Vision Capital Management Financial Advisor Portland Oregon

Vision Capital Management has been providing clients financial planning and investment management services since 1999. Visit our site to find out more.

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      • Christopher Anissian
      • Katelyn Cummings, CFP®
      • Bryan Goss
      • Gina Jacobson, CFP®, CDFA
      • Marina Johnson, CFA
      • John LaBarca, CFA
      • Ellen Logan
      • Maria Malloy, CFP®
      • Sue McGrath
      • Sarah Quist, CFP®
      • Jeffrey Schmidt, CFA
      • Matthew Sheets, CFP®
      • Chris Sizemore, CPWA®, CMFC
      • Stacy Sizemore, IACCP®
      • Madison Steinbrenner, IACCP®
      • Liz Swagerty Olsen
      • Cliff Yount, IACCP®
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Oct 01 2025

Year-End Financial Planning Checklist

As the year draws to a close, we would like to highlight two key activities we’re undertaking on behalf of our clients and provide reminders on other best practices for year-end.

  1. Tax-Loss Harvesting

    Our investment team actively monitors portfolios for tax-loss harvesting opportunities. This involves selling securities at a loss to offset capital gains, while simultaneously reinvesting in a way that remains aligned with your long-term goals and risk tolerance. We also manage cost basis considerations to support overall tax efficiency.

  2. Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs)

    Clients age 73 or older are legally required to take annual Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) from tax-deferred retirement accounts, such as traditional IRAs and 401(k)s. Vision Capital will assist in coordinating these distributions through your Fidelity or Schwab account as needed.  If you have an inherited IRA, Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) may still be required, regardless of your age, depending on the terms of the inheritance and current IRS regulations.  If you hold an inherited IRA or have any questions regarding your RMD obligations, please contact your client relationship manager for guidance.

Additionally, the following items can help clients get organized and ready to welcome in the new year.

  • Maximize Retirement Contributions

    Even if you can’t contribute the full annual limit, increasing contributions before year-end can significantly enhance long-term retirement savings. If eligible, consider making “catch-up contributions,” which vary in amount depending on the type of retirement account.

  • Optimize Charitable Giving

    To receive a 2025 tax deduction, charitable donations must be completed by December 31. We recommend acting early, as nonprofits can be overwhelmed during the final weeks of the year. Additional strategies to consider include bunching donations into a single year for greater impact, donating highly appreciated long-term assets, or making qualified charitable distributions (QCDs) directly from an IRA.

  • Evaluate Income Tax Withholding

    Now is a good time to reassess your withholding elections to make sure they still match up with your current income level and tax situation heading into the new year.

  • Assess Medicare Coverage

    We recommend reading the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) document, which details changes to costs and coverage. If you have experienced significant changes with your health, are seeing new providers, or have new prescriptions, it may be worthwhile to move to a new plan during open enrollment, which takes place from October 15 to December 7.

  • Contribute to Your Health Savings Account

    Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) carry the unspent funds over to the next year. If you are able, it is advantageous to maximize your contribution to your HSA for a triple tax advantage: tax-deductible contributions, tax-free growth, and tax-free withdrawals for qualified medical costs.

  • Use Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)

    Flexible spending funds are generally subject to a “use it or lose it” rule. Depending on your plan, unused balances may expire at year-end. Eligible purchases include new contacts or glasses, prescriptions, appointment copays, and over-the-counter items such as first aid supplies, sunscreen, and cold and flu remedies.

  • Review Estate Planning Documents

    Outdated beneficiary designations are unfortunately common and can lead to unintended consequences. Take the time to review and update your beneficiary forms to ensure they accurately reflect your current wishes and circumstances.

If you have any questions about the topics outlined above, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We are here to support your financial goals with thoughtful, proactive guidance.

