Can I Use My 529 Plan to Pay for Private Schools?
The tax plan passed at the end of 2017 has a bonus for parents whose children attend private elementary and high schools. You can now use funds from a 529 savings plan to pay for these expenses, up to a maximum of $10,000. In South Carolina and other states that allow a tax deduction for […]
Year-End Tax Planning
The holidays may be on your mind now, but taking steps to reduce your income tax bill for 2017 could make for a merrier April. If you wait until the start of the New Year to think about income taxes, you will be too late. To help us understand the steps we should be considering, […]
Credit Freeze, Please
We all know that Experian surrendered 143 million US citizens’ personal information recently- so you have about a 50/50 chance of having your information compromised. And yes, Experian is giving you a year (really? Only 1 year!?) of free identity protection that should help prevent identity theft. However, you can take action to help further […]
Financial Planning 101: 6 Easy Ways to Improve Your Credit Score
Whether you’re trying to buy a home, looking to refinance or hoping to get a lower interest rate on an automobile loan – your credit score matters. Clients often ask me how they can improve their scores and the answer is the same regardless of which stage of life you’re in. 1) Increase Your Limits This […]
Financial Planning 101: Do You Need an Emergency Fund?
As a financial planner, when a potential client comes to me with money to invest they often ask, “How should I start investing my money?” They know that they need to invest and have extra capital on hand to do so, but they’re putting the cart before the horse. Before even speaking with them […]
Should You Have a Roth IRA?
Roth IRA accounts have been available since 1997. In a traditional IRA, you contribute pretax dollars that grow tax deferred, but are taxable upon withdrawal. Roth IRAs are for after tax contributions that provide tax free growth and distributions upon retirement. The magic of compounding means, the earlier you start, the greater the tax-free […]
Financial Planning 101: What Should You Do With Your Old 401(k) or 403(b)?
I often get the question of what to do with an old 401(k) or 403(b) sitting with a former employer. In short, there are only a few circumstances where you would want to leave it be, but in those circumstances it can be extremely advantageous to do so. So, when should you leave the […]
The Wall
This is one of the walls in the reception area of my office. You can see I like to hang lots of little items there. The items were picked with some care, they are meant to convey to clients and prospective clients a sense of who I am and what I believe in. They are […]
Where the Risk Lies
It is important to understand all the risk you face as an investor. Risk comes in many forms and some risks are higher than others at different stages of market cycles. Understanding the risks that could hurt you the most and how you can offset or reduce that risk is important to your long term […]
Trade Wars?
With the new administration in place and President Trump threatening to tax imports from countries like Mexico, some have become concerned that we will set off a trade war with the rest of the world. For many reasons, I hope this is wrong and that, like most of the time, the biggest export from Washington, […]
