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Free Money From Social Security For Public Sector Retirees
Good to Know Your client, or their parents, may be entitled to increased retirement benefits from Social Security as a result of The Social Security Fairness Act of 2025 (the Act). Specifically public service workers may have been penalized if they qualified for Social Security Retirement benefits and they worked in a private sector job.…
Donating Short-term Appreciated Securities
Course: Income Tax PlanningLesson 15: Property Transactions Student Question: In the lesson, deducting donations of ‘cash’ versus ‘long term appreciated securities’ are differentiated. I’m curious about “short term appreciated securities”. In other words, if I own a stock – bought at $10,000 and it’s worth $50,000 when I donate, but I’ve only owned it 6…
Standard Deduction versus Itemized
John and Emily are married and file their taxes jointly. In 2024, they had the following expenses: $8,000 in mortgage interest on their primary residence $4,500 in state income taxes $3,000 in property taxes $2,000 in charitable donations $7,000 in medical expenses (their adjusted gross income is $100,000) If John and Emily want to maximize…
Savvy Moves To Pass The CFP Board Exam
CFP® Certificants in the News “I have seen the enemy and he is us.” This unlikely exam-taking advice comes to us courtesy of the late Walter Kelly, satirical cartoonist extraordinaire and creator of the wildly popular character of Pogo. Respectfully, the author has taken the liberty to slightly modify Mr. Kelly’s sentiment with “I have…
Defining Basis Points
Course 3: Investment PlanningLesson 15: Fundamentals of Derivatives – Futures and Options Student Question: Can you please explain what Basis points are and how/why they are generally used? Instructor Response: There are 100 basis points in 1%. Basis points are merely a common method of measuring investment fees or returns. An exchanged traded fund may charge…
Kiddie Tax
Jennifer and Mark have a 14-year-old son, Ryan, who earned $500 in wages from a part-time job and received $3,000 in interest income from an investment account set up by his grandparents. How will Ryan’s income be taxed under the “kiddie tax” rules for 2025? The entire $3,500 will be taxed at Ryan’s tax rate.…
CFP Board Records Milestone Year in 2024
CFP® Board Updates The CFP Board achieved record-breaking milestones in 2024, with the number of CFP® professionals reaching 103,093, a 4.3% increase from 2023. Additionally, 10,437 candidates sat for the CFP® exam, the highest in the Board’s history. These accomplishments align with the success of CFP Board’s public awareness campaign, which has significantly enhanced recognition…
Beta as a Measure of Systematic Risk
Course 3: Investment PlanningLesson 1: Key Principles of Investing Student Question: I am having a difficult time conceptualizing Beta as a measure of only systematic risk AND as a measure of volatility relative to the broader market. By way of illustration. Assume an individual equity has wild swings in value over a one year period…
Identifying Steps in the Financial Planning Process
Lisa, a CFP® professional, is working with her client, Tom. After gathering all necessary information about Tom’s financial situation, including his income, expenses, assets, liabilities, and risk tolerance, Lisa analyzes the data. She identifies that Tom’s current investment allocation is not aligned with his long-term retirement goals and recommends reallocating his portfolio to better match…