Author Archives: Megan Russell

You can have an effectively uncapped state tax deduction if you have a high tolerance for paperwork.

Here are six reasons you may want to sell for a loss.

We have written on the topic of healthcare reform multiple times, including our 2014 economics of healthcare series which culminates in this article.

Twelve-month inflation for all items ending in September 2023 has been 4.1%, so the 2024 contribution limits increased significantly but less than last year.

While most states do not have their own estate or inheritance taxes, some states do and often their exemption is lower than the federal one.

The IRS is clear, “If both spouses are 55 or older and not enrolled in Medicare, each spouse’s contribution limit is increased by the additional contribution. Each spouse must make the additional contribution to his or her own HSA.”

It sounds broad and easy to use, but it is actually very specific and uncommon.

Now that these accounts are open at Charles Schwab, Marotta Wealth Management can manage and invest Health Savings Brokerage Accounts.

“Parental Reminder #42” reminds us that goodness is something bigger than we can articulate but, even though we cannot express it fully, it is very important.

This quarter, we saw that in 1-year returns ending September 30, 2023, Developed Freedom Investing had a -4.77% disadvantage, Emerging Market Freedom Investing had a +3.89% advantage, and Overall Freedom Investing had a -1.63% disadvantage.

We are very pleased to announce that Jacob Massanopoli is our newest CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®) professional at Marotta Wealth Management!

My grandfather turns 97 this year. While not often celebrated or recorded in history, my grandfather played an important supporting role to many important events.

This new rule says that the account owner can distribute funds from a 529 plan directly to the designated beneficiary’s Roth IRA and have the rollover “be treated in the same manner as the earnings and contributions of a Roth IRA” (meaning no taxation).

This series of articles covers some of the most common investing mistakes and how to avoid them.

We are very pleased to announce that Greg Vairo is our newest CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®) professional at Marotta Wealth Management!

There are strategies to achieve a better inner calm.

We can receive documents to our secure ShareFile client portal.

“And the now-20-year-old beneficiary who lost her father less than a year ago is supposed to navigate this mess on her own? No chance. This is madness.”

Congress decided to inflation-adjust both the existing and the new split-entity qualified charitable distribution limitations.

We avoid investments we deem too risky or laden with fees and seek instead a well balanced, low-cost, diversified portfolio.

It is helpful to know that a charitable remainder trust exists, but most charitable intentions benefit more from a donor advised fund.

The Schwab Bank representative said that he was familiar with these types of scams and knew how to handle it.

Fearful of monetary or societal failure, many hope that owning gold will bring them peace of mind. This articles reminds us to get peace of mind a different way.

The reason can be explained through a simple analogy about an interior decorator.

I am pleased to announce that our newest CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®) professional at Marotta Wealth Management is me!

Once you’ve open an HSA and have started making contributions, it is important that you set beneficiary designations on the account.

Here are three common Roth transactions and how they interact with MAGI for Roth IRA purposes.

Waiting just one year means that you lose a portion of the growth in your traditional IRA to income taxes later.

These strategies are strong in both good times and bad.

If China booms, it may be a mistake that we reduced the allocation. If China undergoes investment controls, it may be a mistake that we kept China at all.

This article is a curated list of recent news about Taiwan.

If the form is accepted, the Social Security Administration will generally not only change your current IRMAA, but they will also use your Projected MAGI for the next several years. Here’s why.

Here are some of the pros and cons of specific SEP IRA and individual 401(k) retirement account options available.

This article gives you the formula to decide how much to offer or if the property is a good deal.

This notice did not offer the final guidance we were hoping for, but rather continued to push the decision further down the road.

This quarter, we saw that in 1-year returns ending June 30, 2023, Developed Freedom Investing had a -3.68% disadvantage, Emerging Market Freedom Investing had a +4.15% advantage, and Overall Freedom Investing had a -0.61% disadvantage.

Gifting depreciated stock is more complex and never to anyone’s advantage.

Each governing body in Virginia has their own rules and eligibility requirements.

Knowing the difference between these categories helps you to use them appropriately.

We’ll have to wait and see what they really mean by these lofty goals.

Contributing to a Roth IRA, even though you know you will withdraw it before retirement, is a sound financial strategy.

A wishlist is a force of thrift both for you to defer your consumption and for your family and friends to ensure that all the value of their gift makes it to your heart.

Websites such as investor.com are useful, but not as useful as you might hope.

There is an illusion that the executive branch will handle the collection of all our data with respect and care. I hope that current times can shatter that illusion for you.

These grants are called “K-12 Learning Acceleration Grants” and must be used to pay for “qualifying education services.”

I have difficultly imagining a likely outcome where I would regret a Roth conversion.

If you made a Roth contribution this year, here is a reminder to update your contribution basis records.

While there can be a lot of uncertainty, the conclusion is normally anticlimactic.

This is only a good idea if your financial advisor is covered under the fiduciary duty and is fee-only.

By discounting portfolio returns to only real returns, we have already considered inflation in the planning targets.