Efficient Charitable Donations- Wealth Insights #3
What is the best way to donate to a non-profit? We use strategies to increase tax efficiency and get more funds to those who need them. This enables our clients to be more purposeful in their donations so they can make an impact to the causes that are important to them.
How To Prepare for Change- Wealth Insights #2
How do I financially prepare for the death of a parent?
How do I retire from my job?
What are the risks I face as I build wealth?
Life is full of change. We help client navigator difficult times, so they can focus on the things that matter most to them.
Stock Markets Aren’t Normal- Wealth Insights #1
What is the average return of the market? The answer could be misleading because markets are not normal. If you are trying to figure out what to expect from the stock markets, you need to understand why the “average return” doesn’t tell the whole story.
What is a “second opinion” of my portfolio?
We are often asked to provide “second opinions” on investment portfolios. Sometimes an investor has managed their own finances for years and is looking for a professional “tune up”. Other times they have been using an advisor and simply want the comfort of some extra due diligence.
Second opinions help to ensure proper investment selection, financial alignment, and reasonable fees.
In this video, Dean and Brock discuss the information they look for when conducting a “second opinion” analysis.
Roth vs Traditional IRA
“Should I choose a Roth IRA or a Traditional IRA.” This is one of the most common questions we hear from individuals who are saving for retirement. There are some important differences regarding when you pay tax and who is eligible.
The most important thing you can do is SAVE! Yes, you will be able to look back in 30 years and say definitively if a Roth or Traditional IRA was your best choice. Some of this will depend on forces that you can’t fully control. Things like tax law changes, your income in retirement, and the rate that you will draw upon your retirement savings. What you can control is your dedication to a savings program.
What the video above for a more complete discussion on Roth vs Traditional IRAs.
Big Bank or Independent Advisor?
There are a lot of places you can go to get financial advice.
So why choose a local, independent advisor vs. a “Big Bank” or National Chain?
In this video we discuss some important characteristics of our Independent Advisor business model.
Preparing For Retirement
What is your dream for retirement?
Retirement use to mean moving to Arizona and playing golf everyday. If that is your dream, great!! Or maybe you envision a different lifestyle for your “second act.”
In this video we discuss 3 basic steps that will help prepare you for retirement.
Are SPACs a good investment?
In the past 2 years Special Purpose Acquisition Companies, or SPACs, have become a popular route for private companies to become listed on publicly traded markets. If you don’t know what a SPAC is, we suggest going back and watching our previous video.
In this video, we want to focus on whether a SPAC is good investment. Of course, each SPAC will be different, and returns will vary. However, recently our partners at Ycharts pulled data on 72 different SPACs. Their research gives us some insights we wanted to discuss.
What is a SPAC? (Special Purpose Acquisition Company)
In the last 2 years, a new type of company has gained immense popularity. These companies are called Special Purpose Acquisition Companies, or SPACs. While just 1 SPAC had an Initial Public Offering (or IPO) in 2009, already in 2021 we are approaching 300.
To understand what a SPAC is, it is best to focus on what a SPAC does. In this video, Dean explains the basic concept of a SPAC.
The WA State LTC Act with Tim Ripp
In July of 2019, the Long-Term Services and Supports Trust Program legislation became law, now referred to as the WA Care Fund. We are writing to you because this law will take effect this coming January 2022 and will impact your paychecks if you are a W-2 employee.
In essence, the law provides a small Long-Term Care (LTC) benefit for Washington residents. It will be funded by an uncapped and mandatory 0.58% payroll tax on all income for every W-2 employee with a few exceptions such as Federal employees and certain negotiated employer bargaining units. The program offers an initial $36,500 benefit which will be inflated annually by a rate determined by a Washington State board, based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) in Washington. The program will adhere to strict vesting rules along with residency requirements at claim time to qualify for benefits.
We are passing this information along, as there is a window of opportunity to file for an exemption to the payroll tax and involvement in the program. The law allows for Washington employees to file for an exemption through the Employee Security Department (ESD) October 1st, 2021 through December 13st, 2022. The law also stipulates that to file for the exemption the employee must have credible LTC insurance in place prior to November 1st, 2021.
We recently conducted an interview with Timothy Ripp who is an Executive Vice President at Clifton Park, and a subject matter expert on the WA Care Fund. In our interview, Tim discusses what the new law entails and why individuals may want to opt out.
If this upcoming payroll tax has caught you by surprise and you would like to learn more about the State program and your options, now would be a great time to schedule a meeting to review your options to acquire the exemption and incorporate LTC planning into your financial plan.
Content in this material is for general information only and not intended to provide specific advice or recommendation for any individual. This information is not intended to be a substitute for specific individualized tax advice. We suggest you discuss your specific tax issues with a qualified tax advisor.
