FINANCIAL PROFESSIONALS VIDEO
This video discusses the good, the bad, and the ugly types of financial professionals that would like to ‘help’ you with your investments.
The Roth Conversion Page
Roth conversion strategies have garnered an almost mystical reputation. On the one hand, they can be one of the most impactful planning tools when it comes to retirement and tax planning. On the other hand, I find that many people (including financial professionals) talk about and implement Roth strategies, but generally do not properly optimize them.
Retirement Withdrawal Strategies – Which Accounts and When?
This video explains the importance of utilizing an optimized withdrawal strategy. Most financial planners and planning software default to the conventional withdrawal sequence: Spend taxable money first, then tax-deferred accounts (e.g., IRA, 401K, 403B, etc.), and then access Roth accounts last. Unfortunately, this approach is often sub-optimal, resulting in 10s or 100s of 1000s of […]
Social Security Tax Torpedo & Capital Gains Bump Zone
This video highlights two pitfalls I regularly see people falling into during retirement. The first is the Social Security tax torpedo, and the second is the capital gains bump zone. I first provide an animated illustration to show how ordinary income and capital gains taxes interact. Then, I use this framework to illustrate these pitfalls. […]
Introduction to income annuities
I was honored to speak alongside some industry heavyweights at AAII’s 2021 virtual conference
Roth Conversion Video
This video highlights many factors that should be considered (optimized) when making decisions about Roth conversions. This list is not exhaustive, but I believe it will highlight some that you were not aware of before watching this video https://youtu.be/apTqQS7Uuhk More information If you are thinking about retirement, you might find these links helpful: Retirement University […]
Tax-efficiency of Charitable Giving Strategies
Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs), Donor-advised funds (DAFs), and More Charitable giving is a multi-dimensional topic. While I highlight many of the relevant factors below, this article primarily focuses on the tax efficiency of three popular methods of charitable giving: Donating your assets directly to charity, using a donor-advised fund (DAF), and using qualified charitable distributions […]
Your Social Security Statement, XML data, and More
Background Social Security (SS) is often the single largest asset one has in retirement. Even for those where SS is not their primary asset, it is typically significant enough to warrant the time and effort to optimize their benefits. Unfortunately, the SS system is very complex and SS employees are not allowed to provide advice […]
The Computershare Nightmare
Computershare: Nightmare-like service If you have ever dealt with Computershare, then you may have experienced subpar customer service. I have had the displeasure of dealing with this company dozens of times and find apathy to be the norm with their customer service. This is a shame because they are effectively serving as an obstacle to […]
Missing Socks and Cost Basis
Missing cost basis: Background Are you missing the cost basis for an asset you are considering selling or have already sold? If so, you are not alone; missing or lost cost basis data is a common issue. It can also be a significant issue since the cost basis directly influences the amount of taxes you […]