Written by Liz Swagerty Olsen · Categorized: 401K, 529 PLAN, CHARITABLE GIVING, DIVORCE, ECONOMY, ELLEVATE NETWORK, ESTATE PLANNING, FIDUCIARY, FINANCIAL ADVISOR, FINANCIAL PLANNING, HEALTH INSURANCE, HOME OWNERSHIP, INSURANCE, INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT, INVESTMENTS, MEDICARE, NIKE, OREGON, OREGON ECONOMY, PARENTING, PERSONAL FINANCE, REAL ESTATE INVESTING, RETIREMENT PLANNING, SOCIAL SECURITY, TAX PLANNING, UNCATEGORIZED, WOMEN · Tagged: end of year checklist, FINANCIAL PLANNING, Flexible Spending Accounts, Health Savings Accounts, MEDICARE, RETIREMENT PLANNING

Sep 03 2025

Creative Ways to Pass on Your Wealth

Katie Cummings, CFP®, shares creative ways to share wealth while the benefactor is still alive and able to witness the impact.

Written by Liz Swagerty Olsen · Categorized: CHARITABLE GIVING, ESTATE PLANNING, FINANCIAL PLANNING, PERSONAL FINANCE, RETIREMENT PLANNING, TAX PLANNING, WOMEN · Tagged: ESTATE PLANNING, inheritance, passing on wealth

Jul 28 2025

Video: Providing for Your Pet in Your Estate Plan

 

Client Relationship Manager Maria Malloy, CFP®, shares how to ensure your treasured pet is cared for after you are gone.

Written by Liz Swagerty Olsen · Categorized: ESTATE PLANNING, FINANCIAL ADVISOR, FINANCIAL PLANNING, RETIREMENT PLANNING, WOMEN · Tagged: cats, dogs, pets

Jun 27 2025

Providing for Your Pets in Your Estate Plan

Before his death, Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld was accompanied everywhere by his beloved cat, Choupette. The beautiful snow-white feline was featured in product launches, had an Instagram account, and was the subject of two books. When Lagerfeld died in 2019, it was rumored that the cat had become one of the largest beneficiaries of his estate, estimated to be over $200 million.

Of course, you don’t need to be an ultra-wealthy fashion scion to care about the future of your pets. For many of us, our pets are more than animals – they are our family. But what happens to them if something happens to you?

Just like a human loved one, your pet depends on you. That’s why it is important to include them in your estate plan. Without clear direction, your pet’s future could be left to chance; but, with some foresight, you can ensure that they will continue to receive the love and care you want for them.

Here are a few suggestions of how you can protect your pet as part of your estate plan.

Choose a Caregiver

Designate someone you trust to care for your pet. Talk to them ahead of time to make sure they are willing and able to assume responsibility. When a person passes away, the authorities may have to default pet ownership to the next of kin, and if there haven’t been proper discussions prior, they may end up being rehomed. You may also want to consider a backup caregiver in the event that the first choice is unable to care for your pet.

Leave Detailed Instructions

Include information about your pet’s routines, medical needs, food preferences, and even personality quirks. If you have a trusted veterinarian, dog walker or pet sitter, be sure to include that information in your documentation as they may be able to provide perspective in your absence.

Set Aside Funds

You can leave money or property to your chosen caregiver with instructions for their use in caring for your pet. Alternatively, you can set up a pet trust, a legally enforceable way to provide money for your pet’s ongoing care.

Work with a Professional

An estate planning attorney can help you structure everything legally and effectively. They will likely have experience counseling clients and can share ways in which clients have accomplished this aspect of their legacy plan. While trusts for pets are legally recognized in most states, there may be variations in how they will be structured and enforced.

Planning for your pet is about love, responsibility, and peace of mind. It’s one more way to make sure your legacy reflects your values, and the lives that matter most to you.

Written by Liz Swagerty Olsen · Categorized: ESTATE PLANNING, FINANCIAL ADVISOR, FINANCIAL PLANNING, PERSONAL FINANCE, RETIREMENT PLANNING, WOMEN · Tagged: estate plan, ESTATE PLANNING, FINANCIAL PLANNING, legacy planning, pets

May 30 2025

Giving before You Are Gone: Clever Ways to Distribute Wealth

For a long time, putting your estate in order and planning your legacy was a straightforward process. You wrote out a will, named your survivors, and detailed who would receive what when you passed.

