Lately, I have been getting this question frequently. For some folks, it’s the first time they’re hearing about tax-free growth. For others who have been saving in a Roth for a long time, or are converting pre-tax dollars to Roth IRA, they have never really considered just how beneficial tax-free growth truly is. This is especially true when you have a 10, 15, even 20+ year timeline.
For retirees that wish to truly enjoy their retirement but still want to provide a legacy, setting priorities and finding a balance will be key. Most would agree that ensuring one's stability in retirement should be the top priority. The first step to ensuring you can enjoy retirement is to make sure you have enough money saved in the right type of accounts to make this happen.
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. I have no idea where that idiom originated from but it is perhaps the best and simplest way to describe diversification. Instinctively investors know they should diversify their portfolio and most do this. Having looked at hundreds, if not thousands, of portfolios, I can tell you that diversification amounts to more than just owning multiple funds. A common mistake that investors make when trying to diversify their IRA or 401k is that they, inadvertently, create a portfolio that has the illusion of diversification. Let me explain.
Each spring, the tax documents emerge from their hibernation as people prepare the information they need to meet their civic duty. Oftentimes, your accountant (CPA) or Financial advisor might take this opportunity to talk to you about deferring some of your income for tax purposes, but what does that mean, and is this right for you?
Two things in life are certain: death and taxes, but have you ever considered the impact your death has on the taxability of your assets? Depending on how you are saving, you could potentially be passing a tax burden onto your heirs.
I can understand and appreciate the overwhelming list of tasks that a business owner sometimes has to accomplish. Perhaps on that list there may be the task of setting up a retirement plan for employees. There are three retirement options employers could consider implementing, depending on what they are hoping to accomplish, Payroll Deduction IRA, Simple IRA, or 401(k).
"The CARES Act provides 2 trillion dollars of government aid along with several SIGNIFICANT changes to preexisting IRS, retirement accounts, and other financial rules in attempts to open up opportunities for individuals and small businesses to survive in this time of crisis. I have broken down and summarized that document here into 5 key areas: Recovery Rebates, Coronavirus Related Distributions, Significant Tax Changes to Retirement Accounts, Unemployment Compensation Benefits, and Small Business Benefits."
"Anyone can seem like a good financial advisor when markets are doing well. The expectation investors have when investing in capital markets is to make money, so when expectations are easy to meet, the bar tends to be set pretty low. However, it’s when markets are down (like the current bear market caused by COVID-19) that separates great financial advisors from mediocre ones. It’s times like these when people may wonder what their financial advisor is doing during this bear market. I can’t speak for all financial advisors, but I can tell you what the advisors at Financial Strategies Group have been and will continue to be doing in the weeks and months ahead."