Author Archives: Megan Russell

Private property, free markets, and protection from aggression solve a lot of problems.

Talking about the question “How should you manage your money in 2018?” this show covers a lot of ground over 23 minutes of conversation.

The free market fails to be a centralized economy. That’s why it is called “free.”

Investments, like life, are volatile, risky, and on average rewarding. Diversification and rebalancing help to protect yourself from the volatility.

We have all seen mutual fund ads stating this Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) disclaimer, “Past performance is no guarantee of future results.” Let’s take a closer look at it.

On January 18, 2018, the IRS updated their Frequently Asked Questions page to come into line with the new Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

If you want to find a NAPFA-Registered Financial Advisor in your area, here is a simple form you can use to search.

Here are seven techniques for small business owners to build real wealth.

On January 9, 2018, David John Marotta appeared on Radio 1070 WINA’s Schilling Show to discuss ten investment categories that look more attractive than the S&P 500 at the start of 2018.

Can you aggregate RMDs? Yes, for some account types. Should you aggregate your RMDs? Not unless you have a really good reason to.

Seriously, open and fund your Roth IRA now. You’ll regret it later if you don’t get started now.

My best case for SRI is a personal story of lace, oil paintings, tobacco, and Ray Stedman.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act came out of conference, which means that the House and Senate bills have been reconciled into one piece of legislation.

As the proud mother of a one-year old daughter, I thought I’d record some of my and my firstborn’s favorite things from this past year as helpful ideas for gifts from grandparents.

“When Congress acts, whatever it is called it will do the exact opposite. So the Affordable Care Act will make plans not affordable.”

It looks like something from this proposal will become law. Right now, the bill is in committee where the differences are being resolved.

Putting money in your Roth without delay is valuable.

One unsettled issue is the fate of Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT).

We’ve been waiting to see what our congressmen and women are going to decide for our 2018 tax law. As we’ve already entered the holiday season and can see the new year in sight, they are certainly cutting it close. … Read More

We will have to wait and see what tax law we have after Congress reconciles the bills and the final version is signed into law by the President.

We’ve been waiting to see what our congressmen and women are going to decide for our 2018 tax law. As we’ve already entered the holiday season and can see the new year in sight, they are certainly cutting it close. … Read More

With this proposed expansion, 529 accounts may become the most cost-efficient way to fund all education expenses.

It is an inconvenience during the holiday season to say the least, but Roth conversions are worth the effort.

Don’t let someone else live the life you’re saving for, but also don’t rely on Investor.Gov to protect your money.

At our firm, tax planning is our priority. We hope to maximize after-tax net worth over your lifetime, even if it is at the expense of this one year.

Coverage is considered unaffordable if the lowest cost Bronze-level plan available to you through the Marketplace in 2017 is more than 8.16% of your household income.

I recently watched a video by VOX called, “How tax breaks help the rich.” In the video, they discuss wealth inequality and claim that one of the biggest drivers of inequality is the tax code.

However, in 2018, the health insurance rates are extraordinarily high, especially in Charlottesville. Taking one year off from your valuable tax planning strategies to get free or low-cost health insurance might be worth it.

It’s hard to know… but I bet I’m not the only one looking at my compensation differently.

Some think the alternative to the traditional insurance providers is the health care sharing ministries, but they aren’t insurance.

Each spouse has different spending habits and values different things in life. This can easily lead to bitterness, or at the least, long discussions when the budget is reconciled.

In “The state and local tax deduction, explained” by Dylan Matthews at VOX, he does not mention the reason the state and local tax deduction was created when listing the pros and cons.

If you budget well according to your values, a one-pocket theory of money enriches your life, prioritizing your financial dreams above your impulses.

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.

We don’t write a lot about how to spend money, but an international study published this year claims to have found the route from wealth to well-being through spending money.

As a dedicated reader of our blog, we would love to get to meet you this Monday, October 9, 2017.

We are excited to debut our new website today!

Although you can have second generation beneficiaries, the first non-spouse designated beneficiary is the last one to receive a new RMD divisor calculation.

Financial planning is simply doing what it takes to give you the means to do what you want. The poorer you are the more you need financial planning. You don’t have any margin for mistakes.

While most investment advisors do one total conversion or partial conversion here or there, we have a dedicated Roth segregation strategy, which adds real value to our clients accounts.

Here are 8 reasons you’d want to lower your AGI and 8 methods to lower your AGI.

Like how diner coffee gets more bitter as the waitress tops off your cup with more coffee from the pot, so too the growth on your nondeductible assets increases your tax owed by decreasing the percent post-tax assets in your cup.

Yikes! This is a costly mistake.

Trusts are like Calvinball except that the government is trying to play referee. It is quickly confusing.

Unfortunately the age restriction makes the charitably-inclined young, who are more likely to be in the 0% capital gains bracket, unable to make QCDs.

I have learned there are so many more wise plans than just “top of the bracket” conversions.

A few years ago, there was a great rise of so-called robo-advisers, computer programming that enabled setting a simple asset allocation on the security level and then automatic rebalancing to those targets for each security.

The 27 lines, because they are so simplified, end up being difficult to follow what exactly they do. So, for those of you who are curious, here’s what they do.

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.

Many executors, trustees, or even estate plans make careless mistakes which end up in Roth IRAs being distributed too quickly. Here’s a list of ways to prevent your estate plan from ruining your Roth.