Thanks to an anonymous alert reader for this update on potentially higher umbrella policy premiums. Our intrepid investigator passed along this information from her agent. “State Farm told me it’s because Colorado law has increased the cap to $1.5 million on non-economic damages for lawsuits starting January 2025 (up from the approximately $600K previous cap)…
Little kids aren’t the only ones that are traumatized by Elf on the Shelf this time of year. We grownups can feel Self-Loathing on the Shelf at year-end if our financial goals weren’t met. How did it go this year? Did you… Build an emergency fund of 3-6 months’ expenses set aside in a non-retirement…
As someone who has lots of friends who are Realtors and clients who are looking to buy and sell, I’m very interested in people’s perceptions of what mortgage rates will do in the next 6 months or so. Lots of people seem to be waiting for direction from the Federal Reserves interest rate actions to…
Short blog today – everyone’s favorite! I was Today Years Old when I learned about these factoids related to Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) from IRAs. As a reminder, QCDs allow people aged 70 ½ and older to gift money from their tax-deferred IRAs directly to charity (501(c)(3)s only please – not your charity-case loser great-nephew)…
Wait, is Kristi telling me I shouldn’t donate money to help others? Never! I love charitable gifting and helping clients feel comfortable donating to non-profits. However, often writing a check is the least beneficial to the donor for tax savings. Consider these methods first: Donating Long-Term Appreciated Assets Gifts of long-term appreciated stocks, bonds, or…
An element of retirement income planning that never ceases to confuse is taxes. Accounting for your tax bill as a retirement expense is important. Over-or-under estimating the cost can lead to errors in a retiree’s monthly spending targets. The biggest misconception is that your marginal tax bracket is the amount you pay on all of…
When I have a captive audience of young adults, I like to ask them what concerns them about their personal financial situation. The number one answer (consider this unscientific anec-data) is how to afford a first time home purchase. First, the problem (hint, it’s NOT avocado toast) High home prices and elevated interest rates Incomes…
I am a fan of (at least considering using) reverse mortgages. Although there is some controversy from the old days where the product lacked current consumer protection, the new world of reverse mortgage is worth looking at. Nationwide data indicates that home equity can account for 50% or more of total net worth for many households…
Just when you thought you’d seen it all, a new type of scam has come up where people are impersonating financial planners. I guess impersonating police officers got too boring. You may have noticed that financial advisors’ careers aren’t cast in stone. We change firms, start firms, go into partnerships, leave partnerships, and hire new…
It feels unoriginal, but what kind of financial planner would I be to not even acknowledge the latest tax bill? There is a LOT going on with the bill (remember, it’s Big), so I’m going to focus very narrowly on the items that affect my clients’ financial plans: Social Security, tax rates, and estate provisions.…
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