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Friday’s Financial Update 8-11-2017
What difference do you notice in the pictures below? These two pictures represent the S&P500 Index performance from this past week and of course, an amusement park roller coaster. The path each of these took is the same. So what can we learn and where do we go from here? First, how did the ups…
[Video] Roth Conversions: What Are They & How Do They Work?
STEPHEN SMALENBERGER, EA We want to introduce a design element that we like to use in financial plans, when it makes sense. And this strategy is known as the Roth Conversion. Money may be put into a Roth IRA in two forms: Contribution(s) Conversion(s) As explained in prior articles and videos, the Roth IRA contributions…
The Cost of Uncertainty
Michelle Smalenberger, CFP® When investing in a stock, we choose to buy or sell based upon our expectation of what a company’s revenue and profits will be going forward. Continued growth happens because of a good business plan, forward-thinking ideas and a solid grasp of what their customers want. In order for companies to be…
Traditional IRA/401(k) & Roth IRA/401(k) Which is best? [Video]
How do you decide between a Traditional IRA/401(k) & Roth IRA/401(k)? In a prior video we talked about the three different types of account registrations to decide between when saving: Taxable, Tax-Deferred, and Tax-Free. Let’s focus on tax deferred and tax free. Both of those are retirement focused so let’s walk through how much you…
Caution: Speed Bumps Ahead
MICHELLE SMALENBERGER, CFP® Fasten your seatbelts for bumps ahead! Let’s review some of the main stories driving market activity this week. CORPORATE EARNINGS: Companies have reported strong earnings which have continued to push up stock prices. Large gains from companies like Boeing, Ford, Verizon, and AT&T, among many others have reaffirmed confidence in their stock….
[Video] How Tax-Free Accounts Work
STEPHEN SMALENBERGER, EA There are only three types of accounts: Taxable Tax-Deferred Tax-Free We focused on the first two types already. Let’s focus on the last, Tax-Free. The accounts in this registration category include the following: Roth IRA Roth 401(k) Roth 403(b) Roth 457 Roth Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) The word Roth is really important…
Friday’s Financial Update 7-21-2017
MICHELLE SMALENBERGER, CFP® No news is good news? This is a common phrase you may hear or even tell yourself when you “want” to hear it. Today the market ended down slightly. The news of the day to cause this was the hiring of Anthony Scaramucci as President Trump’s new communications director and the resignation…
[Video] How Tax-Deferred Accounts Work
STEPHEN SMALENBERGER, EA There are only three types of accounts: Taxable Tax-Deferred Tax-Free We focused on the Taxable accounts last time. Let’s jump in now and look at the second, Tax-Deferred. The accounts in this registration category include the following: Traditional IRA Traditional 401(k) Traditional 403(b) Traditional 457 Thrift Savings Plan The movement of money…
Friday’s Financial Update 7-14-2017
MICHELLE SMALENBERGER, CFP® As this week took the market up to new highs, it is important to be reminded of investing disciplines that should be in place for your portfolio. Before quarterly earnings hit full steam, this is a great time to review for anything that should be added or changes that should be made….
[Video] How Taxable Accounts Work
STEPHEN SMALENBERGER, EA There are only three types of accounts: Taxable Tax-Deferred Tax-Free Let’s jump in and look at the first, Taxable. The accounts in this registration category include the following: Checking Savings Individual Joint Trust The movement of money within the type of account is seen below: Who are…
Friday’s Financial Update 7-7-2017
STEPHEN SMALENBERGER, EA The State of Illinois has been operating without a budget for over two years… 736 days to be exact. That all changed yesterday as the members of the Illinois House of Representatives passed into law the largest permanent tax rate increase in state history. This came only after successfully overriding Governor Bruce…
[Video] Is Your Power of Attorney Accessible?
MICHELLE SMALENBERGER, CFP® As it’s the summer and we’re all excited to go off to a vacation somewhere nice and lay on the beach, or be in the sunshine, I’m sure that many of us are probably forgetting to pack something that’s really important. Today we’re going to be talking about “packing” your POA, or…
