Every new year brings a new set of financial planning challenges and opportunities. With the passage of the tax reform bill at the end of 2017, the new year is no exception. These new rules represent the most sweeping change in the tax code in a number of years, with most of the new rules taking effect in 2018. The final version of law differed from several proposed versions in terms of what changed and what didn’t. The number of tax…
For about 35 years, investors have enjoyed a bull market in bonds. At the start of 1982, the interest rate on 10-year U.S. Treasury bonds was 14.2 percent. By November 1, 2016, interest rates had fallen to 1.8 percent.1 Since bond prices increase as interest rates fall, U.S. Treasuries (and other types of bonds) have rewarded many investors with attractive total returns during the past few decades. In the natural course of events, bull markets end and bear markets begin. About…
Published in Bradenton Herald: November 15, 2016 By GARDNER SHERRILL |Investor’s Column November 15, 2016 4 Components in pricing Long Term Care Insurance November is National Long-term Care Awareness month, so in memory of my father who had Alzheimer’s, I thought I’d dedicate an article to this important subject. What is the cost of long term care insurance? As always in any complicated transaction – the answer is always “It depends”. There are four primary determinants that I will…
Published in Bradenton Herald: September 27, 2016 By GARDNER SHERRILL |Investor’s Column September 27, 2016 Five Simple Ideas for Tax Efficient Investing I’ve written fairly extensively over the past year about investing in expensive markets. If you believe, as I do, that the next five years may produce lower returns, then managing frictional costs becomes even more important. As we move quickly towards the year end of 2016 I thought I’d focus my efforts today on some strategies you…
The Manatee Chamber of Commerce has released the list of finalists for the 37th Annual Manatee Small Business of the Year Awards. The winners will be announced at an awards luncheon at 11:30 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 12 at IMG Academy Golf Club. The finalists are divided into four categories based on the company’s revenue: under $249,000; $250,000 to $1 million; $1.1 million to $6.5 million; and non-profit organizations. The finalists in the under $249,000 category are: Clean As A Whistle of Manatee,…
August 2, 2016 Investment Strategies for an Expensive Marketplace As we enter the eighth year of the current bull market, many ‘experts’ are calling for a correction and the arguments (as always) are compelling. I don’t believe anyone knows what the future will bring but I do believe prudence would dictate taking a more balanced approach to risk management. The following strategies are ones I believe worth consideration in the current environment. Continue Reading
High-Level Takeaways · On June 23, British citizens voted roughly 52 percent to 48 percent in favor to leave the European Union. · Short term, we expect market volatility to pick up – Asian markets’ response and the Dow Jones Industrial Average futures swinging wildly overnight as the results came in may be a bellwether of what’s to come. · In the meantime, the U.K. has a lot to work out – All political accords, treaties, trade agreements, and many regulations will have…
June 7, 2016 The Current Retirement Dilemma Retirement planning is largely about setting expectations, trying to manage risks or uncertainties and increase the probabilities of a successful retirement as it is defined by each client. The Society of Actuaries accounts for 15 risks overall which they published inthis hyperlinked report. For today’s purposes I’m going to concentrate on Longevity Risk and Sequence Risk. Longevity risk refers to the risk of outliving your assets, resulting in a lower standard of living,…
In medieval times, alchemists sought methods for transforming ordinary metals into gold. Today, just about every adult searches for a means of transforming savings into a retirement’s worth of income. Recently, they received help from an unexpected source – the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). In 2014, our nation’s tax collection agency engaged in a bit of retirement alchemy when it issued Notice 2014-54. Despite being tagged with an uninspired moniker, the notice gave participants in employer-sponsored retirement plans an opportunity to…
It all depends on you. Thanks to the Baby Boom generation, pre-retirees and retirees have a lot more options than did previous generations of Americans. There is a lot to consider before you decide where to live during retirement: your savings and investments, monthly income, family, friends, legacy, work options, weather, interests, health, and a variety of other factors. As you determine your priorities, keep these options in the back of your mind: Tax-friendly states: An important issue for many people…