By: Michael Allbee, CFP®, Senior Portfolio Manager Social Security isn’t in danger of going broke since it’s financed primarily through payroll taxes, but the financial health of the Social Security trust fund is declining, and benefits may eventually be reduced unless Congress acts. The Social Security Board of Trustees has estimated that its trust fund has reserves to pay all scheduled...
Approximately 78% of people who work for companies with fewer than 10 employees and about 65% of those who work for companies with 10 to 24 employees do not have access to a retirement plan at work.(1) That's unfortunate, because workers with a retirement plan are far more likely to save for retirement than those without a plan. In 2022, 62% of those without a retirement plan had accumulated...
The SECURE 2.0 Act, passed as part of an omnibus spending bill in December 2022, added new exceptions to the 10% federal income tax penalty for early withdrawals from tax-advantaged retirement accounts. The Act also expanded an existing exception that applies specifically to employer plans. These exceptions are often called 72(t) exceptions, because they are listed in Section 72(t) of the...
By: Tina Schackman, CFA®, CFP®, Senior Retirement Plan Consultant With approximately 94% of American workers covered by Social Security and 65.2 million people currently receiving benefits, keeping Social Security healthy is a major concern.1 Social Security isn’t in danger of going broke since it’s financed primarily through payroll taxes, but the financial health of the Social Security...
By: Henry VanBuskirk, CFP®, Wealth Manager Most Americans know that the Defined Benefit Pension Plans are mostly a thing of yesteryear, usually something that only retired Teachers or Law Enforcement get now. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has been tracking this downward trend over time and it’s not a secret why pensions are starting to fade away from most Americans’ collective...
The tax filing deadline is fast approaching, which means time is running out to fund an IRA for 2022. If you had earned income last year, you may be able to contribute up to $6,000 for 2022 ($7,000 for those age 50 or older by December 31, 2022) up until your tax return due date, excluding extensions. For most people, that date is Tuesday, April 18, 2023. The IRS has postponed the deadline to...
By: Henry VanBuskirk, CFP®, Wealth Manager “Who can it be knocking at my door?” It’s the Men at Work and Women at Work in Congress(1) with new retirement legislation, SECURE Act 2.0. While this new legislation has many positive changes, many of those changes come with added complexity to how the Traditional IRA and Roth IRA contribution limits and catch-up contribution amounts are...
The SECURE 2.0 legislation included in the $1.7 trillion appropriations bill passed late last year builds on changes established by the original Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act (SECURE 1.0) enacted in 2019. SECURE 2.0 includes significant changes to the rules that apply to required minimum distributions from IRAs and employer retirement plans. Here's what you need to...
(This is the fourth article in a four-part series. Click here to read Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.) By: Henry VanBuskirk, CFP®, Wealth Manager Everyone’s had that story of their friend or family member that said they got shafted by some seedy financial advisor. However, there is a huge difference between what is legal and what is ethical. The majority of these “seedy” financial advisors are...
(This is the third article in a four-part series. Click here to read Part 1 and Part 2.) By: Henry VanBuskirk, CFP®, Wealth Manager Mr. Hill arrived in Texas and is eager to talk to his parents about the Roth Conversion idea that he overheard his boss talking about at work last week. Mr. Hill does not know his parents’ finances and just believes that a Roth Conversion will be a good idea...
(This is the second article in a four-part series. Click here to read Part 1). By: Henry VanBuskirk, CFP®, Wealth Manager We last left off our story with Mr. Fox understanding that the stock market doesn’t predictably earn a set 4% per year. While you may be able to predict the day that you retire, the market is indifferent to your projected retirement date and will do whatever it’s going to do...
(This is the first article in a four-part series) By: Henry VanBuskirk, CFP®, Wealth Manager Let me just start off and say that nobody’s perfect or infallible (including BFSG). As a wise man once said, “To Err is Human, to Forgive is Divine”. It is one thing to make a mistake, but another to learn from it. We pride ourselves on working to avoid pitfalls and always being eager to...
By: Paul Horn, CFP®, CPWA®, Senior Financial Planner You’ve likely daydreamed about the future. A future where you spend the weekend relaxing in front of the lake, and your grandkids run while you open a bottle of fine wine. Reducing preoccupations and enjoying the small details in life come from hard work and dedication. Undeniably, money buys necessities and luxuries in life. Though somewhat...
By: Henry VanBuskirk, CFP®, Wealth Manager When you google “Biggest Enemy of Retirement” you will get around 20 million results with answers such as (1) inflation, (2) lower interest rates, (3) higher interest rates, (4) procrastination, (5) taxes, (6) overspending, (7) whatever politician a talking head doesn’t like that day and (8) you. The answers to your questions, “I’ve saved...
By: Paul Horn, CFP®, CPWA®, Senior Financial Planner I am under the firm belief that as long as the IRS exists, we have job security. Trying to understand and interpret the IRS feels akin to reading hieroglyphics with no formal training. Often the IRS will create a new rule, but it generally takes time for them to interpret and clarify the ruling. We have seen this occur with rules around how...
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