QCD Limitation Starts Inflation-Adjusting in 2024 (Secure 2.0)
with No Comments

Congress decided to inflation-adjust both the existing and the new split-entity qualified charitable distribution limitations.

#TBT Which Products Do You Buy and Which Do You Avoid?
with No Comments

We avoid investments we deem too risky or laden with fees and seek instead a well balanced, low-cost, diversified portfolio.

What is a Charitable Remainder Trust?
with No Comments

It is helpful to know that a charitable remainder trust exists, but most charitable intentions benefit more from a donor advised fund.

How to Avoid a Cashier’s Check Scam at Schwab
with No Comments

The Schwab Bank representative said that he was familiar with these types of scams and knew how to handle it.

#TBT The Optimum Asset Allocation to Gold Is Always Zero
with No Comments

Fearful of monetary or societal failure, many hope that owning gold will bring them peace of mind. This articles reminds us to get peace of mind a different way.

Fee-Only Is the Most Important Quality in Your Financial Planner
with No Comments

The reason can be explained through a simple analogy about an interior decorator.

All About Megan Marotta Russell, CFP®, APMA®
with No Comments

I am pleased to announce that our newest CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®) professional at Marotta Wealth Management is me!

How to Set Beneficiaries on Your HSA with Fidelity
with No Comments

Once you’ve open an HSA and have started making contributions, it is important that you set beneficiary designations on the account.

What Interferes With a Backdoor Roth?
with No Comments

Here are three common Roth transactions and how they interact with MAGI for Roth IRA purposes.

#TBT Don’t Delay Roth Conversions
with No Comments

Waiting just one year means that you lose a portion of the growth in your traditional IRA to income taxes later.

How to Prepare Your Investments for World War 3
with No Comments

These strategies are strong in both good times and bad.

Adding an Ex-China Fund to Our Emerging Market Strategy (July 2023)
with No Comments

If China booms, it may be a mistake that we reduced the allocation. If China undergoes investment controls, it may be a mistake that we kept China at all.

Executive Summary of the Possible Taiwan Conflict (June 2023)
with No Comments

This article is a curated list of recent news about Taiwan.

How to Use Medicare IRMAA Life-Changing Event Form SSA-44 To Save Money
with No Comments

If the form is accepted, the Social Security Administration will generally not only change your current IRMAA, but they will also use your Projected MAGI for the next several years. Here’s why.

Q&A: Which Self-Employed Retirement Plan Should I Open?
with No Comments

Here are some of the pros and cons of specific SEP IRA and individual 401(k) retirement account options available.

#TBT Should I Buy Commercial Real Estate?
with No Comments

This article gives you the formula to decide how much to offer or if the property is a good deal.

Inherited RMD Update: IRS Waives 2023 Penalties and Delays to 2024
with No Comments

This notice did not offer the final guidance we were hoping for, but rather continued to push the decision further down the road.

Freedom Investing in Review (June 2023)
with No Comments

This quarter, we saw that in 1-year returns ending June 30, 2023, Developed Freedom Investing had a -3.68% disadvantage, Emerging Market Freedom Investing had a +4.15% advantage, and Overall Freedom Investing had a -0.61% disadvantage.

No Tax Benefit to Gifting Capital Losses
with No Comments

Gifting depreciated stock is more complex and never to anyone’s advantage.

#TBT How to Change a 529 Plan Account Owner
with No Comments

When a 529 plan is set up, there are two important people associated with the account. The first is the account owner. The second is the beneficiary. Both can be changed.

Virginia Real Estate Tax Relief For the Elderly and Disabled By City and County
with No Comments

Each governing body in Virginia has their own rules and eligibility requirements.

What Is An Asset, A Liability, And An Investment?
with No Comments

Knowing the difference between these categories helps you to use them appropriately.

New Proposals Offer Insight into Republican’s Tax Agenda
with No Comments

We’ll have to wait and see what they really mean by these lofty goals.

I’m Young. Should I Withdraw from My Roth IRA?
with No Comments

Contributing to a Roth IRA, even though you know you will withdraw it before retirement, is a sound financial strategy.

#TBT How to Spend: Add It To Your Wishlist
with No Comments

A wishlist is a force of thrift both for you to defer your consumption and for your family and friends to ensure that all the value of their gift makes it to your heart.

Your Advisor’s Personal Trading Practices Always Matter
with No Comments

Websites such as investor.com are useful, but not as useful as you might hope.

