One silver lining in the current bear market is that this could be a good time to convert assets from a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA. Converted assets are subject to federal income tax in the year of conversion, which might be a substantial tax bill. However, if assets in your traditional IRA have lost value, you will pay taxes on a lower asset base when you convert. If all conditions are met,...
The Inflation Reduction Act, signed into law on August 16, 2022, includes healthcare and energy-related provisions, a new corporate alternative minimum tax, and an excise tax on certain corporate stock buybacks. Additional funding is also provided to the IRS. Some significant provisions in the Act are discussed below. Medicare The legislation authorizes the Department of Health and Human...
The S&P 500 index experienced its worst August in seven years as traders weighed the prospect of more aggressive action from the Federal Reserve (the Fed) on interest rates to rein in inflation — even if that means some pain for households and businesses. Here are 3 things you need to know: The unemployment rate in August backed up to 3.7% (from 3.5%) driven by a huge increase in the...
By: Arash Navi, CFP®, CPA, Controller & Wealth Manager Our goal is to help our clients build and grow their wealth and tax planning plays an important role in this process. We recommend that you mark your calendar to review your finances in the first week of October, annually. Take this time to review your income for the year from employment, businesses, investments, or any other...
By: Henry VanBuskirk, CFP®, Wealth Manager (This is part 4 of a four-part estate planning series) In the previous posting, we discussed how Mark Zuckerberg of Meta Platforms, Inc. had the same strategies available, that you have available in order to reduce or possibly eliminate your estate tax bill. In this final part of the estate planning series, we would like to review how gifting...
By: Henry VanBuskirk, CFP®, Wealth Manager (This is part 3 of a four-part estate planning series) In part 2 of this series, we discussed strategic ways that you can get assets out of your estate. In this post, we would like to go over how you can capitalize on minimizing your estate tax, while your heirs enjoy the appreciated value of your asset, and how you are able to have some benefits...
By: Henry VanBuskirk, CFP®, Wealth Manager (This is part 2 of a four-part estate planning series) In our previous installment in this series, we discussed what Estate and Gift Taxes are and why they exist. In this installment, we will discuss strategies that can help reduce your overall income tax burden from the estate tax. The most logical way to lower your taxable estate is to get...
We concluded our Summer Webinar Series in August of 2022. We had a great turnout and thank you to our clients and friends that joined us live. The educational series covered great topics such as planning for loved ones, retirement plan basics, behavioral investing, Social Security and Medicare. We hope you learned something new to help you achieve your retirement goals. For those that were...
By: Henry VanBuskirk, CFP®, Wealth Manager Our team at BFSG has done extensive research on the impact on the average American’s psyche when filing their income tax return and the results of our study concluded that there are two groups of people that don’t like paying taxes…Men and Women. This article will discuss tax planning from a federal estate and gift tax perspective and in future...
By: Henry VanBuskirk, CFP®, Wealth Manager One of the most heavily quoted statements that I’m sure that you have heard at some point in your life is, “Nothing in life is guaranteed, except for death and taxes”. I’m not here to tell you about a magical snake oil that makes you live forever (since that of course doesn’t exist). We live in the real world where death and taxes are unavoidable. I am...
By: Henry VanBuskirk, CFP®, Wealth Manager The current rule states that you must take your first Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) by April 1st of the year after you reach 72 and annually thereafter by December 31st of each year. When the SECURE Act became law on December 20, 2019, the RMD age was pushed back from age 70.5 to age 72. Plans affected by RMD rules are: 401(k) plans, 403(b)...
Investors bought the dip in July on hopes the Federal Reserve is about to change course and relax policy before inflation has even peaked. Here are 3 things you need to know: July was the best month for the S&P 500 since November 2020, when the first vaccine trial results were reported.High yield corporate bonds returned +5.9% in July (total return), the strongest monthly performance since...
With approximately 94% of American workers covered by Social Security and 65 million people currently receiving benefits, keeping Social Security healthy is a major concern.1 Social Security isn't in danger of going broke — it's financed primarily through payroll taxes — but its financial health is declining, and benefits may eventually be reduced unless Congress acts. Each year, the Trustees of...
We are grateful to our clients who joined us at BFSG Investors’ Forum & Luncheon in Newport Beach at Balboa Bay Resort for in-depth discussions on geopolitics & globalization with Matt Gertken of BCA Research, innovations in medicine with Dr. Jeffrey Golden of Cedars-Sinai, and how blockchain works and the basics of cryptocurrencies with BFSG’s own Steven Yamshon, PhD, and team. Check...
Learn how to prepare for retirement by learning the basics of your retirement plan. Why save in your retirement plan? How to invest in your retirement plan? What to do with your retirement plan after you retire? Get these questions answered and more. Come join the conversation with Tina Schackman, CFA®, CFP® and Keith Johnson, CFP® of BFSG. Register today for this important discussion! Click...
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*Please Note: Limitations. The scope of services to be provided depends upon the terms of the engagement, and the specific requests and needs of the client. BFSG does not serve as an attorney, accountant, or insurance agent. BFSG does not prepare legal documents or tax returns, nor does it sell insurance products. Please Also Note: Different types of investments involve varying degrees of risk. Therefore, it should not be assumed that future performance of any specific investment or investment strategy (including the investments and/or investment strategies recommended and/or undertaken by BFSG) or any financial planning or consulting services, will be profitable, equal any historical performance level(s), or prove successful.
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