four majors. He […]
Inflation is all the rage after last week’s much hotter than expected inflation numbers. Our base case remains that this period of higher inflation will be transitory, as many of the forces that have kept a lid on inflation over the past decade plus are still in place. Things like technology innovation, globalization, the Amazon […]
Grandparents can often find themselves in a better financial position to save for their grandchildren’s education than their own children are. The parents of prospective students may still be contending with competing priorities like their own student loans, high-interest credit card debt, or a hefty mortgage. One way to help save for a grandchild’s college […]
Divorce can deal both divorcing spouses one of the biggest financial blows of their lifetimes. In fact, experts estimate each spouse will need to increase their individual income by about 30 percent to maintain the same standard of living they had prior to the divorce.1 However, if your ex-spouse was a spendthrift or otherwise wasn’t pulling […]
Financial planning is the process that can help you pursue your goals by evaluating your whole financial picture, then outlining strategies that are tailored to your individual needs and available resources. Just as the success of a military mission is dependent upon proper planning, your financial success may be dependent upon creating a sound financial […]
For nearly a year, investors have had the late spring/early summer months circled on their calendars for a potential jump in inflation. Base effects from rolling off weak data a year ago held the promise of eye-popping year-over-year numbers, and an economy that would be increasingly reopening meant inflation could start to run hotter month […]
