A man walks to cast his ballot at an early voting center at the Omni Shoreham Hotel on October 27, 2020 in Washington, DC. Sarah Silbiger | Getty Images Don’t let Election Day anxiety drive your tax decisions. There are still plenty of chances to trim your 2020 tax bill — regardless of who wins
Advisors
andresr | E+ | Getty Images Covid-19 has disrupted tax and retirement planning for small-business owners, especially those who focused on saving their businesses from the pandemic’s fallout earlier this year. With some hard work, however, there is still time to get back on track by Dec. 31. Here’s a great example. After his business
David Rea in Chobe National Park in Botswana. Source: David Rea For two years in a row, something hasn’t changed on CNBC’s ranking of the top 100 financial advisors in the U.S.: Salem Investment Counselors has come in at No. 1. CNBC spoke recently with Salem’s president, David Rea, about why he believes his firm
Ariel Skelley | DigitalVision | Getty Images Nearly anyone can hang out a shingle and just call themselves a financial advisor. To be sure, the terminology in the financial services industry can be very confusing to investors. There are advisors, brokers, broker-dealers, certified financial planners, chartered financial analysts and certified investment management analysts, investment advisors,
Tom Merton | OJO Images | Getty Images With the election less than a week away, the phones are ringing off the hook for estate planning attorneys and accountants. That’s because wealthy families fear that an overhaul of the estate and gift tax exemption — the amount of assets they can transfer without a 40%
Your bank account balance doesn’t have to stop you from being able to hire a financial planner. towfiqu ahamed | iStock | Getty Images There’s a big misconception that financial planning is only for the wealthy. The truth, however, is that financial planning is a path for anyone to actually gain wealth. The objective of
House Ways and Means Committee ChairmanRep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., (left) and ranking member Kevin Brady, R-Texas. Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images News | Getty Images Bipartisanship is not what most of us would expect in a divisive election year. Yet that is what we saw when Democratic and Republican House members came together and introduced
krisanapong detraphiphat | Moment | Getty Images Health-care coverage and costs are top of mind in this election year, and one of the loudest arguments between Republicans and Democrats is the claim they will protect people with pre-existing medical conditions. What does this really mean and why is it so important for your personal finances?
SDI Productions | E+ | Getty Images Set aside your panic over post-election tax policy and focus on something you can control: your 2020 tax bill. It’s no secret that Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has an extensive list of tax proposals, including higher taxes on households with more than $400,000 in income and lowering
Former Vice President and presidential nominee Joe Biden gives remarks at UA Plumbers Local 27 Erie Training Center in Erie, PA on October 10, 2020. Demetrius Freeman | The Washington Post | Getty Images A “blue wave” of Democrat victories in elections next month could upend the normal incentives for tax planning this year. Typically,
Choreograph | iStock | Getty Images For the nation’s older cohort, the stakes can’t be higher when it comes to choosing health-care coverage. That’s partly because under Medicare — you’re eligible at age 65 — changing plans can be challenging in some circumstances and costly if you get your choices wrong. So whether you’re giving
Getty Images Under almost any circumstance, tapping your retirement plan savings for cash is a bad idea. Tax professionals and financial advisors will almost universally tell you to use all other sources of liquidity before you hit your tax-advantaged retirement accounts. “Certain IRAs and qualified plans are protected from creditors,” said Ryan Losi, a CPA
Daniel Balakov | E+ | Getty Images With billions of dollars flowing into sustainable investing strategies, it’s safe to say it’s no longer a fad. Investors are pouring cash into funds that use environmental, social and governance criteria to screen the companies they invest in. Even passive investors are jumping in: There were 534 sustainable
Getty Images It’s no secret that many people worry whether Social Security will be there for them when they retire. And recent headlines could be stoking those fears. Last week, the Social Security Administration announced the annual cost-of-living adjustment will be 1.3% in 2021. The change will amount to just $20 more per month for
Paul Bradbury | OJO Images | Getty Images As more Americans push for diversity, equality and inclusion in the world around them, financial advisors are finding ways to adapt. The Black Lives Matter movement and nationwide protests have changed the dynamic, yet many financial firms are still dominated by White males. In 2019, 77.7% of
Getty Images, Drazen_ This year may be like no other, but if you’re an employee who receives equity compensation, you can’t ignore the importance of year-end financial planning to get the most out of that benefit. The end of the year is a great time to review what you’ve received or vested during the year.
Mike Kemp | Blend Images | Getty Images Matt Becker opened his financial advisory practice, Mom and Dad Money, not long after he and his wife, Casey, had their first son, Aiden, and struggled with all the financial decisions new parents need to make. “I looked around and I didn’t see a lot of advisors
kate_sept2004 | E+ | Getty Images Young investors are more likely than older generations to seek out financial help from a computer than a human. In addition, the Covid-19 recession has led to more interest among younger people in getting financial advice. Financial advisors should take note. Millennials, a group spanning their mid-20s to late
Virojt Changyencham | Moment | Getty Images As of mid-September, there were 26.5 million Americans on some form of unemployment assistance. Many families and individuals have been forced to deal with unexpected health costs and uncertain education and day care situations in their communities. Many Americans are facing a grave threat of financial insecurity, having
FatCamera | E+ | Getty Images You may have recently received a new disclosure form, as mandated by federal securities regulators, from your financial advisor. Or, maybe not. And from where some experts stand, that may not be a bad thing. While a broad swath of the nation’s broker-dealers and registered investment advisors — known