Coming your way: some of the most significant changes in 30 years. The Department of Labor has promised to update the retirement plan landscape. Three major rule changes are scheduled for the near future. All retirement plan fiduciaries and administrators should be aware of them. #1: “Covered...
Should you exploit the new $5 million lifetime gift exemption? In late 2010, Congress reunified the estate tax, gift tax and generation-skipping tax (GST), giving them all top rates of 35% with $5 million lifetime individual exemptions.1 In addition, the estate and gift tax exemptions are now...
Are you financially ready to raise a child? Family planning often means financial planning … and quite likely, a change in the way you see your finances. Whether you are starting a family or welcoming a new addition, there are financial realities you can’t ignore. Planning...
The credit rating agency sends up a flare and hopes for action on Capitol Hill. Pessimism over America’s ability to reduce its deficit. When one of the world’s premier credit rating agencies issues a warning for America, global stock markets dip. On April 18, Standard &...
Little details you need to know about. What’s new? Every year brings changes in tax law, and some of these revisions always seen to affect IRAs. Here is a look at some of the new wrinkles for 2011. You can’t defer income resulting from a Roth IRA...
Allocating your assets with the goal of helping the world … and your portfolio. “Do well by doing good.” You’ve probably heard that phrase. In the financial arena, it is often written or spoken in reference to impact investing – also known as socially responsible investing. A...
We will all leave this world sometime. Why leave unanswered questions with those we love? We all want to live a significant, successful life. Yet how many of us realize that our important, positive contributions can last long after we are gone? Two things are certain: death...
It can reveal hidden flaws and help you improve the 401(k) plan. Why do companies request specialized audits of their 401(k)s? After all, the standard annual audit that large companies routinely attach to Form 5500s may seem adequate. Yet a specialized audit may reveal things that...
If you’ve turned 70 and have a Traditional IRA, please read this. Federal law requires you to withdraw money from Traditional IRAs (and inherited Roth IRAs) at age 70½. (If you don’t make a withdrawal, you’ll owe a 50% penalty on the amount you should have...
There’s nothing like doing your homework and being selective. When we buy a car or a house, consider a school for our children, or plan our next vacation, what kind of approach do we take? For one thing, we take our time. We shop around and...