As the holidays is when many people make charitable donations, it’s a good opportunity to brush up on your giving IQ. Are you making the right moves to maximize value for both you and the charity? How smart a charitable giver are you?
Take this 5 question quiz to find out!
Read MoreAs open enrollment season and the calendar year comes to a close, late-stage tax planning often comes into focus. Just sticking with your current employment elections may be mistake – there are several end of year tax planning options to consider. Here are a few items on the list for you to check as the year winds down.
Read MoreExecutives who are time-constrained yet serious about reaching their financial and investing goals commonly overlook one important factor: automation. Set up your plan so that it will be automatically executed without you having to remember what decisions were made. Automate, automate, automate! Here’s why…
Read MoreLooking at broad market indices, the US outperformed non-US developed and emerging markets during the quarter.
Quarterly Topic: Total Cost of Fund Ownership. The article starting on page 16 illustrates to importance of mutual fund operating costs and that investors should consider going beyond expense ratios when evaluating options.
If you have not already completed your year-end tax planning, now is the perfect time to do so. Don’t wait until December when the holiday rush kicks in and you and your advisors have less time to devote to this very important task.
Read MorePlanning a financial life for yourself is complicated enough with competing goals such as pursuing a career, raising a family, saving for college and saving for retirement. But what about when an aging parent needs help or when an adult child moves home?
Read MoreOne of the best ways that modern retirement has changed for the better is the high amount of retirees embracing the decision to stay active. Whether you’re working full time, part time, or pursuing your own dream business or an “encore career”, it should be factored in to your Social Security strategy.
Read MoreTax planning ranks low on the list of activities people enjoy. Yet despite how astronomically large the tax bill can be in April, after tax season many people do not sit back down with their tax professionals to do in-depth planning.
Read MoreAs of this month, Financial Alternatives is rolling out a Personal Financial Management platform called eMoney for our clients. This portal will provide clients with secure access to real time values of all of their accounts across various custodians including held-away 401K accounts and liabilities such as student loans, mortgages, and credit cards.
Read MoreLooking at broad market indices, the US outperformed non-US developed and emerging markets during the second quarter.
Almost all currencies depreciated vs. the US dollar.
Last year International Developed Stocks and International Emerging Stocks outperformed US Large Stocks.
Year-to-date US Stocks are outperforming International Stocks.
For the 10 year period from 2000–2009 the S&P 500 lost -9.10%. International investments logged significant gains during this period.
With cybercrime constantly making headlines, it’s no wonder that some people have resorted to avoiding the web altogether as a way to prevent exposure to this risk.
Think again.
Read MoreHomeownership is quickly becoming a luxury that fewer can afford in California these days. But it doesn’t have to be – if you know the tax code. In this column we highlight some lesser known property tax loopholes that can help ease the financial burden for those who qualify.
Read MorePerhaps the notifications we get on LinkedIn have led to the popularization of the term “work anniversary. ” The passing of another year isn’t just nominal; it can be an opportunity to evaluate how well your job is meeting your financial needs. As you celebrate another year at your job, here are some questions that you should ask yourself.
Read MoreMost families, even the more financially successful ones, don’t talk about money the right way, or even put much attention into discussing money as a family at all. For a variety of reasons this is harmful to a family’s continued wellbeing. Here are some tips for successfully imparting the knowledge and wisdom about money that your family needs to know to educate the next generation about money.
Read MoreI recently explored upgrading from my current condo into a house, but the resulting property tax and mortgage expense increase would be too great for me to justify a move. This same predicament, which I call the “golden handcuffs” provides disincentives for many homeowners to move, fanning the flames of the affordable housing shortage in North County.
Read MoreIt is a sad fact of life that often those who are close to us are the ones who have the ability to hurt us the most, even trusted caregivers or family members. Members of the La Jolla community may recall the chilling case of Robert Stella, an elderly man who was tied to his bed, starved, and forced to live in squalor by his ex-wife (NBC, 2014). Elder abuse can happen to any older adult in any community, but the subject of our story today is how our community members in La Jolla, CA may defend themselves and their loved ones from elder abuse.
Read MoreEmbarking on a financial plan is like sailing around the world. The voyage won’t always go to plan, and there will be rough seas. But the odds of reaching your destination increase greatly if you are prepared, flexible, patient, and well-advised.
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