As your children grow into adults, your relationship with them naturally evolves. You love them and may want to continue to support them in various ways but, when it comes to supporting them financially, things can get complicated.
The Benefits of Taking Your RMD Early in the Year
Welcome to a new year! With the holidays and celebrations behind you, it’s time to plan for the year ahead. If you have one or more retirement accounts and are over the age of 70 ½, taking your required minimum distribution (RMD) will be on the “to do” list for you and your financial advisor.
What’s an RMD and why do I have to take money out of my retirement accounts?
The biggest benefit of saving in retirement accounts is tax-free growth, meaning you never pay capital gains tax as the assets increase in value over time (motivation to start saving early!). The IRS, however, doesn’t want you and your beneficiaries to receive this benefit for eternity so, at the age of 70 ½, you must start taking money out of the account. Roth IRAs are an exception in that distributions aren’t required during the original owner’s lifetime but, after the owner’s death, beneficiaries are required to take annual distributions over the course of their lifetimes.
Making Social Security Work for You
The Social Security system can be complicated to navigate. Whether you’re in the early years of your career or nearing retirement, it’s important to understand how social security works and how to maximize your eventual benefit, especially if you are divorced or widowed.
Maximizing Your Charitable Giving
Giving back to your community feels great for several reasons and many of us living in the United States are fortunate to have the relative prosperity to do so. For some, it’s an inherent part of their value system or they’ve had a personal experience that connects them to a particular cause and for others, there are financial benefits driving their decision to give. Whatever the motivation, charitable giving can be an important part of your overall financial plan and it’s important to understand how the recent tax law changes affect the financial impact of donating cash and securities to your favorite causes.
The most significant change to the tax code for most taxpayers is the increase in the standard deduction. The amount nearly doubled to $12,000 for single filers and $24,000 for couples beginning in 2018. This means that unless your total itemized deductions are over these amounts, you will no longer be able to deduct the amount of your charitable donations. As with any tax law change, it’s best to consult your CPA to assess the impact to your personal situation but there are steps you can take on your own to get started.
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Life Transitions – Death of a Loved One
Losing a loved one is one of the most emotionally challenging events we face in life. In addition to the grief and heartache, there are many financial implications with which to contend that can be complicated by family relations and whether or not the person had his/her estate plan in order.
One of the greatest gifts you can give your loved ones is to be proactive and well organized in not only preparing your estate plan, but in communicating your intentions to your beneficiaries. Right down to the music you want played at your funeral, every detail you think through in advance will relieve the burden from those left to handle your estate so they can focus on mourning and honoring your wishes.
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