Publications

ESTATES & TRUSTS

  • ESTATE PLANNING

    Wills and trusts allow you to spell out how you would like your property distributed, but they also go beyond that.

  • LIVING TRUSTS

    A living trust can help control the distribution of your estate upon death.

  • AVOIDING PROBATE

    The probate process can be lengthy and complex. There are strategies you can use to help avoid the probate process.

  • CHARITABLE GIVING

    To retain the tax advantages associated with charitable giving, your gift must be made to a qualified organization.

  • CONTROLLING THE DISTRIBUTION

    If you haven't taken steps already, consider planning now for the distribution of your estate's assets.

  • PAYING ESTATE TAXES

    If you believe your estate will be subject to estate taxes, consider how your heirs will pay the bill.

  • BENEFITS OF A-B TRUSTS

    An A-B trust can be an effective way to help reduce estate taxes and preserve family assets for heirs.

  • GIFTING STRATEGIES

    Compare the advantages and disadvantages of different gifting strategies available for planned giving.

  • CHARITABLE LEAD TRUSTS

    Charitable lead trusts are designed for people who would like to benefit a charity now rather than later.

  • CHARITABLE REMAINDER TRUSTS

    A designated income beneficiary could receive payment of a specified amount from a charitable remainder trust.

  • WEALTH REPLACEMENT TRUSTS

    A wealth replacement trust could be used to gift appreciated assets to a charity as well as provide for heirs.

  • FAMILY LIMITED PARTNERSHIPS

    One estate planning strategy that families with closely held businesses could consider is the family ltd partnership.

  • PROPERTY OWNERSHIP

    Sole ownership, joint tenancy, tenancy in common, and community property have special benefits for property owners.

  • History of the Federal Estate Tax

RETIREMENT

  • SIMPLE IRAS

    The SIMPLE plan may appeal to small biz owners as it is easy to set up, administer, and allows for a tax deduction.

  • Stretch IRAs

  • IRA ROLLOVER

    If you leave a job or retire, you should consider your options regarding your employer retirement plan assets.

  • ROTH 401(K)

    A Roth 401k is funded w/after-tax money, allows for tax- and penalty-free withdrawal of earnings if req are met.

  • Profit-Sharing Plans
  • Money Purchase Pension Plans

  • 403(B) PLANS

    A 403(b) plan is a tax-deferred retirement savings plan that can only be offered by a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt entity.

  • WHY PURCHASE ANNUITIES

    Annuities, an insurance-based financial vehicle, can provide many benefits that retirement investors might want.

  • SPLIT-ANNUITY STRATEGY

    A split annuity strategy can generate immediate income while potentially stretching some retirement savings.

  • ANNUITY LIVING BENEFITS

    Living benefits can help protect variable annuity owners from running out of money in retirement.

  • HOW MUCH DO I NEED TO SAVE?

    Many realize it's important to save for retirement, but knowing exactly how much to save is another issue altogether.

  • A New Chapter for Retirement

  • 1035 EXCHANGES

    A Section 1035 exchange is a tax-free exchange of an existing annuity contract or life ins. policy for a new one.

  • UNFORGETTABLE BIRTHDAYS

    There are key dates after you turn 59 that can impact your taxes, Medicare eligibility, and retirement benefits.

  • YOUR BUSINESS AND RETIREMENT

    Allocating too much of your retirement investments to one company, even your own, can be a risky proposition.

  • PLANNING OPTIONS

    There's a variety of retirement planning options that could help meet your needs. Here's some of the most popular.

  • Future of Social Security
  • Social Security Income

  • SELF-EMPLOYED RETIREMENT PLANS

    Tax-deferred retirement plans for self-employed individuals have higher contribution limits than IRAs.

  • INDEXED ANNUITIES

    An indexed annuity may provide some upside potential and downside protection.

  • RETIREMENT PLAN DISTRIBUTIONS

    When receiving money accumulated in your employer-sponsored retiremnt plan, you have 2 options: lump sum or annuity.

  • TRADITIONAL IRAS

    If you do not participate in an employer-sponsored retirement plan, you might consider a traditional IRA.

  • 401(K) PLANS

    401(k) employer-sponsored retirements plans have many benefits, including that the funds accumulate tax-deferred.

  • MANAGING RETIREMENT PLANS

    Employer-sponsored retirement plans are more important than ever, but managing the assets can be confusing.

  • SAVE NOW OR SAVE LATER

    If you start saving for retirement sooner, the more money you are likely to accumulate and possibly retire sooner.

  • ROTH IRAS

    Qualified Roth IRA distributions in retirement are free of federal income tax and aren't included in gross income.

TAX PLANNING

  • CAPITAL GAIN TAX

    Capital gains are profits realized from the sale of assets; a tax is triggered only when an asset is sold, not held.

  • ESTATE TAX

    Everything you own, whatever the form of ownership, is subject to federal, and possibly state, estate taxes.

  • GIFT TAX

    The federal gift tax applies to gifts of property or money while the donor is living.

  • RETIREMENT PLAN LIMITS

    IRAs, employer-sponsored retirement plans are subject to annual contribution limits set by the federal government.

  • REQUIRED MINIMUM DISTRIBUTIONS

    Required minimum distribution is the annual amount that must be withdrawn from a qualified retirement plan/account.

  • CHARITABLE TRUST TAX BENEFITS

    For the grantor, there are a few potential tax benefits that can come with setting up a charitable trust.

