Client Relationship Manager Maria Malloy, CFP®, details ways employees can get the most out of their benefits.
Safe Travels: Tips for Leaving Home During the Holidays
The holidays are a wonderful time to travel and spend time with friends and family. Whether you’re flying across the country or spending a few days with loved ones nearby, these practical tips can help ensure peace of mind while you’re away.
Secure Your Home
- Leverage home automation: program smart lights, thermostats, video doorbells, and home security cameras in advance and monitor remotely for real-time updates.
- Inform a neighbor or friend: ask someone you trust to keep an eye on your home, collect unexpected packages, and report anything unusual.
- Lock up and unplug: double-check that all doors, windows, and garage entries are locked. Unplug small appliances to prevent electrical hazards. Store jewelry, legal documents, and valuables in a safe or secure deposit box.
Plan with Health and Comfort in Mind
- Pack medications in your carry-on and bring extra doses in case of delays. Carry a list of your prescriptions and your doctor’s contact information.
- If you have a chronic condition or allergies, wear a medical ID bracelet. Request mobility assistance as soon as you can. Airports, hotels, and attractions often provide free or low-cost options like wheelchair or shuttle services or priority boarding.
- Keep your body moving when you are able, stretch regularly, and stay hydrated.
Manage Finances and Documents Safely
- Call your bank and credit card companies and tell them when you will be traveling to avoid flagged transactions or freezes.
- Carry only essential cards and a limited amount of cash and leave unnecessary documents at home.
- Make digital or paper copies of your passport, ID, travel insurance, and emergency contacts. Share these copies with a trusted family member or friend and store them for yourself in a separate location.
- Consider travel insurance, especially if the trip is especially long or complicated. Even the most well-prepared travelers have to pivot sometimes, and coverage can protect against severe weather, medical emergencies, and cancellations.
Stay Connected While Gone
- Share your itinerary with a trusted family member or friend and include the details of your accommodations.
- Use secure connections when accessing the internet and conducting financial transactions. Avoid using public Wi-Fi and opt for a VPN while abroad.
- Wait to post travel updates or photos online, especially on social media sites like Facebook, until after you return home to avoid alerting bad actors that you are away, and your home is empty.
Enjoy the Journey!
With your home secure and your visit planned thoughtfully, you can focus on connecting with loved ones, making fond memories, and enjoying the spirit of the holiday season.
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.
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.
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.
Vision Capital Management Named to FA 2025 RIA Ranking
Vision Capital Management has been named to the FA 2025 RIA Ranking by Financial Advisor magazine, an annual list that recognizes top independent registered investment advisors (RIAs) across the nation based on assets under management (AUM).
To qualify for the ranking, firms must be independent, file their own ADV with the SEC, and offer comprehensive financial planning services. Hybrid RIA firms, broker-dealers, corporate RIAs, and investment advisor representatives are not eligible for inclusion. Vision Capital was one of only four firms from Oregon to earn a spot on the list.
“We are delighted to be recognized by Financial Advisor,” said Marina Johnson, CFA, managing director and principal. “It is a tremendous honor to be trusted by our clients and their families and help them navigate their financial futures.”
The accompanying article noted the significant growth in recent years among fee-based advisors, with assets under management increasing from $150 billion in 2015 to $260 billion in 2024. It also explored how artificial intelligence (AI) could reshape the industry by streamlining administrative tasks like client onboarding, data gathering, and compliance. While AI promises greater efficiency, the article emphasized the importance of human advisors to interpret regulations, offer insight, and maintain trust.
About Vision Capital Management
Serving both individuals and institutional investors since 1999, Vision Capital Management is a women-founded, employee-owned financial advisory firm based in Portland, Oregon. We are independent, fee-only financial advisors because we believe our clients’ interests should come first and foremost.
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Disclosure:
The Financial Advisor Magazine’s (“FA Mag”) RIA survey is a ranking based on assets under management at year-end of independent RIA firms that file their own ADV with the SEC. Vision Capital Management, Inc. (“VCMI”) was ranked in July 2025 by FA Mag, based on data as of December 31, 2024. FA Mag’s RIA ranking orders firms from largest to smallest, based on AUM reported by firms that voluntarily complete and submit the survey. To be eligible for the ranking, firms must be independent registered investment advisers filing with the SEC and providing financial planning and related services to individual clients. VCMI did not pay a fee to FA Mag in exchange for inclusion in the 2025 RIAs Survey & Ranking list.
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.
