Q&A: How Should I Invest My Cash?
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Our recommendation is to keep money that may be needed within the next six months invested in a money market fund.

Q&A: Which Self-Employed Retirement Plan Should I Open?
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Here are some of the pros and cons of specific SEP IRA and individual 401(k) retirement account options available.

Q&A: Can You Do a One-Time Review of My Plan?
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We do our best work when we are a lifelong financial advisor to the client.

Q&A: Wash Sale: VFIAX and VOO?
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The IRS has very limited case law on what constitutes a substantially different fund. However, here is what we do in our own trading.

Our Answers to 8 Common Prospective Client Questions
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We recently received the following questions from a prospective client. Here are our answers.

Q&A: Why Do You Have So Many Links In Your Articles?
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This is why we say: We have no secret ingredient at Marotta Wealth Management.

Q&A: What One-Fund Could a Twenty-Something Invest In?
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Any of these ETFs or mutual funds seem like they could be a good one-fund pick for the long haul.

Q&A: How Do I Inherit a Relative’s 401(k) plan?
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“I’m 19 years old. How do I inherit a 401(k) from my aunt?”

Q&A: Can I Leave Money to a 529 in My Estate?
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Can I leave money directly to those 529 plans in my estate plan?

How Should I Vote My Shares?
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You are not obligated to vote just because you own shares.

Q&A: Can I Fund My HSA with Appreciated Stock?
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Sadly, the IRS is very clear about this; contributions must be cash.

Q&A: If I Close My Oldest Roth IRA, Do I Change My 5-Year Clock?
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Fortunately, closing a specific account doesnโ€™t reset your Roth clock.

Our Answers to Paladin Registry’s 27-Question Interview
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Regardless of the usefulness of their questions or their website, I enjoy answering every set of advisor questions I find.

Our Answers to Form CRS Conversation Starter Questions
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As part of the requirements, the SEC wrote passages which must be included verbatim in each relationship summary. Some of that required text are so-called conversation starter questions.

Q&A: Can You Fund a Roth IRA After Filing Your Taxes?
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You always have until the tax filing deadline to make your IRA contributions regardless of when you file.

Q&A: Should I Contribute to My Roth 401(k) During a Bear Market?
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Nothing changes during a Bear Market when it comes to where you should save and invest.

Q&A: Do I Need to File Schedule H for My Child’s Wages?
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I do not need to file Schedule H and imagine that most parent household employers also do not need to file this schedule.

Q&A: Do I Need to Pay Tax on This 1099-R?
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The given numbers on a 1099-R are insufficient to be able to fill out your tax return correctly. Knowledge of what was actually done is required in order to file your taxes accurately.

Q&A: Should I Pull Out of the Stock Market Now?
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The fact that you are worried enough to ask might mean that now is a good chance to take stock in your investment strategy.

Q&A: Who Pays Taxes and Penalties on 529 Distributions and How?
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Who will be responsible to pay for the taxes related to the distribution? Where do you report the taxable portion on your tax return?

Q&A: What is a Diversified Alternative to an Individual Bond Ladder?
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A stability allocation has two purposes: to meet withdrawal needs and to move the portfolio more conservative (less risky) by dampening the volatility of stock returns.

How to Fund Your Roth with Babysitting Money
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For domestic tasks like babysitting there are often two options: independent contractor or household employee. Taking the time to educate yourself on the difference may be worth your while.

Q&A: How Often Do You Communicate with Clients?
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We adapt to the needs of our clients. However, absent other instruction, we do have a few intentions.

Q&A: Can I Do a Backdoor Roth and a Reverse Rollover to a 401(k) In the Same Year?
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This person has an IRA balance, but is about to empty it with a reverse Rollover. So the question is one of timing: can they do the IRA Rollover before the nondeductible contribution so that their cream and coffee never mix?

Q&A: How Do You Address Issues Outside Your Area of Expertise?
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We see ourselves as your primary care provider for finances and strive to become experts in every specialty that you need while accompanying you on any referral to another firm we need to make.

Help! I Inherited a Nondeductible Basis!
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If you inherit a traditional IRA from a person who had a basis in the IRA because of nondeductible contributions, that basis remains with the IRA assets as they come into your ownership.