  • Retirement Plan Taxes

  • WITHDRAWING BEFORE AGE 59.5

    Tax-deferred retirement account withdrawals before age 59½ generally triggers a 10% federal income tax penalty.

  • TAX DEFERRAL

    There can be a substantial benefit to deferring taxes as long as possible.

  • TAX-ADVANTAGED INVESTMENTS

    Many traditional tax-advantaged investment strategies have gone away, but there are still some alternatives.

  • TAX DEDUCTIONS

    Changes to the tax code have left a few key deductions for itemizers, like medical, dental and some business expenses.

  • TAX-ADVANTAGED ALTERNATIVES

    While stable, CDs can create quite an income tax bill. Fixed annuities and municipal bonds can offer tax advantages.

  • TAX STRATEGIES FOR RETIREMENT PLANS

    Consider a trustee-to-trustee transfer to an IRA vs a lump-sum distribution from a workplace retirement plan.

  • TAX-FREE INVESTMENTS

    It's important to understand tax-exempt vehicles when establishing a comprehensive tax planning strategy.

  • MUTUAL FUND PROFITS

    Want to keep more of your mutual fund profits? You may be interested in strategies to help lower your tax liability.

  • TAX-FREE INSURANCE UPGRADES

    A 1035 exchange allows you to exchange your life insurance policy for one from another company w/o tax liability.

INVESTING

  • DIVIDENDS

    It is important to understand how dividends (taxable payments to shareholders) fit with your long-term goals.

  • EXCHANGE-TRADED FUNDS

    ETFs have unique attributes and attempt to track all types of indexes, industries, or commodities.

  • GROWTH STOCKS VS. VALUE STOCKS

    The labels “growth” and “value” reflect different approaches that can be used when making investment decisions.

  • MUTUAL FUND TAXES

    Mutual fund taxes can be cumbersome, but there are ways to help mitigate the amount of taxes you may owe.

  • Stock

  • ZERO-COUPON BONDS

    Zero-coupon bonds represent a type of bond that does not pay interest during the life of the bond.

  • DIVERSIFICATION

    An important element to successful investing is to manage investment risk while maintaining the potential for growth.

  • TYPES OF BONDS

    Bonds are issued by many entities and share many characteristics, each type of bond has certain benefits and risks.

  • BONDS

    A bond is simply evidence of a debt from a government entity or a corporation and represents a long-term IOU.

  • Bond Ratings

  • STOCK INDEXES

    Stock market indexes can be useful benchmarks for gauging the performance of an investment portfolio over time.

  • MUTUAL FUNDS VS. STOCKS

    The difference between purchasing an individual stock vs. shares in a mutual fund to potentially earn dividends.

  • MUTUAL FUNDS

    A mutual fund is a collection of stocks, bonds, and other securities with certain benefits and risks.

  • CLOSED-END FUNDS

    W/ closed-end funds, investors pool their money together to purchase a pro managed portfolio of stocks and/or bonds.

  • Mutual Fund Loads
  • Annuities

  • FIXED VS. VARIABLE ANNUITIES

    Both fixed and variable annuities could be appropriate options for an individual interested in purchasing an annuity.

  • INVESTMENT RISKS

    Understanding different types of investment risk can help investors manage their money more effectively.

  • Asset Classes

  • ASSET ALLOCATION

    Asset allocation is a method used to help manage investment risk; it does not guarantee against investment loss.

  • COLLEGE SAVINGS PLANS

    There are several funding methods for a child's college education including mutual funds and Section 529 plans.

  • COLLEGE INVESTMENT OPTIONS

    Starting to invest early for college and remaining consistent can help investors reach their goals.

  • STOCK AND BOND INVESTING ALTERNATIVES

    There are other ways to invest in stocks and bonds besides owning individual shares.

  • DOLLAR-COST AVERAGING

    Dollar-cost averaging involves investing a set amount of money on a regular basis, regardless of market conditions.

  • 529 PLANS

    529 plans are a tax-advantaged college savings plans that generally allow people of any income level to contribute.

CASH MANAGEMENT

  • CASH MANAGEMENT BASICS

    A sound cash management program uses a disciplined approach: accounting, analysis, allocation, and adjustment.

  • DOUBLING YOUR MONEY

    Before making investment decisions, it is helpful to determine the real rate of return on the investment.

  • CASH MANAGEMENT TOOLS

    Short-term cash management instruments can help you establish a sound cash management program.

  • MONEY MARKET FUNDS

    Money market funds can be a highly liquid and effective cash management tool.

  • MANAGING CASH

    There are numerous investment alternatives available to help provide liquidity.

  • BIWEEKLY MORTGAGES

    Biweekly mortgage payments can have a dramatic effect on the amount of interest homeowners have to pay.

  • REVERSE MORTGAGES

    There are techniques that can enable older homeowners to use their property to finance their lifestyle.

  • SMART FINANCING IDEAS

    Here are some smart ways to refinance your home.

  • COLLEGE FINANCIAL AID

    It's important to understand the options, such as financial aid grant programs, when having to pay for college.

  • SAVINGS ALTERNATIVES

    There are a number of savings alternatives that could help you earn a reasonable rate of return.

  • EFFECTS OF INFLATION

    Historically, one of the best ways to fight the effects of inflation has been to utilize growth-oriented investments.

  • HOME EQUITY LOANS

    Shifting some debt to a home equity loan, which typically allows int pmts to be tax ded, could have its advantages.

RISK MANAGEMENT