Financial Planning Archive

Medicare plan options are confusing. This book may help.

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Medicare Made Simple? Not Quite: Decoding the Alphabet Soup to Maximize Your Coverage   Medicare plan options are confusing. This book may help. By Michelle Singletary, November 22, 2024 For all its pluses, Medicare can be a hellish system that befuddles and frustrates so many beneficiaries. Medicare provides health insurance for millions of Americans 65… Continue reading

 

Managing the Risks and Taxes of Highly Appreciated Stock

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Investors who have done well over the years – whether through savvy stock picks, favorable market returns, or just good luck – often find themselves with a unique set of problems to deal with. After holding stocks for a long period of time and achieving substantial returns, investors may have two unexpected issues to be… Continue reading

 

Target Date Funds: Smart Investment or Hidden Danger?

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  Over half of non-retired Americans have a defined contribution pension plan through their employer (source: Federal Reserve), with the most common types being 401(k) and 403(b) plans. These employer-sponsored plans can be an excellent vehicle for individuals to save on taxes and put money aside to create a secure retirement. Unfortunately, many people in… Continue reading

 

Roth IRAs Can Transform Your Retirement Planning

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Savers maxing out their 401(k) plans are likely to hear about one strategy preached endlessly: open a Roth IRA or get taxed to death in retirement. It can get overblown, but there is a kernel of truth here. Having tax flexibility in your later years is a gift that keeps on giving. That is because… Continue reading

 

Artificial Intelligence and the Rise of the Machines (in Your Portfolio)

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The era of Artificial Intelligence is here, and boy are people freaking out. AI is the application of mathematics and software code to teach computers how to understand, synthesize, and generate knowledge in ways similar to how people do it. AI is a computer program like any other – it runs, takes input, processes, and… Continue reading

 

Mastering Financial Independence: A Guide to the FIRE Movement and Early Retirement Strategies

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The term FIRE (also seen as FI/RE) stands for Financial Independence / Retire Early. It is a term that was coined in the 1992 book, Your Money or Your Life. Recently, the FIRE movement has experienced a comeback as the internet has enabled financial resources to be more readily available. Here at Rebalance, we prioritize… Continue reading

 

Save on Taxes and Increase Retirement Savings With Spousal IRA Contributions

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As tax season is currently in full swing, many individuals are looking for ways to lower their tax bill or increase their refund before the filing deadline of April 15, 2024. For some married couples, one excellent strategy for reducing taxes and boosting retirement savings is with spousal IRA contributions. What is a spousal IRA… Continue reading

 

What is the Story of the Last Few Years?

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As 2023 draws to a close, this question may be on many investors’ minds. Stock markets in the year 2020 started off on an upward trend with the S&P 500 Index increasing from a closing value of $3,230.78 on 12/31/2019 to $3,386.15 on 2/19/2020 (a gain of about 4.8% in less than two months). However,… Continue reading

 

The Value in Automating Required Minimum Distribution Payments (RMDs)

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As we approach the end of 2023, it is important to look at one’s entire financial picture and decide if any actions must be taken to optimize one’s finances in the coming year.  One such action that our Rebalance team prioritizes is reminding our clients ages 72 and over to automate their RMDs. You might… Continue reading