Q & A

You are allowed to deduct “up to 20 percent of their combined qualified real estate investment trust (REIT) dividends,” and this deduction is unlimited. So it begs the question: Is there a way I can deduct my normal real estate income?

“Buy on the dips” is a good strategy only because of the first word.

For all of these reasons, our recommended investment strategy does not focus on dividend-paying stocks.

There is a tangled web of rules and options. For any given family situation and set of desires, there is a best answer when it comes to meeting your wishes, minimizing the tax owed, and optimizing your estate plan.

Student loan forgiveness is normally taxable and reported to the IRS on a 1099-C, but there are big exceptions.

People think about marriage differently. These views and more shape the way that people want per stirpes and per capita to work.

The short answer is absolutely yes you do. Here’s why.

Stock buyback programs are a method of returning profits to shareholders without causing a taxable event.

The average holding period for a stock is not simply the inverse of liquidity.

Since only a small portion of stock is traded each day, a large majority of shareholders prioritize the long term appreciation of the value of the company.

Excellence and low cost can go together.

The regulation is an attempt to protect participants who don’t understand the rules set up by the government.

In general, you can use 529 funds to pay for your student’s off-campus housing costs.

Although these questions may help some people discern which professional to sign up with, I like our ten questions better as they cut to the heart of the matter. That being said, the more you know about an advisor the better.

We are a statistical outlier: We are young; we are female.

A blended portfolio can perform better even as some of its components under perform due to the rebalancing bonus.

We believe following our eight principles to safeguard your money provides a better safeguard than checking for past violations.

You deserve advice from a firm where you don’t have to second guess where their loyalties lie.

It is relatively easy for fee-only fiduciaries to answer the question “How much do you charge?” The only fee they collect is the fee that the client directly pays them.

A reader asks, “As her descendant and agent following the rules as written, it is my understanding that I could gift myself $14,000 each year. But can I really?”

At Marotta Wealth Management, we believe that a team collaborating on your behalf provides you with better service.

We believe that the basic principles of financial planning are the same no matter how many zeros you add.

If this is the approach you want for your financial planning, give us a call to get started today!

We offer comprehensive wealth management services.

We require each Investment Committee member to have, at a minimum, the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®) or Chartered Financial Analyst ® (CFA) designation.

Marotta Wealth Management (originally Marotta Asset Management) was founded in 2000 by David John Marotta.

What’s the difference between Schwab’s “Ending Value” line and their “Ending Value with Accrued Income” line on my monthly statements?

Sadly, the IRS is very clear about this; contributions must be cash.

As the parent, it can be hard to know what to do with a cash gift for a baby.

A question from our readers, “Should I choose to have dividends reinvested or should I receive them in cash and then reinvest them myself?”

Let’s use some of the publicly available information about HubSpot, Inc. (HUBS) to see what factors the stock shares.

In 2015, Congress passed the PATCH Act that included a provision which allowed computer purchases to be a qualified education expense for 529 plans. But what of computer repairs?

To avoid the 10% penalty, do I have to satisfy the 5-year holding period for my Roth conversions if I’m over age 59 1/2? The IRS is not very clear when it comes to when you need to pay penalties on Roth IRA withdrawals, but I think I know the answer.

When you use a bond laddering strategy with funds, rebalancing to your asset allocation naturally buys and sells bond funds as appropriate.

Sadly, we have to say no. Even though we won’t be your executor, we are still here to help your executor, trustee, and loved ones through the estate maintenance and settlement process.

The legal answer to this question is: there is no limit. The practical answer is: it depends on a number of things.

We do not recommend using stop loss orders. Now, it appears that the New York Stock Exchange agrees.

It is better to leave stock to a family member in your estate plan than to gift them the stock while you are alive.

Annual required minimum distributions must be satisfied before any additional amounts are converted to a Roth IRA.

You can only contribute to your Roth IRA if you have what the IRS calls “earned” income. This makes it all the more important to contribute to your Roth IRA every year you can.

I have earned income but my wife does not. Can I contribute to my wife’s Roth IRA?

Differing legislation makes one of the two preferable.

There is a complex way, but we don’t recommend the strategy.

Is it a crash or just a correction? On average, the drop from peak to trough takes 85 days and the markets have recovered after another 107 days.

“What do you think of the idea of Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) implemented simply by investing in something like the Domini Social Equity Fund (DSEFX)?”

“I’m 58 and I’ve been married and divorced twice. …I realize this is complicated, but you gotta love the 70’s!”

Q&A: “I don’t understand how to explain what happened to the share price. What was going on in the fund?”

An immediate fixed annuity is not an investment; it is an insurance product.

There are thirteen states so far. Does your state allow them?

Again, we were asking if such screening saved insurance companies money, and the answer is, “No.”