Articles

Estates & Trusts

• How Can a Living Trust Help Me Control My Estate?

  A living trust can help control the distribution of your estate upon death.

• What Are the Pitfalls of Probate?

  The probate process can be lengthy and complex. There are strategies you can use to help avoid the probate process.

• How Can My Gift Benefit Me and the Charity?

  To retain the tax advantages associated with charitable giving, your gift must be made to a qualified organization.

• How Can I Control the Distribution of My Estate?

  If you haven't taken steps already, consider planning now for the distribution of the assets of your estate.

• What Gifting Strategies Are Available to Me?

  Compare the advantages and disadvantages of different gifting strategies available for planned giving.

• How Can I Benefit from a Charitable Lead Trust?

  Charitable lead trusts are designed for people who would like to benefit a charity now rather than later.

• How Can I Benefit from a Charitable Remainder Trust?

  A designated income beneficiary could receive payment of a specified amount from a charitable remainder trust.

• Could My Family Benefit from a Family Limited Partnership?

  One estate planning strategy that families with closely held businesses could consider is the family limited partnership.

Retirement

• What Is a SEP IRA?

  A SEP IRA is a type of plan under which the employer contributes (up to a certain limit) to an employee’s IRA.

• What Is a SIMPLE?

  The SIMPLE plan may appeal to small business owners as it is easy to set up, administer, and allows for a tax deduction.

• How Much Do I Need to Save?

  Many realize it’s important to save for retirement, but knowing exactly how much to save is another issue altogether.

• What Is a 1035 Exchange?

  A Section 1035 exchange is a tax-free exchange of an existing annuity contract or life insurance policy for a new one.

• Unforgettable Birthdays

  There are key dates after you turn 59½ that can impact your taxes, Medicare eligibility, and retirement benefits.

• How Can I Estimate My Future Social Security Benefits?

  The Social Security Administration’s retirement estimator gives estimates of your future benefits based on your actual Social Security earnings record.

• What Is a Self-Employed Retirement Plan?

  Tax-deferred retirement plans for self-employed individuals have higher contribution limits than IRAs.

• How Should I Manage My Retirement Plan?

  Employer-sponsored retirement plans are more important than ever, but managing the assets can be confusing.

• Save Now or Save Later?

  If you start saving for retirement sooner, the more money you are likely to accumulate and possibly retire sooner.

Tax Planning

• What Is the Capital Gain Tax?

  Capital gains are profits realized from the sale of assets; a tax is triggered only when an asset is sold, not held.

• What Is the Estate Tax?

  Everything you own, whatever the form of ownership, is subject to federal, and possibly state, estate taxes.

• What Is the Gift Tax?

  The federal gift tax applies to gifts of property or money while the donor is living.

• How Much Money Can I Put Into My IRA or Employer-Sponsored Retirement Plan?

  IRAs and employer-sponsored retirement plans are subject to annual contribution limits set by the federal government.

• What Is a Required Minimum Distribution?

  Required minimum distribution is the annual amount that must be withdrawn from a qualified retirement plan/account.

• What Are the Tax Benefits of Charitable Trusts?

  For the grantor, there are a few potential tax benefits that can come with setting up a charitable trust.

• When Must Taxes Be Paid on IRA and Employer-Sponsored Retirement Funds?

  With traditional IRAs and most employer-sponsored retirement plans, taxes are not payable until funds are withdrawn.

• How Can I Benefit from Tax-Advantaged Investments?

  Many traditional tax-advantaged investment strategies have gone away, but there are still some alternatives.

• What Tax-Advantaged Alternatives Are Available?

  While stable, CDs can create an income tax bill. Fixed annuities and municipal bonds can offer tax advantages.

• Is There Such a Thing as a Tax-Free Investment?

  It's important to understand tax-exempt vehicles when establishing a comprehensive tax planning strategy.

• How Can I Keep More of My Mutual Fund Profits?

  Want to keep more of your mutual fund profits? You may be interested in strategies to help lower your tax liability.

Investing

• How Are Annuities Taxed?

  One attractive feature of an annuity is tax-deferral but qualified and non-qualified annuities are taxed differently.

• What Is a Bond Ladder?

  A bond ladder is a strategy involving the purchase of bonds that have staggered maturity dates.

• How Are Common and Preferred Stocks Different?

  It's important to understand the strengths and weaknesses of common stock versus preferred stock.

• What Are Dividends?

  It is important to understand how dividends (taxable payments to shareholders) fit with your long-term goals.

• What Is an Exchange-Traded Fund?

  ETFs have unique attributes and attempt to track all types of indexes, industries, or commodities.

• How Are Growth and Value Stocks Different?

  The labels growth and value reflect different approaches that can be used when making investment decisions.

• How Are Mutual Funds Taxed?

  Mutual fund taxes can be cumbersome, but there are ways to help mitigate the amount of taxes you may owe.

• What Types of Bonds Are Available?

  Bonds are issued by many entities and share many characteristics, each type of bond has certain benefits and risks.

• How Do Mutual Funds and Stocks Differ?

  The difference between purchasing an individual stock versus shares in a mutual fund to potentially earn dividends.

• What Investment Risks Should I Know About?

  Understanding different types of investment risk can help investors manage their money more effectively.

• What Are the Different Classes of Assets?

  There are five broad asset classes that you should take into consideration when constructing your investment portfolio.

• What Is Asset Allocation?

  Asset allocation is a method used to help manage investment risk; it does not guarantee a profit or protect against investment loss.

• What Is Dollar-Cost Averaging?

  Dollar-cost averaging involves investing a set amount of money on a regular basis, regardless of market conditions.

Cash Management

• How Long Will It Take to Double My Money?

  Before making investment decisions, it is helpful to determine the real rate of return on the investment.

• How Can I Better Manage My Short-Term Cash?

  There are numerous investment alternatives available to help provide liquidity.

• What Advantages Does a Biweekly Mortgage Offer?

  Biweekly mortgage payments can have a dramatic effect on the amount of interest homeowners have to pay.

• How Does Inflation Affect Me?

  Historically, one of the best ways to fight the effects of inflation has been to utilize growth-oriented investments.