senior couple

“Estate planning is a crucial part of any holistic financial plan, and financial advisors often work with estate planning attorneys for guidance in this area.” Everyone wins when estate planning attorneys, financial advisors and accounting professionals work together on a comprehensive estate plan. Each of these professionals can provide their insights when helping you make […]

couple owning a bookstore

“Each type of retirement benefit has a different eligibility age. Your age plays a big role in how much you can expect to receive from Social Security and what you need to do to avoid retirement account penalties.” Just as there are many types of retirement benefits, there are many dates to keep in mind […]

Giving to charity

“Qualified Charitable Distributions, which allow Individual Retirement Account holders in their 70s and older to divert some of their federally taxable required distributions to charity while reducing their federally taxable income, are back after a 2020 hiatus.” Qualified charitable distributions allow individual retirement holders to divert some of their federally taxable required distributions to charity, […]

Finger Pressing Button on Calculator

“Gray divorce issues include weaving through the complications of splitting pensions, 401(k)s and more before the process is complete.” Divorce is different for older couples. They must focus on retirement accounts instead of college savings plans, explains a recent article from Kiplinger titled “Considering Divorce? Beware of Retirement Account Breakups“. After retirement accounts, the marital […]

Elder Couple with Bills

“If you haven’t reviewed your beneficiary designations recently, you may be setting your heirs and estate up for some unpleasant surprises.” It’s a simple question: do you know who your retirement account beneficiaries are? These tax-deferred accounts are complex, with significant tax implications for heirs that become more challenging if key information is missing on […]

large mixed family

“One of the biggest wealth transfers our nation has ever seen is about to take place. Over the next 25 years, as much as $68 trillion of wealth will be passed to succeeding generations.” Heirs who are prepared to inherit wealth, with families who talk about wealth and have an estate plan, will do better […]

Family Portrait At Christmas

“It is surprisingly easy and common to make mistakes when designating beneficiaries on retirement and investment accounts.” A designated beneficiary is the person named on a retirement or investment account to inherit the asset if you die. That’s the simple part. What gets complicated is when people don’t think it’s such a big deal, says […]

Senior couple

“Some retirees may be surprised to learn that a portion of their Social Security benefits could be subject to federal income taxes.” Paying taxes when you aren’t working but are instead receiving income from a lifetime of working and Social Security is a harsh reality of retirement for many people. Figuring out how much of […]

question mark

“To ensure your estate is settled in the way you want, it’s wise to do a bit of extra planning to keep your documents up to date.” For anyone who thinks that their will or trust can be used to distribute assets in a 401(k) after they pass, think again. The beneficiaries listed in a […]

Senior couple

“U.S. has been making it easier for people to access long-term savings for emergencies, trading future financial security to stay afloat.” For generations, the tax code has been a public policy tool, used to encourage people to save for retirement and what used to be called “old age.” However, the coronavirus pandemic has created financial […]