The sweeping impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have upended all of our lives in different ways. Given the seriousness of the situation and for many, a new work from home reality, there has never been a better time to re-examine you and your family’s financial plan. We have written about the need for financial planning given unexpected situations such as incapacitation before, but given this unique situation and the passage of the CARES Act, we feel it is necessary to return to a few key planning opportunities. Review Estate and Incapacitation Documents Use this opportunity for a complete review of…
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It’s been proven that a well-diversified portfolio can be crucial in attaining long-term financial goals – spreading your investments across asset classes balances the risk and reward inherent to any one specific asset. However, if your current or previous benefits package includes company stock, you may find that this creates a concentrated position in your portfolio, a risk that could potentially derail your financial plan. While concentrated stock can generate significant wealth for a successful company’s executives and employees, it also brings added risk to their financial plans. An investment plan that lowers your risk profile while maximizing returns must…
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While the Coronavirus pandemic has brought its share of fear and anxiety, it also brings some favorable financial planning opportunities that can be of significant benefit for you and your family. Below are some opportunities to consider. 1. Harvesting Capital Losses: An approximate 20% decline in equity markets from the early year high, along with volatility in sectors of fixed income markets have caused security values to decline. As we periodically rebalance portfolios, in taxable accounts we look to realize capital losses and replace sold positions with similar, but not identical, securities to maintain desired exposures. When we “harvest” capital…
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The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) was signed into law on March 27, 2020 and provides $2.2 trillion in stimulus to help the economy recover from the dramatic changes brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Act is designed to offer individuals and businesses significant flexibility to recover from the anticipated recession as parts of the economy are forced to slow or shut down. Details of the Act’s provisions concerning individuals and small businesses are included in the sidebar. To put this into context, this $2.2 trillion is sizable relative to the $20 trillion United States GDP…
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One of the most flexible and powerful gifting techniques is to loan money to other family members, especially in a period of low interest rates. The reason intra-family loans work is simple: on average, the person receiving the loan should be able to invest the money received in a way that produces a rate of return greater than the interest rate on the loan. Thus, when the borrower returns the loaned money at the end of the loan’s term, he will be able to keep this excess return. Because the money was loaned, and not gifted, this excess is tax-free,…
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In most situations, you will file for a divorce in the state in which you and/or your spouse live. If you and your spouse own property in different states or you live apart, you might be able to select the state in which to file. In those situations, you and your attorney should evaluate the respective states’ divorce laws to determine the best choice. Among the items to consider are the length of time it will take to grant a divorce, the age of majority used in determining how long a parent is required to pay child support (for some…
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Planning for significant life transitions is central to financial planning. As recent first-time parents, we can say with confidence that there may be no greater transition in life than starting a family. Like any new phase of life, this transition brings along an infinite number of decisions and items to remember. Both before the baby arrives and, in the weeks, months, and years after, it can be helpful to understand and plan for some of the financial challenges that lie ahead. Coming from the perspective of both financial advisors and new parents, we’ve provided this checklist of some key financial…
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This post will help you unpack some of the estate and gift tax provisions of the 2017 Tax Reform Act, as well as answer some of the most pressing questions raised by the changes. In a nutshell, what stayed the same and what changed? One major item that stayed the same is the simple existence of an estate tax. The initial tax reform bill from the House called for a complete elimination of the estate tax, which didn’t make its way into the final law. Trump had also talked about altering the current date-of-death basis step-up for gains above a…
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