Posts by Dan Madden, CFP®
Owner of a Grantor Trust
In which of the following situations would the grantor of a trust not be considered the owner? The grantor has a reversionary interest in the trust, of which the grantor’s son is the sole beneficiary, but the grantor cannot exercise this power until eight years after transfer of property to the trust. The grantor retains…
Read MoreCFP Board Certification Marks Usage Updated
CFP® Board Updates Say goodbye to the TM after CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER. It’s now an ®. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office officially registered the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® mark earlier this summer, strengthening the legal protections. This change signifies a great achievement for the CFP Board and Professionals alike. It means the mark is now…
Read MoreNet Unrealized Appreciation
Course: Retirement PlanningLesson 7: Income Distribution Planning for Qualified Plans Student Question: Regarding net unrealized appreciation, the value of company shares at the time of distribution would be considered the client’s cost basis in that any earnings in excess of that amount could be subject to short-term cap gains if sold within a year of…
Read MoreCharacteristics of a Will
Which of the following statements concerning a Will are correct? A will can be altered, amended, or completely rewritten at any time before a person’s death. A will cannot be rewritten but can be amended at any time by a codicil. A will must be signed by the maker and usually must be witnessed by…
Read MoreBasis on Sale of Gifted Stock
Tom gave his son, David, a birthday present of Big M stock with a fair market value of $50,000. Tom paid gift tax of $9,700 as Tom had previously given David earlier this year a cash gift. Tom’s adjusted basis in the stock on the date of the gift was $30,000. Three months later, David…
Read MoreCharacteristics of a Will
Which of the following statements concerning a Will are correct? (1) A will can be altered, amended, or completely rewritten at any time before a person’s death. (2) A will cannot be rewritten but can be amended at any time by a codicil. (3) A will must be signed by the maker and usually must…
Read MoreCFP Board Releases July Exam Results
CFP® Board Updates The CFP Board announced the results of the July 2024 exam. This year’s July exam was administered between July 9th and 16th. During this window, 2,999 candidates took the exam, during which 65% received passing scores. The turnout for the July exam was the 2nd largest in exam history, demonstrating the growing presence of…
Read MoreCalculating Rate of Return
Course: Investment PlanningLesson 1: Key Principles of Investing Student Question: Hope you are doing well. Can you help solve a practice question? I looked through the textbook and my notes, and just couldn’t wrap my brain about how to solve the problem below. The confusing part to me is that the fund was not sold, so…
Read MoreRetirement Funding Calculation
Tom wants $70,000 a year in today’s dollars in retirement. He anticipates retiring in 15 years and living in retirement for 30 years. Tom can earn 6% on his investments and he expects inflation to average 4%. Approximately how much should Tom have saved by the day he retires to meet this goal? $1,021,221 $1,573,041…
Read MoreAnnual Return and Compounding
Course: Fundamentals of Financial PlanningLesson 5: Using the Calculator Student Question: My question relates to being able to clearly distinguish when the CFP Board exam will require an annual, or other period for the answer. Question 5(b) asks: “What is the rate of return on Investment 2 using daily compounding?” What is the annual rate…
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