Q&A: What is Your Client’s Average Portfolio Size and Life Stage?
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We have a large distribution of clients at all portfolio sizes and, surprisingly, have all life stages near equally represented.

Q&A: Which Products Do You Buy and Which Do You Avoid?
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The selection of what products we purchase or avoid for clients is based solely on what we believe gives our clients the best chance to meet their goals.

Q&A: Should I Donate QCDs When I Have a Nondeductible Basis?
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Luckily for the charitably-inclined individuals with nondeductible balances, QCDs are excluded from your Form 8606 taxable and nontaxable calculations.

Q&A: How Does Your Faith Affect Your Investment Philosophy?
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There are several ways that I see my faith influence my work.

Q&A: Can Single Filers Benefit From Roth Conversions?
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There are several ways that a Roth conversion benefits people regardless of their filing or marriage status.

Q&A: Why Not Invest Only in the U.S?
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Diversification among many different countries provides a more consistent return than investing entirely in the United States.

Q&A: Can I Reimburse More Than My Actual Room and Board Expenses From My 529 Plan?
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Every school sets a budget or allowance for room and board, referred to as the cost of attendance. Are you allowed to reimburse yourself for the entire amount of Room and Board even if you did not spend that much?

Q&A: Should I Get a Car Loan To Stay Invested?
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With these moderate interest rates, the only clearly wrong decision in my view is buying a car on loan because you cannot afford it outright.

Q&A: How Should I Balance Retirement Savings With Other Needs?
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Anything which is not contributing toward your financial independence should be considered part of your lifestyle spending.

Q&A: Can I Still Use a QCD to Get State Tax Credits?
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If a portion of your charitable gift is nondeductible, then no portion of the gift can be counted as a Qualified Charitable Distribution. But there is one accepted loophole for QCDs.

Does An Inverted Yield Curve Mean I Should Get Out Of The Markets?
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It is easy for an inverted yield curve to spook investors.

Q&A: Do You Offer Roth Conversion Planning for Someone Who Is Not a Client?
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Kudos to you for noticing the value of Roth conversions! We have three ways we can help.

Q&A: I Have a Marotta-Managed 401(k). What Should I Invest In?
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We often get the question from plan participants, “What should I invest in?” Here are our recommendations in order.

Do Top-Ranked Funds Repeat?
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Dimensional’s analysis found that top funds do not repeat.

What is the Correlation of the Asset Classes?
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Asset classes are best defined by looking at the correlation of their returns. These four 2015 articles take a close examination at the three appreciation asset classes.

Q&A: How Does the SECURE Act Change QCDs?
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“I will be turning 70 1/2 and wanted to start making contributions to charity from an IRA and taking the QCD at that time. Would this bill require me to wait two more tax years, until I am 72, to do this?”

When Should I Worry About Performance?
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Some performance is cause for concern. Other times, you need not worry. Here are 5 times you should not worry and 4 cases when you should.

Q&A: How Much Attention Should Fees Get?
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“Has the focus on expense ratios caused the public to lose focus of more critical financial measures, such as performance?” Actually, expense ratios and 12b-1 fees should get even more attention than they are getting. Here’s why.

Q&A: How Do I Calculate My RMD from a Complicated 401(k)-to-IRA Rollover?
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Among the most complicated and frustrating IRA rules are required minimum distributions (RMDs). This case is a classic example.

Q&A: Moving Across State Lines With a Tenants by the Entirety Account
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“I’m moving to a state which does not recognize Tenants by the Entirety. What do I need to do?”

Q&A: Can I Amend My Estate Plan by Hand?
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When it comes to legal, if your attorney is allowed to make the edit, you are allowed to make the edit.

Q&A: Can I Do Backdoor Roth and an IRA Rollover In the Same Year?
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This person has no IRA balance, but is about to get one with an IRA Rollover. So the question is one of timing: can they do the IRA Rollover after the nondeductible contribution has already been converted so that their cream and coffee never mix?

Q&A: What is the Average Real Return of the Stock Market?
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The real return of the stock market going forward is often debated.

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