Good to Know

Good to Know We will take a very short break from our Social Security blog series with late-breaking news – potentially good news for advisors who charge only investment advisory fees. First, we’ll frame the issue then present the potentially good news. But before we frame the issue, let’s unpack the word “nonqualified” as it…

Good to Know When will our universe stop expanding? What age should you claim Social Security Retirement benefits? For too many of us, these two questions are equally confounding. The author cannot help you with astronomical riddles but can illuminate some of the key factors that should inform your claiming age decision. This is the…

Good to Know This blog builds upon the foundation we established for Spousal Social Security Retirement benefits in our last blog.  To summarize our last blog, the spouse of a covered worker who claims retirement benefits at his or her full retirement age is entitled to a retirement benefit of the greater of their own…

Good to Know The earth is flat. At least that’s what the mistaken belief was during the middle ages. If you told someone that the earth is flat today, you could get a laugh (or a raised eyebrow doubting your sanity).  Yet, some of those who would laugh at the prospect of a flat earth…

What are the odds you’ll need long-term care? Long-term care is a distinct possibility for millions of Americans. Today’s baby-boomers and their parents are living longer, but longer life expectancies are often accompanied by a need for extended long-term care.  According to the American Society on Aging, 70% of Americans 65 and older will need…

Saying “I have a long-term disability policy” is very much like saying “I have a car.”  There’s a big difference between a new Mercedes S-Class and a 40-year old AMC Concord (for any Millennials reading this, the Concord was manufactured just after the extinction of the dinosaurs by a now-defunct automaker). Here’s my point –…

Does Personal Auto Policy (PAP) insurance follow the car or the driver? The answer is… it depends! Let’s face it. This is can be a confusing topic. It’s no wonder there’s confusion – an online search of this simple question returns dramatically different opinions; some are correct, some partially correct, and some are incorrect.  But even the…

Conventional wisdom would have us believe that after-tax Roth IRA contributions only make sense if we expect higher taxable income and higher income tax rates in retirement than now. Is conventional wisdom wrong? Not completely but it is woefully simplistic in a complex financial world. Especially for client-facing advisors, the client implications of the Roth…

At one time in the not so distant past, the sky was the limit (where have investors heard that before?) for cryptocurrency. Back then, it seemed like all of the cool kids had cryptocurrency and subsequently, despite ups and downs, its popularity continues. But what is the attraction of this phenomenon? Three potential explanations follow.…

Today, we conclude our 4-part series with insights into tricks, traps and planning opportunities in the 20% Qualified Business Income Deduction (QBID) under Internal Revenue Code Section 199A, brought to us courtesy of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. But first, here’s an uber quick refresher of key concepts from the previous three QBID blogs:…