Pandemics and Investing
Pandemics, defined as contagious diseases without a ready cure that spread across borders, are tragic and disruptive events. Serious ones occur roughly every 10-20 years, at times claiming over a million lives and inflicting economic harm. Will the new Wuhan coronavirus become a pandemic, and what should investors do? There is cause for major concern: reports of infection grow rapidly each week and have spread
How Could a QCD Impact Your 2019 Tax Return?
For retirees, understanding Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) and how they relate to Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) can have a meaningful impact on your tax return. RMDs are the funds you’re required to withdraw annually from tax-deferred retirement accounts (such as IRAs and 401(k)s) once you reach age 72*. A QCD is a cash gift from your IRA to a 501(c)(3) charity. Making a QCD can
Health & Wealth: Don’t Neglect Your HSA Check Up
Flu season is in full swing, and this year’s activity is particularly high in the U.S. While many families are acutely aware of critical health check points like safeguarding against the flu, they often forget to conduct some elements of their financial wellness routine. One example is neglecting to use your Health Savings Account (HSA). We have observed an increase in the availability of HSAs
Secure Your Estate Planning In Light of SECURE Act Changes
With the SECURE Act now in effect, it’s important for active workers and retirees alike to revisit retirement and estate planning to determine how nuances of this legislation may impact your individual situation. Below for high-level reference is an overview of the key elements of the Act. As we continue to dissect this complex topic, our wealth advisors will provide supplemental insights about specific components
Making Bubbles
Roughly once every decade, investors enthusiastically inflate a dangerous new bubble in the market. Each bubble has its own unique “color”, which further confuses the memory. Using the dates for the bubble peaks, here were the big ones: the commodity bubble (silver, gold & oil) in 1980; the Black Monday program trading crash in 1987; the tech/internet bubble in 2000; and the CDO/housing bubble in
Quick Take: Free Trading—What It Means for You and the Investment Industry
Last week, Charles Schwab Corp announced it would reduce online trading costs for stocks and exchange traded funds to zero. Competitors TD Ameritrade and E*Trade immediately responded with similar offers—meaning, no commissions on trades for client accounts. Fidelity's online brokerage responded in kind just today. Schwab and TD are important partners of ours, serving as custodians for our clients. In this note, we outline the