Blog Investment & Financial News
Don’t Roll Your Tax Refund Forward
Getting a refund this tax year? You might be planning to use this money like a bonus: buying things you need or want or even putting it into an investment account. However, many Americans choose to apply their refund to next year’s taxes. At first glance, it might seem like a sensible idea – prepaying…
Capital Gains – FAQs
What is a capital gain? A capital gain is the profit when you sell a capital asset, such as stocks, bonds, mutual funds or property. The profit is your gain over the original price you paid and you must pay tax on that gain. For example, if a stock is bought at $50 and later…
Year End Tax Planning
With the new year just around the corner, now is a great time to think about end of year tax planning. If any of the following apply to you, it might be a good idea to call and schedule a meeting with your advisor before the end of the year. Thinking of a Roth Conversion? If you are planning…
Bad News for Some Medicare Beneficiaries
According to the Social Security Administration, Medicare Part B premiums will be going up beginning January 1, 2016 for more than 7 million Americans. The reason for this increase has to do with the decision not to do a cost of living increase for social security in 2016. A provision in the law states that…
What’s the Difference? Time Weighted Return versus Internal Rate of Return
A common question we hear from our clients is “what is my rate of return?” The true answer is: there is more than one way to look at returns. Understanding the differences can help you make better informed financial decisions. The two most acceptable methods to calculate returns are Time-Weight Return (TWR) and Internal Rate…
4th Quarter 2015 Commentary
Market Summary 2015 was a difficult year for investors as many of the major asset classes finished down or flat for the year. The trends over the last few years continued in the fourth quarter, including U.S. stocks outperforming most other world markets, declining prices from oil and other commodities, a strengthening U.S. dollar and…