On December 20th President Trump signed into law the SECURE ACT, a bill which received a significant amount of bipartisan support in the United States Congress. The new legislation makes some significant changes that impact retirement plans for all Americans. Like all legislation, there will be pros and cons, and ultimately it will have some…
One of the more challenging things to plan for is the risk of losing the capacity to care for yourself in your latter years. It is an unpleasant thought to all of us, yet something that is very important to consider. According to a 2018 article in the Wall Street Journal, a couple that reaches…
A required minimum distribution (RMD) refers to the amount of annual withdrawal an investor must take from their qualified retirement accounts (IRA’s, 401k’s, 403b’s etc.) once they have attained 70 ½ years of age. The IRS maintains a mortality table for investors to use in order to calculate what amount they must withdraw each year. …
The use of exchange traded funds (ETF’s) has become widespread in recent years. The early incarnation of the ETF was essentially an Index fund which could be traded on an exchange intraday, as opposed to a traditional index fund which was bought and sold directly via the issuing mutual fund company. In recent years, a…
The case for passive investing is a compelling one. Year after year we hear stock pickers say the same thing, which is “now is the time for active management”. Yet year after year the data becomes more compelling that stock picking is not a reasonable way to expect to outperform the broad markets. Standard &…
Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) are an asset category with a long history of solid investment returns that do not always demonstrate a direct correlation to the rest of the investment universe. They have served as an excellent diversifier when combined with other traditional investments. REIT’s are companies that own or finance properties that produce…
Those of us that lived through the financial crisis of 2008 as active investors remember it quite well. Many who never invested at all may still remember it rather vividly. What often gets overlooked is how quickly financial markets recovered in terms of asset prices. In the aftermath of the financial crisis, the US…
Insurance coverage is a vital part of financial planning. When most people think of insurance they envision life insurance, auto coverage, homeowners or even in some cases long term care coverage. However, one of the most overlooked and reasonably inexpensive insurance is that of umbrella insurance. An umbrella policy is a form of insurance…
In late 2017 congress finalized the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) which was effective beginning in January 2018. There were a number of changes to both corporate and personal income tax rules. A number of these tax laws have a sunset provision that is due to expire beginning 2026. Let’s take a look at…
The high yield fixed income market, also known as “junk bonds” is often one of the most misunderstood asset classes by many investors. In recent years with interest rates at historically low levels, many investors have attempted to look at different investments to enhance the cash flow generated from their portfolio. One such area has…
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