A happy and financially secure retirement is a primary goal for many working Americans. I created a retirement checklist that will help you navigate through the complex path of retirement planning. For my readers who are serious about their retirement planning, follow these 12 steps to organize and simplify your planning process. My 12-step retirement Read more »
As we approach the close of 2019, we share our list of 12 end of year tax saving tips. Now is a great time to review your finances. You can make several smart and simple tax moves that can help lower your tax bill and increase your tax refund. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Read more »
Whether you are just starting your career or about to retire, you need to understand the risks you are facing when you plan for your future retirement. Most experts recommend that you should aim to replace about 80% of work income during your retirement. Part of your retirement income will come from Social Security. Other Read more »
Today, 401k plans are one of the most popular employee benefits. Companies use 401k plans to attract top talent. 401k plan is a powerful vehicle to save for retirement and become financially independent. According to Fidelity, there are 180,000 Fidelity 401(k) plans with a balance of $1 million or more. Congratulations to you If you Read more »
Getting rich is the dream of many people. When your sudden wealth becomes a reality, you need to be ready for the new responsibilities and challenges. As someone experienced in helping my clients manage their sudden wealth, I want to share some of my experience. Wealth sources Your sudden windfall can come from many different Read more »
Do you have a Roth IRA? If you never heard about it, I hope this article will convince you to open one. Roth IRA is a tax-exempt investment account that allows you to make after-tax contributions to save for retirement. The Roth IRA has a tax free status. It is a great way to save Read more »
What is ESPP Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP) is a popular tool for companies to allow their employees to participate in the company’s growth and success by becoming shareholders. ESPP gives you the option to buy shares of your employer at a discount price. Most companies set a discount between 10% and 15%. Unlike RSUs Read more »
What is a 529 plan The 529 plan is a tax-advantaged state-sponsored investment plan, which allows parents to save for their children college expenses. In the past 20 years, college expenses have skyrocketed exponentially putting many families in a difficult situation. Between 1998 and 2018, college tuition and fee have doubled in most private non-profit Read more »
I recently had the chance to work with several young families looking for help to build their wealth and improve their finances. We discussed a broad range of topics from buying a house, saving for retirement, savings for their kids’ college, budgeting and building legacy. As a financial advisor in the early 40s, I have Read more »
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) voted by Congress in late 2017 introduced significant changes to the way individuals and businesses file their taxes. The key changes included the doubling of the standard deduction to $12,000 for singles and $24,000 for married couples filing jointly, the elimination of personal exemptions, limiting the SALT deduction to $10,000, Read more »
Market Outlook December 2017 As we approach 2018, it‘s time to reconcile the past 365 days of 2017. We are sending off a very exciting and tempestuous year. The stock market is at an all-time high. Volatility is at a record low. Consumer spending and confidence have passed pre-recession levels. I would like to wish Read more »
In my practice, I often meet with small business owners who have the entire life savings and family fortune tied up to their company. For many of them, their business is the only way out to retirement. With this post, I would like to offer 6 saving & investment practices all business owners should follow. Having Read more »
What is a Municipal Bond? Municipal bond investing is a popular income choice for many American. The muni bonds are debt securities issued by municipal authorities like States, Counties, Cities and their related companies. Municipal bonds or “munis” are issued to fund general activities or capital projects like building schools, roads, hospitals and sewer systems. Read more »
In this blog post, I will go over several popular and some not so obvious tax deductions and strategies that can help you decrease your annual tax burden. Let’s be honest. Nobody wants to pay taxes. However, taxes are necessary to pay for pensions, social services, Medicaid, roads, police, law enforcement and so on. Most Read more »
Incentive Stock Options In the first part of this topic, I discussed the investment and tax treatment of Non-Qualified Stock Options. In the second part, we will dive into the specifics of Incentive Stock Options. Learn more about our Private Client Services Giving Incentive stock options (ISO) is another way for companies to reward and Read more »