Video

[Video] Merry Christmas!

STEPHEN SMALENBERGER, EA Think of a special gift you’ve gotten for Christmas?  One that we like to give is shared experiences.  Think of a Disney on Ice, going on a ski trip with your family, dinner, movie, or concert tickets.  All of these are really special because it shows that you’ve thought of someone else…

Read More...
fds appreciated stock

[Video] Donating Appreciated Stock

STEPHEN SMALENBERGER, EA Maybe you’re considering a way to support a not-for-profit organization that you believe in.  Here’s a way to do just that with something that you already own… appreciated stock. What is appreciated stock?  It is an investment that has grown since you bought it. Let’s use an example and use some number…

Read More...
FDS Qualified Charitable Distribution

Qualified Charitable Distributions [Video]

 Maybe you’re thinking of a way to support a not-for-profit or charity that you believe in.  Here’s another way to do that with something you already have; your traditional IRA.  These are known as Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCD).  We’ve talked about IRAs before and how when you take money out it’s taxable.  At age 72…

Read More...
Thanksgiving Financial Design Studio

[Video] Being Thankful

STEPHEN SMALENBERGER, EA & MICHELLE SMALENBERGER, CFP® What reminds you of Thanksgiving?  Is it gathering around the table with family?  Is it going to grandma’s house?  Is it football or pumpkin pie? Think back to the very first Thanksgiving, when the pilgrims left England with everything they had in the boat.  They still celebrated, because…

Read More...
Financial Design Studio Video before 12-31

[Video] What Needs To Happen Before 12/31

What Needs To Happen Before 12/31 As we approach the end of the year what things do we need to be thinking about?  What HAS to happen before 12/31?  We’ve created a list of these items that you can download at our website, but right now we are going to talk through each of these…

Read More...
RMD Complete Website Cover

[Video] Complete Your RMD’s

What are RMD’s and how can you make sure they are complete? Another item on your year-end checklist is making sure that your required minimum distributions are completed.  There can be a variety of different types of accounts that this affects so we really want to make sure that we don’t forget about something.  This…

Read More...