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Basis of Investment Property

I have investment property. What does basis mean and how do I determine the basis of my property? To determine your basis in an asset for purposes of calculating capital gain or loss upon the sale or other disposition of the property, you need to understand two terms — initial basis and adjusted basis. Often, … Read more

Five Strategies for Tax-efficient Investing

Savvy investors have long realized that what their investments earn after taxes is what really counts. After factoring in federal income and capital gains taxes, the alternative minimum tax, and potential state and local taxes, your investments’ returns in any given year may be reduced by 40% or more. For example, if you earned an … Read more

Not All Risk Is Created Equal

When it comes to portfolio construction and asset allocation – not all risk is equal. You’ll often hear different standard allocations – for example 60/40, 80/20 etc., but even in a set investment mix – the risk doesn’t remain constant. Nor is the risk of similar allocations (for example, two different 60/40s) equal, simply because … Read more

What’s Not Covered by Medicare?

What health services aren’t covered by Medicare? Original Medicare — Part A hospital insurance and Part B medical insurance — offers broad coverage, but many services are not covered. Some may be fully or partially covered by a Part C Medicare Advantage Plan, which replaces Original Medicare, or a Medigap policy, which supplements Original Medicare. … Read more

Earnings Season & Corporate Reports

Earnings Season: What Investors Can Take Away from Corporate Reports Publicly traded companies are required to report their financial performance to regulators and shareholders on a quarterly basis. Earnings season is the often-turbulent period when most companies disclose their successes and failures. U.S. companies included in the S&P 500 index suffered year-over-year earnings declines in … Read more

What Is Risk Correlation?

Why is risk correlation important in your portfolio? Having a well-diversified portfolio with appropriate allocations means you’re probably not going to love everything you’re invested in all the time. When deciding to invest or add something your portfolio or investment mix it should do one of two things. Watch the video to find out

Top 10 Year-end Tax Tips

Determine Eligibility for Itemized Deductions.  Year-end planning is required to determine if capped itemized deductions still exceed the modified standard deduction Consider accelerating income into 2019 or delay income until 2020. Some people may benefit from lower tax brackets. Max out your employer-sponsored retirement plan contributions. The deadline for funding 401(k), 403(b) or 457 plans is Dec. 31. … Read more

Categories Tax

Five Lessons from Today’s Retirees

Each year for its Retirement Confidence Survey, the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) surveys 1,000 workers and 1,000 retirees to assess how confident they are in their ability to afford a comfortable retirement. Once again, in 2019, retirees expressed stronger confidence than workers: 82% of retirees reported feeling “very” or “somewhat” confident, compared with 67% … Read more

Alternatives to Traditional LTC

If you are concerned about the high costs of long-term care but don’t want to purchase traditional long-term care (LTC) insurance, you might consider two strategies that combine permanent life insurance coverage with long-term care benefits. Keep in mind that any payouts for covered LTC expenses reduce (and are usually limited to) the life insurance … Read more