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Passing the CFP Board Exam
CFP® Certificants in the News “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”…
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No Additional Cost Services Exclusion
Course: Income Tax PlanningLesson 6: Employer-Sponsored Total Income Exclusions Student Question: For “No Additional Cost Services” provided by an employer, which are excluded from employee income, there is the requirement that no significant costs are incurred. How is “significant” cost determined? Significant sounds subjective. Is there a general rule for determining what is considered significant?…
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Reducing the AMT
A client, Sarah, is a 35-year-old single mother with two young children. She has a stable job with an annual salary of $80,000 and has accumulated $50,000 in a 401(k) plan. She also has $10,000 in an emergency savings account. Sarah expresses concern about saving for her children’s college education while ensuring she has enough…
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Schwab Advisor Services Donates $150,000 to the Women’s Initiative (WIN) Endowed Scholarship
CFP® Certificants in the News The CFP Board has announced a generous donation of $150,000 from Schwab Advisor Services, in collaboration with the Charles Schwab Foundation, to support the Women’s Initiative (WIN) Endowed Scholarship. This contribution raises the total scholarship fund to $500,000, reaching the required amount for the scholarship to begin awarding financial support.…
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Interest Rate Risk in a Bond
Course: Investment PlanningLesson 10: Fixed Income Securities Analysis Student Question: I’m not clear why holders of long-term bonds are subject to interest rate risk. If a 20-year bond is purchased at par with a coupon rate of 6.25% ($62.50/year), it seems to me that the investor would still receive $62.50 a year regardless of interest rate changes. What…
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Reducing the AMT
Which of the following tax planning ideas would help Beth the most if she currently has to pay AMT taxes? Pay her $1,000 January mortgage payment before the end of the year. Pay her $2,000 January alimony payment to her ex-husband before the end of the year. Recognize a $3,000 short term capital gain on…
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Top 5 Reasons to Become a CFP® Professional
Good to Know There’s seldom been a better time to consider a career as a financial advisor, financial planner, or both. While the scope of this article prevents the author from discussing every reason why, here are the top 5. 1) Client Trust and Respect Expand Client Trust and Respect – According to Forbes, CFP®…
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Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Means Test
Course: Estate PlanningLesson 13: Case Study Online Student Question: I am a little confused how one set amount – $100 – is the threshold for means testing a bankruptcy petitioner, when the amount of debt a borrower may owe can vary by large amounts. It would seem the amount left over (income minus allowable expenses)…
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Debt Discharged in Chapter 7 Bankruptcy
Chuck lost his job last year when his company moved their factory overseas. Chuck has been unable to find another job and had to file for a Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Which of the following debts can be discharged in the bankruptcy? $10,000 of rent he owes his landlord $20,000 of taxes he owes the IRS…
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