Author Archives: Megan Russell

This article is part of my series where I review how Freedom Investing performs for the quarter.

You can easily view the trades that have been placed in your Schwab account(s) online by following a few simple steps.

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

On Friday, May 14, 2021, Megan Russell was interviewed by Michael Morton of Financial Planning for Entrepreneurs podcast.

Anthony Diaz was convicted on seven counts of wire fraud and four counts of mail fraud for investing in illiquid assets.

When interviewing a new financial advisor, we believe there are at least ten important questions to ask. Then, just to be safe, we answered 32 frequently asked questions and welcome more.

To help you get a good financial start as parents, here’s a financial checklist for new parents.

In Publication 590B, the IRS gives an example to demonstrate how Roth distribution ordering works.

The 2021 tax credit is worth $3,600 for children under age 6 and $3,000 for those under age 18. These rules apply to tax year 2021 only.

In Publication 590B, the IRS gives an example to demonstrate how Roth contribution basis works in a Roth IRA.

Automate your savings. Take manual control of your spending. This is the path to wealth.

Soho is my Amazon Smile charity recipient, I donate to them generously from my charity budget, and the NAP credits they offer are my favorite way to pay my state taxes.

There are many questions that first time moms ask their veteran friends. Among the top list is, what do you really need to care for a baby?

It is easiest to simply save your 1099-R and its numbers with your record of all your Roth IRA contributions.

When an HSA is left to a non-spouse, the account stops being an HSA.

Going forward, keep track of all your contributions in a file alongside where you store your tax returns.

Recently, we lowered the duration of our U.S. Bond portfolio and increased the amount which is inflation protected. This article explains the reasons for this change.

While many have been following the domestic returns and recovery, fewer investors know how well foreign investments did this past year.

In this talk, David demonstrates how Roth conversions can be extremely valuable even if a client is always in the same tax bracket.

By decoupling your standard of living from the size of your income, you have taken the first step toward financial freedom.

Graduate yourself from a childish mindset to that of an adult.

This is a common confusion with Roth IRAs.

We are constantly reviewing our portfolios’ asset allocations in order to bring them more in line with our Investment Committee’s best practices. Here is a summary of our recent changes.

This means that in addition to the overall Emerging Market funds, we will have country-specific Emerging Market allocations to both Taiwan and Chile.

No one knows what the future holds for Hong Kong, but we needed to make a decision on whether it has a place in our Freedom Investing.

My favorite part of my daughter’s Roth IRA is that she has earned it all. I have seen her work hard, learn valuable lessons, and truly earn her wage.

We need to go beyond good intentions. The underprivileged among us deserve good results.

No limp arms. Keep your hands up. Budget for emergencies.

You are not obligated to vote just because you own shares.

When reviewing our Foreign allocations, we discovered that the foreign Health Care sector has shown high risk-adjusted performance.

The value of a stock is simply what people are willing to pay for it.

Our Gone-Fishing Portfolios are free to use portfolios that take advantage of the no-transaction-fee, low-cost ETFs or mutual funds of each major custodian. Over the years, we’ve changed the funds and the allocations as new research or securities reveal improvements.

A gone-fishing portfolio is a portfolio of just a few stocks which should weather the ups and downs of the market fairly well while only rebalancing twice a year.

We believe these 26 companies will be an effective weight to add foreign healthcare to our portfolios.

Looking closer into each asset class, here’s how our top six asset classes performed between January 1 and December 31, 2020.

After trying Instacart again a handful of times, I finally decided that in-person shopping was cheaper and more effective for my family.

Here you can find our article series detailing how and why you should fund a custodial Roth IRA for your children.

Which account you should fund depends on your circumstances. However, there are some general guidelines you can follow to make your decision.

Utilizing tax-smart spontaneous giving only requires the smallest amount of planning ahead.

The short answer is that most taxable distributions from inherited IRAs are taxed at the the child / beneficiary’s income tax rate. The longer answer is that there are multiple chances for inheritance to be taxed.

To take advantage of tax-free penalty-free Roth withdrawals of contribution basis, you need to keep careful records of your Roth contributions.

Sadly, the IRS is very clear about this; contributions must be cash.

A timeless question with a consistent answer, this article helps you determine if your asset allocation is appropriate enough that you should continue to stay the course.

Instead of changing your investment strategy, you should focus on changing your spending habits and charitable giving to help further the social good you want in the world.

Having a financial advisor who has discretion over your accounts is only a good idea if your financial advisor is covered under the fiduciary duty and is fee-only.

Step by step, this article shows how you can determine what taxes and penalties are owed on non-qualified distributions.

By flowing money through a 529 account, a Virginia tax payer could receive a $575 discount on their private school tuition.

Interestingly, being a fiduciary though is not a job description as much as it is descriptive of the kind of job that you do.

Depending on your particular case and Social Security agent, you may get your surcharge waived, lowered, or upheld.

Fortunately, closing a specific account doesn’t reset your Roth clock.