Impending Tax Law Changes That May Impact You
The House of Representatives passed a bill on May 23rd known as the SECURE Act (Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019) which would initiate the biggest changes to retirement...
View ArticleRecessions. Markets. Risk.
Investment offices teem with daily data releases and economic news bites. Afternoon market round-ups attribute the day’s movements to whatever data points best fit the narrative of the day or week....
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RPG Spotlight: RPG Principal and CFO, John Evans
Happy 2020! Alan Thomson here. I want to take a few moments to reflect on the past and cast an eye to the future. The last few weeks have been wonderful as they have presented many opportunities to...
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CAPE’s Are Better Than Crystal Balls
You would never drive your car with your sight glued to the rear view mirror. You would likely wreck or find yourself lost. Yet many investors are guilty of that very thing. They select stocks,...
View ArticleThe SECURE Act: What You Need to Know
The SECURE Act is by far the biggest retirement-oriented legislation to be enacted in over a decade. Many Americans are left wondering, “What does this mean for me?” Here’s what you need to know. 1....
View ArticleShould I Use a 529 College Savings Plan to Pay for Private K-12 Expenses?
When qualified state tuition programs (QSTPs) were first introduced in 1996 and Section 529 was added to the Internal Revenue Code, the intent of Congress was to create a create a tax-friendly way for...
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High Income Earners Fail to Appreciate the Math of 529 Plans – Part II
We made the case in this 2017 Astute Angle post that Section 529 College Savings Plans present a huge tax saving opportunity for high income parents but that most fail to exploit the opportunity....
View ArticleTax Season: The Time to Reassess Financial Goals
Personal finances are on our minds frequently as the deadline looms to pay 2020 taxes. Whether you have to pay a lot or a little (or you get a refund!), now is the time to enlist the help of a...
View ArticleGood and Bad Reasons Why High Income Earners Miss the Opportunity With 529...
Mid-career professionals with young children severely underutilize Section 529 College Savings Plans. That is not to say that these parents are unaware of 529 Plans or not using them for college...
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Guaranteed Income and No Risk of Principal – Too Good to be True?
It is difficult to go more than a week without seeing or hearing advertisements for an investment that guarantees zero risk of principal loss, promises an attractive return (5-10% per year), and...
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Asset Location: Organize Your Portfolio Like Your Kitchen
My family’s kitchen will not be profiled on HGTV as a model of organization. We face the practical limitations of 25-year old builder-grade cabinets and constrained space. We also face the reality...
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IRA Rollover or Leave Assets in a 401k?
In a country founded on the idea of individual freedom, Americans value the idea of choice. We inherently believe that maximizing individual freedom increases our individual welfare or happiness and...
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Children as Dependents, Kiddie Tax, and College Tax Planning Strategies –...
A number of years ago, we authored this article explaining why higher income parents may be well served to gift appreciated investments to their children and then have the children use the proceeds to...
View ArticleHow Risk Tolerance & Age Affect Financial Planning
Financial planners consider both age and risk tolerance when recommending how an investor might best diversify their portfolio and allocate their assets. Conventional wisdom indicates that, the closer...
View ArticleFinancial Planning by Generation: Millennials
Financial planning and wealth management are important for everyone, no matter when they were born. However, the millennial generation – sometimes called Generation Y – face a host of significant...
View ArticleFinancial Planning Strategies You Need Before Marriage
If a walk down the aisle is in your near future, financial planning might not be high on your to-do list. In fact, if you’re like most affianced couples, you might be planning to wait until you’re back...
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Low Rates and High Valuations Have You Down? Don’t Worry…Plan Right!
Since the advent of the Great Financial Crisis in 2008, catalyzed by successive rounds of quantitative easing and ever more stimulative monetary policy from the Federal Reserve, we have found ourselves...
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High Inflation Got You Down?
Inflation is the sustained, upward movement of prices in an economy. It is not defined by the price changes of a single item, rather it measures the general trend of prices paid for a wide range of...
View ArticlePersonal Financial Planning to Maximize Wealth Preservation
You’ve worked hard to get where you are – why shouldn’t you take every possible step to preserve as much of your wealth as possible? Working with a financial consultant or advisor is one of the best...
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Long-Term Disability Insurance – Group vs. Individual Coverage
From an economic perspective, insurance is useful to protect against low frequency, high severity events. Quite simply, we are well served to insure infrequent events that would be financially...
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