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 24 2025

Legislative Update: Tax and Spending Package

Client Relationship Manager Matthew Sheets, CFP®, shares aspects of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed in July 2025.

Written by Liz Swagerty Olsen · Categorized: 401K, ECONOMY, FINANCIAL PLANNING, INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT, RETIREMENT PLANNING, TAX PLANNING · Tagged: one big beautiful bill act, tax cuts and spending package

Dec 02 2024

Year-End Reminders and Considerations

The end of the year is approaching, making it a good time to pause and review your financial strategies and decide what to do, if anything, in the short and long term. Below we have listed several items and reminders for consideration. Please do keep in mind that some of the tasks below are time-sensitive and may take longer than normal to complete due to a spike in volume. For reference, Schwab released its Year-End Giving Guidelines which provides timelines and due dates for charitable donations and gifting.

Charitable Giving and Tax Planning

  • Charitable Gifting – Aligning a client’s financial plan with their charitable gifting wishes is a great way to support issues they are passionate about while also reducing tax liabilities. You may want to give additional funds to charity before the end of the year to realize tax deductions in the spring.
  • Qualified Charitable Donations from Retirement Accounts – For those that are 70 ½ and over, it may make sense to either cover a portion of the required minimum distribution (RMD), or, if they are not yet of RMD age, simply reduce their future tax liability by arranging QCDs from IRA accounts.
  • Gifting Stock to a Charity – If an investor is aware of a highly-appreciated stock in their portfolio, they can gain a tax deduction by gifting that stock to a nonprofit and moving a future tax liability out of the account.
  • Open and/or Contribute to a Donor Advised Fund – A client with appreciated stock or cash can open or move money into this type of account and receive a current year tax deduction without needing to designate a specific charitable organization until, potentially, several years later. These funds can also be invested for growth within the donor advised fund.
  • Donation Bunching – This is a strategy in which an investor stacks two-or-more years’ worth of donations into a single year and then itemizes the deductions for the year in which the donations are made.

Retirement Planning

  • Company Stock – Do you have company stock from your employer? Now would be a suitable time to review with your advisor and decide whether to exercise your stock options in order to save on taxes. Speak with your advisor and find out if you can avoid unnecessary liabilities.
  • Take It to the Max – If you are able to do so, it would be advantageous to increase, or max out, your retirement savings for 2024, optimizing your savings and reducing your tax liability on investment earnings.
  • Tax Harvesting – The end of the year is an optimal time to review your portfolio and, if you have experienced some losses, to consider selling other holdings that have depreciated in value to offset taxes.

 Education Savings

  • Paying College Tuition – If a parent or grandparent or other benefactor is paying the educational institution directly, the amount will not be counted as a gift.
  • “Superfunding” 529 Plans – There is the opportunity to increase the amount of funds being saved for educational purposes by way of “superfunding,” which allows contributors up to five times the annual gift tax exclusion in a single year without triggering additional reporting requirements. In short, this allows one to essentially prefund five years’ worth of gifts at one time.

Flexible Spending

  • Spend or Save – If you have a flexible spending account for healthcare or dependent care services, you will want to check the provisions of the account as some of the funds could be “use it or lose it” dollars, meaning they will not roll over into the new year.

To discuss these topics and strategies with a client relationship manager, please email info@vcmi.net.

Written by Liz Swagerty Olsen · Categorized: 529 PLAN, FINANCIAL PLANNING, INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT, PERSONAL FINANCE, RETIREMENT PLANNING, TAX PLANNING

Oct 28 2024

IRS Announces Federal Income Tax Bracket Adjustments

The IRS issued an announcement last week that highlighted several changes, including inflation adjustments to each income bracket, which applies to filings in 2026 for the tax year 2025. Additionally, the press release stated that the standard deduction will increase for both married couples and singles, and will include increases for capital gains brackets, estate and gift tax exemptions, and earned income tax credit eligibility. Left unchanged by the IRS are personal exemptions, itemized deductions and lifetime learning credits, items that have been adjusted for inflation in the past.

To read the full statement released by the IRS, click the button below. To better understand how these changes may affect you and your short- and long-term plans, please contact your client relationship manager or email us at info@vcmi.net.

IRS Adjustments for 2025

Written by Liz Swagerty Olsen · Categorized: FINANCIAL PLANNING, INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT, PERSONAL FINANCE, TAX PLANNING · Tagged: Federal income tax, FINANCIAL PLANNING, inflation adjusted, internal revenue service, Personal Finance, taxes

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