These days, there are new ideas around how wealth is transferred, including distributing the funds while the benefactor is still alive and able to witness the ripple effects of their gift(s). Here are a few examples of creative ways to share your wealth with your loved ones and charitable causes now or in the immediate future.

Give Generously – and Tax Free

The IRS allows individuals to give up to $19,000 per recipient (in 2025) each year without triggering gift taxes. That means a couple could jointly give $38,000 per recipient per year. This is a smart way to gradually transfer wealth to children, grandchildren, or even friends, without eating into your lifetime gift and estate tax exemption. Some savers opt for an annual gifting strategy where they help pay for a loved one’s tuition, down payment or other savings, all while reducing their taxable estate.

Pay Directly for Medical Expenses or Tuition

Instead of giving cash, you can pay tuition or medical bills directly on someone’s behalf. These payments aren’t subject to gift tax limits, no matter how large. It’s a stealthy, IRS-approved way to support someone you love without affecting your annual gift limit.

Set Up a Donor-Advised Fund (DAF)

While not new, donor-advised funds are being used in new and creative ways. A donor-advised fund is like a charitable investment account. You contribute cash, stocks, or other assets, get an immediate tax deduction, and then recommend grants over time to your favorite charities. A donor-advised fund could be co-managed by parents and children and centered around the values and philanthropic efforts dear to them.

Start a Legacy Business or Family Foundation

If you want to blend entrepreneurship, family, and philanthropy, consider starting a small business or foundation with your loved ones. It could be a scholarship fund, a nonprofit, or a community initiative. Involve your children early so they can help shape the mission and be inspired to carry it forward.

Establish a Family Trust or Living Trust

A trust allows you to control how your wealth is distributed, both while you’re alive and after. A revocable living trust lets you maintain control of your assets and smoothly pass them to heirs without going through probate. You can also set conditions – like age restrictions or purpose-based use (education, housing, etc.) around the funds. Additionally, an irrevocable trust may be used to remove assets from your estate, potentially lowering estate taxes and protecting wealth from creditors.

Gift-Appreciated Assets

Rather than selling appreciated stocks and paying capital gains tax, gift them directly to loved ones in lower tax brackets or donate them to charity. Charities can sell these assets tax-free, and you get a full-value deduction. Family members who receive the assets may also benefit from a stepped-up cost basis if they inherit it, but that benefit doesn’t apply to lifetime gifts, so remember that timing is crucial.

Invest in Life Experiences, Not Just Inheritance

Sometimes the best gift isn’t cash, it’s shared experience. Use your wealth to fund family travel, multi-generational events, or special experiences that create lasting memories. These are hard to replicate and deepen emotional bonds. Better yet, frame these experiences as value-based with a visit to a place connected to your family history or by volunteering together as part of a trip abroad.

Make Loans with Forgiveness in Mind

You can make intra-family loans at below-market interest rates. If structured correctly, they can fund a loved one’s home, education, or business venture. You can then forgive these loans over time within gift tax limits which essentially makes a loan into a gift gradually.

Talk About It Early

The biggest financial gift you can give is clarity. Don’t keep your wealth plans a secret. In many cases, adult children are not inheriting as much as they think they will. Talk with your family about your intentions, your values, and how you want your money to reflect both sides of the coin. These frank conversations may prevent future disputes and may also help them to understand you and carry your legacy forward with perspective and wisdom.

Parting Thoughts: Give While it Matters Most

Distributing wealth before you’re old or gone isn’t just about smart tax planning, it’s about living generously. You can see the results of your giving, help your loved ones avoid stress, and bring more purpose to your financial decisions. Whether it’s helping your child buy their first home, funding your grandchild’s tuition, or expanding a charity’s impact, you get to be part of that story now.

Written by Liz Swagerty Olsen · Categorized: ESTATE PLANNING, FINANCIAL PLANNING, PARENTING, RETIREMENT PLANNING · Tagged: distribute wealth, ESTATE PLANNING, tax planning, vision capital management

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