In the waning hours of 2022, Congress passed a $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 was introduced December 20th and just before Christmas this legislation was rushed through the senate and house of representatives, and finally signed into law by President Biden. Inserted into the legislation was a host of […]
Financial Planning | March 11, 2021 The $1.9 trillion COVID relief package signed by President Biden on Thursday isn’t aimed only at lower-income and middle-class individuals. Advisors say that many upper-middle-class earners and even the mass affluent can potentially qualify for a portion of the tax breaks or direct cash payments. Here’s a cheat sheet […]
Our firm holds regular educational classes at the community college campus near our Ankeny, IA office. We invite folks in surrounding communities to these classes through direct-mail postcard invitations and digital invitations through Facebook. The invitations highlight several specific topics that we commonly cover during our classes. For example, strategies to optimize entitlement programs such […]
In last month’s publication we explored the complications that can arise when a retirement plan is designed for a married couple (filing taxes jointly) suddenly gets turned on its head at the passing of one of the spouses. This month we will examine the real-life challenges from the view point of fictional couple, William and […]
Monthly News and Information for Current and Future Retirees Presented by Mark Triplett – AUGUST 2020 QUOTE OF THE MONTH “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” JAMES BALDWIN FIGURING OUT WHEN TO START YOUR SECOND ACT Many Gen Xers and baby boomers look forward […]
Death is never fun to talk about. However, it is an inevitable part of life. In 1789 Benjamin Franklin wrote in a letter to Jean-Baptiste Le Roy, “Our new Constitution is now established, and has an appearance that promises permanency; but in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” […]
Provisional Income may not mean much to you unless you are currently receiving Social Security benefits. However, one of the most engaging topics that we cover in our Social Security education class is the impact of taxes on benefits. Many adult learners who attend don’t know that their Social Security benefits will likely be subject […]
A basic principle of investing is that you should gradually reduce your exposure to risk as you get older. Generally speaking, a younger investor has a longer time horizon and therefore can absorb more short-term investment risk. An older investor has a shorter time horizon and therefore doesn’t have as much time to absorb short-term […]