Here are 10 things to consider as you weigh potential tax moves between now and the end of the year. 1. Set aside time to plan Effective planning requires that you have a good understanding of your current tax situation, as well as a reasonable estimate of how your circumstances might change next year. There's [...]
Yes, if you qualify. The law authorizing qualified charitable distributions, or QCDs, has recently been made permanent by the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes (PATH) Act of 2015. You simply instruct your IRA trustee to make a distribution directly from your IRA (other than a SEP or SIMPLE) to a qualified charity. You must be [...]
In an ideal world, your retirement would be timed perfectly. You would be ready to leave the workforce, your debt would be paid off, and your nest egg would be large enough to provide a comfortable retirement--with some left over to leave a legacy for your heirs. Unfortunately, this is not a perfect world, and [...]
As the recent Democratic and Republican political conventions are in the rear view mirror, the presidential election season will now move into high gear! The "hype" on everyone's minds right now is, of course, whether Donald or Hillary should win the election, and that cannot be ignored. If this post was an actual debate and [...]
You're about to receive a distribution from your 401(k) plan, and you're considering a rollover to a traditional IRA. While these transactions are normally straightforward and trouble free, there are some pitfalls you'll want to avoid. 1. The first mistake some people make is failing to consider the pros and cons of a rollover to [...]
Spring has arrived here in the Bay Area and across most of the nation. Just as we have seen declining rainfall after the wintery "El Nino" conditions, the new season has recently brought a break from the significant volatility we experienced in the first two months of the year. However, although there is increased clarity [...]
Different types of investments are subject to different types of risk. On days when you notice that stock prices have fallen, for example, it would not be unusual to see a rally in the bond market. Asset allocation refers to how an investor's portfolio is divided among asset classes, which tend to perform differently under [...]
Roth IRAs, created in 1997 as part of the Taxpayer Relief Act, represented an entirely new savings opportunity--the ability to make after-tax contributions that could, if certain conditions were met, grow entirely free of federal income taxes. These new savings vehicles were essentially the inverse of traditional IRAs, where you could make deductible contributions but [...]
Imagine that your employer gives you the choice between either working from home or commuting to the office throughout your work week. You might think the obvious choice is to work from the comfort of your own home; after all, staying in your pajamas all day and avoiding stressful commutes sound appealing. But there are [...]
The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 included a section titled "Closure of Unintended Loopholes" that ends two Social Security claiming strategies that have become increasingly popular over the last several years. These two strategies, known as "file and suspend" and "restricted application" for a spousal benefit, have often been used to optimize Social Security income [...]