Collaborative planning for care needs can reduce family stress and ensure our housing, financial management, legal arrangements and healthcare is consistent with our personal preferences. In this quarter’s Wealth Management Insights video, Mary Lago, CFP®, CTFA, shares common decision points and items we can address in advance.
Selecting a Trustee and Executor
Your wishes. Your legacy. Your plan. Your estate planning documents, whether a will or a trust, reflect your values and wishes relating to the distribution of your assets. While you, and your attorney, have carefully drafted language that reflects distribution wishes congruent with your goals, it is still left up to someone else to execute your plan.
Wealth Management Insights Q2 2023: Keeping Your Estate Planning and Education Funding on Track
Read our second quarter 2023 Wealth Management Insights titled, “Keeping Your Estate Planning and Education Funding on Track.”
Upcoming Changes to Catch-Up Contributions
On December 29, 2022, Congress signed a piece of legislation called SECURE Act 2.0 of 2022. Compared to the SECURE Act 1.0 that was enacted in December of 2019, which contained 29 provisions and total government spending of $15 billion, the SECURE Act 2.0 contains 92 provisions and $1.7 trillion in spending. Both pieces of legislation were designed to promote retirement security, including attempts to lower barriers to entry for people looking to save, expand access to participation in employer retirement plans and allow for greater flexibility for Americans experiencing hardship.
2023 Annual Limits for Tax and Wealth Planning
There are a myriad of important numbers related to personal financial and tax planning that change every year. To help ensure you are up to date with all and to hopefully simplify your individual financial planning efforts for the year ahead, we are sharing the 2023 Annual Limits Guide from the College for Financial Planning®, which outlines many of the most important numbers that may apply to you.
Wealth Management Insights Video: Planning for Incremental and Potentially Substantial Changes
In this video, Mary Lago, CFP®, CTFA, chair of our wealth management department, highlights changes for retirement savings and charitable gifting in regard to tax planning.
No New RMDs in 2023
On December 23, 2022, Congress passed the SECURE Act 2.0. This new legislation builds off its predecessor to further improve the U.S. retirement system. Included in the provisions are changes to required minimum distributions (RMDs). Most notably, the new law further pushes back the age at which RMDs must begin.
Wealth Management Insights First Quarter 2023: Planning for Incremental and Potentially Substantial Changes
Wealth Management Insights publication for first quarter 2023 titled, “Planning for Incremental and Potentially Substantial Changes.”
Optimizing the Tax Benefits of Charitable Giving
Samantha Pahlow, CTFA, AWMA®, provides an overview of planned philanthropic donations and the tax benefits associated.
Opportunities for Strategic Tax and Philanthropic Planning
Planning for a Successful Tax Filing
Taxes … just the word alone increases blood pressure and elicits a fight-or-flight response. As such, most people outsource their tax preparation. Whether you manage your taxes or outsource the task, there is still a good amount of work we are all responsible for.
Reviewing Existing Life Insurance Policies
Have you ever looked at something you've had for a long time and thought to yourself “Do I still need this?” or "I paid a lot for this … do I keep it?" This happens frequently when evaluating life insurance purchased in prior years.
Fourth Quarter 2022 Wealth Management Insights: Strategic Tax and Philanthropic Planning
Read our fourth quarter 2022 Wealth Management Insights publication in which Mary Lago, CFP®, CTFA, Samantha Pahlow, CTFA, AWMA® and Chris Bixby, CFP®, EA share their thoughts on tax and charitable planning and strategic Roth IRA conversions.
Social Security Claiming Considerations
Scott Christianson, CFP®, discusses the complexities of Social Security benefits and what our clients should understand before they file.
Medicare: Understanding the Basics
Samantha Pahlow, CTFA, AWMA®, discusses the basics of Medicare and how it fits into retirement planning.
Social Security Spousal Benefits
Charissa Anderson, CFP®, CDFA®, explains the various aspects of Social Security spousal benefits and how it fits into retirement planning.
Making the Most of All Your Benefits - Wealth Management Insights Video
Wealth Management Chair Mary Lago, CFP®, CTFA, discusses strategies to maximize the most of your benefits from private insurance options to Social Security and Medicare.
Social Security Claiming Fundamentals
For those with many years before retirement, social security appears to be a straightforward arrangement: once you retire, you will receive a monthly check for the rest of your life. However, there are several complexities to be aware of as you approach retirement. For example, the timing of when you begin to take benefits can greatly alter the size of your benefits. The options you choose are impactful, and importantly, are mostly irrevocable. Carefully reviewing your options beforehand can ensure that you put yourself in the best position to maximize benefits.
Third Quarter 2022 Wealth Management Insights Publication: Making the Most of All Your Benefits
Read our third quarter 2022 Wealth Management Insights publication in which Mary Lago, CFP®, CTFA, Charissa Anderson, CFP®, CDFA®, and Casia Chappell, CFP®, CPWA® share their thoughts on life insurance ownership, social security spousal benefits and long-term care insurance.
529 Plans: Common Misconceptions
Casia Chappell, CFP®, CPWA®, discusses 529 college savings plans and their details that oftentimes confuse savers and students and how to best utilize these plans.