As of 12/18/2015 Congress has made the QCD (Qualified Charitable Distribution) permanent. Previously the “IRA Charitable Rollover” had a termination date and Congress had to annually approve the QCD. With this most recent legislation the termination date has been removed, effectively making the QCD permanent. Although the article below references years 2012 and 2013 the information […]
Book review: The Total Money Makeover
Book Review: The Total Money Makeover 3rd Edition, by Dave Ramsey Reviewed by: W. Devin Wolf, CFP® Dave Ramsey is a well-known financial author, radio host, TV personality, and public speaker whose message focuses on getting out of debt and building wealth. I have been asked my opinion on Ramsey’s philosophies by a number of clients, prompting […]
The Fiscal Cliff
Forefront in many of our minds lately has been the looming “Fiscal Cliff.” Over the past few months we’ve received a lot of questions from people, maybe even you, about whether they should be making financial moves in anticipation of the “cliff.” Our answer was always the same, and sounded something like this: “We don’t know […]
The Lottery Effect
Today’s Powerball estimated jackpot of $500 million has created a fair amount of buzz in the media. We all know how it works. You buy a ticket and instantly begin fantasizing about what you will do when you win. We’ve crunched some numbers to help optimize your daydreams. Lump Sum or Annuity? With a $500 […]
Devin Wolf MO Interview – Small Business Planning
Our very own Devin Wolf was interviewed by M.O. (Modus Operandi), a website that focuses on small businesses and entrepreneurs. In addition to some personal history, the interview focuses on how small business owners should approach their financial planning and their business retirement needs. MO: Why are you so passionate about helping small business owners navigate […]
Fiduciary Standard Proposal
Once again, the S.E.C. proposal to hold all brokers to a fiduciary standard has run aground. This from a September article in Bloomberg by Jesse Hamilton and Margaret Collins: Retail investors typically put their money in the hands of broker-dealers or investment advisers. Brokers earn commissions on sales and work under a professional standard that […]
A Step in the Right Direction – 401(k) Fees
Articles such as this one in Fortune regarding retirement plan fee disclosures are beginning to hit the mainstream media. This particular article focuses on an issue that has been erroding returns throughout the industry, not just 401(k) plans. At Financial Plan we believe this is a step in the right direction to increasing awareness and transparency in retirement […]
Buying a Home: Cash vs. Finance
Despite incredibly low mortgage interest rates, real estate agents are still reporting a high percentage of all-cash home purchases. But is an all-cash home purchase always the right decision for a buyer’s overall financial needs? To help answer this question we can compare two scenarios of a hypothetical home buyer looking to purchase a $300,000 […]
Buying a Home: Cash vs. Finance
Despite incredibly low mortgage interest rates, real estate agents are still reporting a high percentage of all-cash home purchases. But is an all-cash home purchase always the right decision for a buyer’s overall financial needs? To help answer this question we can compare two scenarios of a hypothetical home buyer looking to purchase a $300,000 […]