Tax Smart Charitable Giving : A Year End Guide for 2025 Most people think of charitable giving as a simple transaction: you write a check to a cause you care about, and at tax time…
Read More
Tax Smart Charitable Giving : A Year End Guide for 2025
Avoiding the Big Retirement Risks
Retirement is just as much a leap of faith as any other significant life change. No matter how much you prepare, you will only really understand all the implications when you start your new life….
Read More
Everything is Different Now – July Market Commentary
June Recap and July Outlook June saw a further complication of the macro situation as U.S. military involvement in Iran was added to ongoing tariff confusion and a worsening of the economic outlook for the…
Read More
Tariffs, Inflation, and Taxes: Where’s the Balance?
February Recap and March Outlook The new administration’s priority of “reindustrializing the U.S.” is coming into focus as tariff announcements – even if softened or rescinded – indicated that this is a policy, not just…
Read More
Social Security and Taxes: Changes for 2025
Social security benefits are linked to inflation, and with inflation largely under control, the large cost-of-living (COLA) increases of the last several years are now a thing of the past. This year’s increase was much…
Read More
Inflation-Adjusted Increases Come Down to Earth
The Federal Reserve has succeeded in bringing inflation down to the long-term goal rate of near 2%, which is good news for consumers. But for savers and taxpayers, this means that the big increases we’ve…
Read More
2025 Retirement Savings Contribution Limits
The IRS has increased the contribution limits for many retirement savings plans. In 2025, 401(k)s, 403(b)s, governmental 457 plans, and the Thrift Savings Plan for government employees and the armed services will see an increase…
Read More
Donor Advised Funds: A Flexible Tool for a New Generation of Giving
Donor advised funds (DAFs) provide a way for individuals and families to manage their charitable giving in a streamlined, flexible way that can allow a giving plan to develop and change over time, while the…
Read More
Should We Move to Tennessee, Texas, or Florida to Reduce Costs in Retirement? l Ep 245
Lowest Cost States: Should We Move to Reduce Costs in Retirement? Financial media love to create lists of the “best” and “lowest cost” states to retire in. This week we answer a question about the…
Read More
Understanding Self-Directed IRAs
The speed of change in the investment markets seems to be accelerating, and for many investors, traditional investments may not provide the risk-adjusted return they seek. Investors who access the markets through a taxable brokerage…
Read More