What you need to know to get ready for the end of the year. With one year ending and a new one on the cusp of starting, many people will consider their resolutions—not their estate strategy. But the end of the year is a great time to sit down and review your preparations, especially when […]
Tag: planning
Tax Efficiency
What it means; why it counts. The after-tax return vs. the pretax return. Everyone wants their investments to perform well. But for many investors it’s their after-tax return that may make all the difference. After all, even if your portfolio is earning double-digit returns, it may not matter if you’re also losing a percent of […]
An Estate Strategy for Your Digital Assets
What should you know? What should your executor know? When you think about your estate, you may think about your personal property, real estate, or investments. You also have other, less-tangible assets – and they deserve your attention as well. Your digital assets should not disappear into a void when you die. Nor should they […]
Your Financial Co-Pilot
If anything happens to you, your family has someone to consult. If you weren’t around, what would happen to your investments? In many families, one person handles investment decisions, and spouses or children have little comprehension of what happens each week, month, or year with a portfolio. In an emergency, this lack of knowledge can […]
Minimizing Probate When Setting Up Your Estate
What can you do to lessen its impact for your heirs? Probate subtly reduces the value of many estates. It can take more than a year in some cases, and attorney’s fees, appraiser’s fees, and court costs may eat up as much as 5% of a decedent’s assets. Probating a “routine” estate valued at $400,000 […]
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Including Digital Assets in Your Estate Plan
What should you know? What should your executor know? When people think about estate planning, they may think in terms of personal property, real estate, and investments. Digital assets might seem like a lesser concern, perhaps no concern at all. But it is something that many are now considering.1 Your digital assets should not disappear […]
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TSP Withdrawal Options Are Changing
New rules could soon mean more flexibility. By 2020, federal employees with Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) accounts should have new withdrawal choices for their invested assets. New rules are scheduled to be implemented through the TSP Modernization Act, permitting TSP participants more flexibility.1 The TSP withdrawal rules have been strict for many years. Too strict, […]
The Dow Dropped. Do Not Drop Out of the Market.
Last Monday’s plunge was hardly the disaster that some media outlets claimed. On February 5, the Dow Jones Industrial Average took an unprecedented fall. The benchmark dropped 1,175 points, and it was down 1,500 points at one moment during the trading day.1,2 Monday’s Dow loss was severe, but not as catastrophic as certain headlines trumpeted. […]
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