Financial Freedom = Financial Independence     As you become successful in your career, buy a home, save, and invest, you’re building knowledge and capability. But are you gaining the ability to achieve the Fianncial Freedom you have been dreaming of?   True financial capability is closely tied to financial independence; however, you define that. For many people, it relates to flexibility and making choices as an individual and for your family.   Retiring early, attaining “work optional,” enjoying your money now and saving, as well as providing advantages to your children ..read more

Planning Your Finances When You’re in the Sandwich Generation   Everyone likes a good sammie – they can be delicious and convenient. But when you’re the filling, it’s a different story. A recent survey by the Pew Research Center found that more than 50% of adults in their 40s have both a parent over 65 and are raising a child under age 18 or have financially helped an older child in the past year. You may not support your parent financially, but the time, worry, and care that an aging parent may need can take a toll and have a cost. Add in trying to save for retirement, and you end up be ..read more

Is it Time to Hire a Financial Advisor? How Do You Even Do That?    For most people, there’s usually a point where their financial life becomes complicated enough that they realize it’s time to hire a professional. This could be at any stage of life; it’s more about the individual situation and how an advisor can help.   Here are a few common situations:   You’ve got your first big job – but you are still carrying a lot of education debt You have equity compensation and need to understand the benefits, the process, and how to minimize the tax impact You want to enjoy your ..read more

An Upside of a Down Market? Tax Loss Harvesting to Help Minimize Taxes     During bear markets or times of stock market volatility, it can be tempting to tune out financial news and stop checking your account until things get better. However, bear markets allow you to sell your losing investments while minimizing capital gains taxes. Learn how a tax loss harvesting strategy can help you reset your portfolio and enjoy a tax benefit.   How tax loss harvesting works   After a 10 + year bull market for stocks, many of us may be holding onto stocks we’d like to sell but are rel ..read more

The S&P 500 recently breached bear territory, which is largely agreed to be a market that has dropped 20% from a recent peak. It’s common to see some retracing. The “bear-market bounce” is real.   However, even if the market recovers a bit, it will take some time, good sentiment, and real economic progress for performance to climb from bear to correction to neutral to positive.   In the meantime, outside of a short, sharp drop in 2020, we haven’t seen this volatile market since, you guessed it, 2008.   Driven by inflation, global uncertainty, supply chain issues, and risin ..read more

Stock options and restricted stock units (RSUs) are becoming more common as part of a total compensation package. But there are differences between saving for retirement from salary and incorporating stock into a retirement plan. Making automatic contributions to an employer-sponsored plan is the foundation of tax-advantaged retirement savings, and you want to be sure you take full advantage. But once you set it up, it happens without you thinking about it. Creating a retirement income plan from stock requires more proactive and consistent planning. It may also fit into your retirement incom ..read more

Inflation is driving the headlines and wreaking havoc on budgets. But for long-term investors – mostly everyone – short-term inflation isn’t the biggest risk to financial plans. Volatility is. It’s being fueled by the Federal Reserve’s efforts to balance bringing down inflation with keeping the economy out of recession.   The Fed is raising the key short-term interest rate to slow economic growth. This makes money more expensive, which you know first-hand if you have a credit card account or you’ve tried to buy a home or refinance an existing mortgage.   The reason this is generati ..read more

Working from home has proved to be the tip of the spear regarding how employees engage with their employers. The necessity of doing your job from home meant rethinking living/working spaces, finding ways to carve out uninterrupted work time, and balancing a host of new pressures in already busy lives. But even though many people report working more, working from home is overwhelmingly popular. The Buffer.com State of Remote Work 2022 report found that 97% of survey respondents would like to work remotely, at least some of the time for the rest of their careers. Workers report that flexibilit ..read more

If you haven’t yet sorted your plan for charitable giving for 2022, the slower pace of summer can be an excellent time to think about what is meaningful to yourself and your family and where you would like to see your contributions go to make a difference. Come up with a plan now, so you aren’t up against year-end deadlines during the busy holiday season. College Savings Plans   If you haven’t started one yet – the sooner you get saving, the better. You can fund a 529 plan with up to $16,000 per year and still qualify for the annual gift tax exclusion – but you can also fund five years ..read more

Whether you live overseas and are returning home to the U.S. or want to sell a rental or vacation property in another country, it’s essential to be aware of tax laws and other considerations before selling your overseas home. Here’s a list of what you should keep in mind. Tax Considerations for Overseas Property Sales Like a domestic property sale, any gains you receive as a U.S. citizen from selling an overseas property are taxable, the same as any domestic real estate deal. You must report all overseas property sales and pay required taxes according to the tax code. The good news? If you l ..read more