Blog

Basis on Sale of Gifted Stock

By Dan Madden, CFP®

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 $11,700 as Tom had previously given David earlier this year a cash gift equal to the annual gift tax exclusion amount. Tom’s adjusted basis in the stock on the date of…

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Results From March CFP Board Exam

By Bruce Starks, CPA, CFP®

CFP® Certificants in the News The results are in. We saw a continuation of existing trends and at least one surprise from the results of the March 2023 CFP Board Exam, including: Number of examinees taking the exam, Primary reason for taking the exam, Employer-provided financial support. Number of Examinees Taking the Exam An impressive…

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Home Mortgage Interest Deduction

By Bruce Starks, CPA, CFP®

Course: Income Tax PlanningLesson 8: Arriving at Taxable Income Student Question: If a client has a $250k mortgage on a home worth $500k and they refinance to take equity out of their home, say $100k. Then they use that $100k to purchase a vacation home worth $300k (so they now have $450k in mortgage debt),…

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Medicare Part A Expenses

By Dan Madden, CFP®

Which of the following individuals currently covered by Medicare Part A will not have any of their expenses covered by Medicare Part A? Evan who spent one week in hospice care before losing his battle with cancer. Felicia who was treated by her doctor for Strep throat. Greg who was needed a walker following hip…

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Advanced Roth Strategies—Part I of II

By Bruce Starks, CPA, CFP®

Good to Know This article is intended to create or deepen a financial advisor’s awareness of the creative use of Roth IRAs or Designated Roth Accounts in special circumstances such as: Business Owners with Net Operating Losses and High-Income Clients that are ineligible for a Roth IRA contribution. Caveat-this article is meant to raise awareness…

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Real Estate Income and IRA Contributions

By Bruce Starks, CPA, CFP®

Course: Retirement PlanningLesson 1: Using IRAs to Build and Distribute More Retirement Income Student Question: This page states that rental income is not included in the definition of earned income.  If the client is a professional real estate developer whose income is derived mainly from rental income, would they be able to contribute to an…

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Retirement Funding Calculation

By Dan Madden, CFP®

Erika wants $50,000 a year in today’s dollars in retirement. She anticipates retiring in 10 years and living in retirement for 30 years. Erika can earn 7% on her investments and she expects inflation to average 4%. Approximately how much should Erika have saved by the day she retires to meet this goal? $913,000 $983,000…

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CFP Board Holding Virtual Career Fair April 21st

By Dan Madden, CFP®

CFP® Board Updates The CFP Board Career Center, whose focus is on connecting highly-qualified talent withs firms, will be hosting a career fair on April 21, 2023.  This is the go-to event for employers and job seekers in the financial planning profession.  The event will connect top employers in the financial services industry with highly…

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Annual Return and Compounding

By Dan Madden, CFP®

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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