I’ve become increasingly aware that although I share with you strategies, tips and whatnot every week — it can be difficult to actually act on them, in the evenings for example, when the demands of family and the need for down-time pull at you. That’s ESPECIALLY true as we ramp up on the cusp of […]
It seems like every end-of-summer brings a similar refrain, just with different details. These past few weeks, we have been “blessed” with: Iran and nuclear weapons. Greece, the deteriorating European Union, and signs of serious shakiness in Chinese markets. (Indeed, as I write this on Monday, the Chinese markets have dived 9 percent, and the […]
There was some eye-opening news recently about student debt. From the WSJ article: http://on.wsj.com/1fEi4eG … … As of July, 6.9 million Americans with student loans hadn’t sent a payment to the government in at least 360 days, quarterly data from the Education Department showed this past week. That was up 6%, or 400,000 borrowers, from […]
We’re almost done with August (!), and the school season is already starting in many areas where we serve our clients. This summer has absolutely FLOWN by — and those of us who pay attention to politics are all probably eagerly looking forward to being done with the Presidential election cycle (which is still more […]
There is a bit of a flood of recent tax-related news that I’d normally dispense with in the opening remarks of my Note here … but it’s weighty enough (and possibly could affect you), that I wanted to take a little more time for explanation of each. But maybe the bigger news is this: NFL […]
I hope you are doing well. I have some thoughts for you today that may be a little bit of a mental (or emotional) stretch. You see, when I write about financial principles in these Notes that I post, I do so recognizing that my clients come from a wide variety of different attitudes, circumstances […]
A yearend tax strategy for lower income taxpayers. For taxpayers in the 10% and 15% tax brackets (below $36,900 taxable income if single; $73,800 taxable income if married filing a joint return for 2014), the tax rate on long-term capital gains is 0%. If this is your situation, it may pay to “reset” your tax […]
By Barry C. Picker, CPA/PFS, CFP Question: I hear from some people that I should never borrow money from my 401(k) plan, because the money in the plan ends up being double taxed. Is this accurate? Answer: In a word, no. But before I explain why, let me first emphasize that 401(k) loans are not ideal, […]
by Barry C. Picker, CPA/PFS, CFP (the following is not to be taken too seriously)First, congratulations to the Baltimore Ravens on their Super Bowl victory.But the important question for those of us who do financial planning and investment management is: who, or rather what, are the Baltimore Ravens?Why is this important? It’s important because the Super Bowl […]
by Barry C Picker, CPA/PFS, CFPChutzpah has been defined as the child who kills his parents and then pleads for mercy in Court because he’s an orphan.In a similar vein are the three plaintiffs who sued UBS for the damages that resulted from Plaintiffs’ failure to pay income taxes.It seems that the plaintiffs, who sought class action status […]