#TBT Remembering June 5, 2013
with No Comments

There is an illusion that the executive branch will handle the collection of all our data with respect and care. I hope that current times can shatter that illusion for you.

Access $1,500 Per Child for K-12 Students in Virginia
with No Comments

These grants are called “K-12 Learning Acceleration Grants” and must be used to pay for “qualifying education services.”

Federal Debt Burden May Settle 2026 Tax Uncertainty
with No Comments

I have difficultly imagining a likely outcome where I would regret a Roth conversion.

#TBT Keep Track of Your Roth Contributions
with No Comments

If you made a Roth contribution this year, here is a reminder to update your contribution basis records.

A Thoughtful Reply to the Debt Ceiling Crisis
with No Comments

While there can be a lot of uncertainty, the conclusion is normally anticlimactic.

#TBT Do I Want To Give My Financial Advisor Discretion on My Account?
with No Comments

This is only a good idea if your financial advisor is covered under the fiduciary duty and is fee-only.

The Best Way to Plan for Inflation is to Discount It
with No Comments

By discounting portfolio returns to only real returns, we have already considered inflation in the planning targets.

Freedom Investing in Review (April 2023)
with No Comments

This quarter, we saw that in 1-year returns ending April 30, 2023, Developed Freedom Investing had a -2.99% disadvantage, Emerging Market Freedom Investing had a +1.85% advantage, and Overall Freedom Investing had a -0.4% disadvantage.

2023 Index of Economic Freedom Update
with No Comments

Last year, thirteen countries made our cut-off. This year, eleven do.

No Guidance on 10-Year RMD Stretch Despite Headlines
with No Comments

We recommend waiting for the final guidance but being prepared for some sort of required distribution this year.

Real Return of Stocks and Bonds by Inflation Type
with No Comments

If you are expecting high inflation, it may be stocks which offer the greatest security against the diminishing dollar.

Did the 2022 Bear Market Continue Into 2023?
with No Comments

The incongruity between feeling like we are in a bear market for 61.66% of trading days and actually being in a bear market for only 24.81% of those days unfortunately makes bear markets feel longer than they really are.

Employer Matching Student Loan Payments Starting in 2024 (Secure 2.0)
with No Comments

This amendment applies to 401(k) plans, 403(b) plans, SIMPLE IRAs, and governmental 457(b) plans.

An Overview of Marotta’s 2023 Gone-Fishing Portfolios
with No Comments

While our 2022 update saw a number of changes, this year we only have one change.

Marotta’s Gone-Fishing Portfolio: Review of 2022 Returns
with No Comments

This past year, our 2022 Gone-Fishing Portfolio beat its benchmarks.

#TBT How to Claim Your Virginia State Tax 529 Contribution Deduction
with No Comments

Form ADJ of the 760 lines 8a – 8c are where you report miscellaneous deductions.

2026 Tax Cliff on Horizon
with No Comments

Why create tax rules which expire so soon after they are made? The answers are as frustrating as the uncertainty the sunsets create.

How Our Current Tax Brackets Compare to Historical Ones
with No Comments

How do our current tax brackets compare to historical ones? Are our taxes higher than the past? When was the most expensive time period for the U.S. income tax?

Is It Better to Give to a Strong Link or a Weak Link?
with No Comments

Malcolm Gladwell establishes two opposing types of problems: a strong-link problem and a weak-link problem. Which type of problem can charitable giving solve?

#TBT The Complete Guide to Creating an Investment Plan
with No Comments

This is a summary of the six steps required to create a well-crafted investment plan.

More People Eligible for ABLE Accounts in 2026 (Secure 2.0)
with No Comments

This amendment raises the ABLE account age to 46 starting in 2026.

New Catch-Up Limits for Ages 60-63 in 2025 (Secure 2.0)
with No Comments

Seniors born between 1962 and 1965 will be the first to be able to take advantage of these plus-sized limits.

Retirement Plans Allow Roth Employer Contributions Now (Secure 2.0)
with No Comments

For those who run a retirement plan, the next step for implementing this change is to email your plan provider.

High Wages Limit Catch-Up Options to Only Roth in 2024 (Secure 2.0)
with No Comments

Hopefully over all this amendment encourages employer plans to offer Roth options, which will be good for taxpayers, even if this additional wealthy discrimination is unwelcome.

1 2 3 4 5 19

Like what you read? Subscribe to our newsletter!