Posts by Dan Madden, CFP®
Defining an Insurance Contract
A Sec. 303 redemption is most likely appropriate for which of the following estates? At Fred’s death, Fred owned all of his assets including the stock of a closely-held corporation in joint tenancy WROS with his wife. Before Gloria’s death, she transferred all of her assets including the stock in a closely-held corporation to an…
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…
Read MoreSection 303 Redemption
A Sec. 303 redemption is most likely appropriate for which of the following estates? At Fred’s death, Fred owned all of his assets including the stock of a closely-held corporation in joint tenancy WROS with his wife. Before Gloria’s death, she transferred all of her assets including the stock in a closely-held corporation to an…
Read MoreValidating and Measuring Competency
CFP® Board Updates For the past decade or so, the CFP Board has been putting an increased emphasis on the importance of being able to validate and measure competency for CFP Professionals. While the certification itself signifies that someone has mastered the required body of knowledge, that knowledge alone isn’t enough to truly become a…
Read MoreDeducting Advisory Fees
Course: Income Tax PlanningLesson 10: Recognition of Expenses, Losses, and Deductions Student Question: Hi I read that advisory fees are no longer deductible. So in this question (below), is it deductible because this is treated as a business deduction since Roger is Self-Employed? Alisha Sheridan, A CFP licensee and fee-only financial planner, has assisted Roger…
Read MoreIdentifying Monetary Policy
Which of the following is a monetary policy that will tighten the money supply? Sell government securities Lower the discount rate Decrease government spending Increase taxes CLICK TO REVEAL ANSWER Expand A is the answer. Selling government securities is a monetary policy that will tighten the money supply as the cash used to purchase the…
Read MoreLife Insurance in the Gross Estate
Which of the following assets would be included in Martin’s gross estate? Life insurance on Martin’s life purchased one year before he died by the trustee of Martin’s irrevocable life insurance trust. Life insurance on Martin’s life purchased by Martin’s wife two years before he died. Life insurance on Martin’s life purchased three years before…
Read MoreRequired Insurance Penalty and Reimbursement
Course: Insurance Planning Lesson 6: Commercial Property and Liability Insurance Student Question: Hi Dan – On this review page, the correct answer for question 2 (below) indicates that insurance will only over 97% of replacement cost. However, it says in the chapter that as long as the property is insured for more than 80% of…
Read MoreDonating Appropriate Stock
Darryl Owens will report an AGI of $100,000 for this year on his federal income tax return. Darryl would like to make a gift to the local hospital of some stock. He would like to donate the stock that will provide the greatest income tax deduction for this year. Which of the following stocks should…
Read MoreTax Saving Strategies
Dan and Karen Burles have 2 children, Coy (age 12, student) and Roger (age 21, student). Dan and Karen own a security equipment sales and installation business, an LLC. Dan and Karen are in the highest income tax bracket. They have a portfolio with $130,000 of municipal bonds (annual income $5,200), $80,000 of corporate bonds…
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