Financial Planning

No Raise for Social Security Retirees in 2021

By |2020-06-15T08:49:38-04:00June 15th, 2020|Financial Planning, Retirement|

The crystal balls are coming out early this year as financial prognosticators make projections about Social Security payouts in 2021. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent U.S. lockdown of both people and the economy, there is a growing belief that there will be little or no Social Security cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) next year based on economic facts and the [...]

Good Bye Stretch IRA—Hello Charitable Remainder Trust

By |2020-06-03T13:37:23-04:00June 3rd, 2020|Estate Planning, Financial Planning|

The government giveth, and the government taketh away. And so it is with the Stretch IRA. For years, the stretch IRA has been a financial planning strategy used to extend the tax-deferred status of an IRA by passing it on to a non-spouse beneficiary, such as children or grandchildren, who then enjoyed the tax benefits “stretched” over their lifetimes. With [...]

7 Estate Planning Potholes

By |2020-05-18T09:11:31-04:00May 18th, 2020|Estate Planning, Financial Planning|

Estate planning. It’s such a noble phrase. It conjures up images of passing on to your loved ones a lifetime of hard work and success—leaving a legacy. But the road to distributing your estate is filled with potholes that may hijack your good intentions.   Pothole # 1. Probate Court. If you have a will, your estate will go through [...]

Like-Kind Exchange Deadline Extensions – IRS Notice 2020-23 Violates The Inviolate

By |2020-05-06T09:06:18-04:00May 6th, 2020|Estate Planning, Financial Planning, Retirement, Taxes/Fiscal Policy|

By Rafael A. Perez, Esq., Partner at McArdle, Perez & Franco P.L. and Chief Compliance Officer at Alhambra Investments   Introduction: Over the past several decades of practicing real estate law I have had many clients, both domestic and foreign, ask me to apply for an extension of a like-kind exchange deadline. My response has always been that this is [...]

The Long-Term Implications of COVID-19

By |2020-04-15T16:33:43-04:00April 13th, 2020|Bonds, Commodities, Currencies, Economy, Federal Reserve/Monetary Policy, Financial Planning, Markets, Real Estate, Stocks, Taxes/Fiscal Policy|

With volatility in the stock market ebbing somewhat or at least going in a more comfortable direction – 1000 point up-days feel a lot better than 1000 point down-days – it seems a good time to start pondering the long-term implications of the virus and shutdown. All of us have been so focused on the short term – is this [...]

The Dichotomy of Market Sentiment

By |2020-04-06T14:43:44-04:00April 6th, 2020|Bonds, Commodities, Currencies, Economy, Federal Reserve/Monetary Policy, Financial Planning, Markets, Real Estate, Special Reports, Stocks|

It doesn’t take much effort to find bearish sentiment about stocks or the economy right now. CNN’s Fear & Greed Index, an amalgam of seven discrete market sentiment indicators, is still in the “Extreme Fear” zone. Generally, market bottoms are associated with extreme fear while tops are associated with extreme greed. And it generally works; the gauge was pegged in [...]

The Economic Relief Bill Makes It Easier to Donate to Charity

By |2020-04-01T10:41:30-04:00April 1st, 2020|Estate Planning, Financial Planning|

When the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) was passed it changed the rules about deductions for charitable giving. Under current law the only way to deduct charitable gifts is to itemize on your tax return. Because of that, giving to charities has fallen substantially. In 2018 almost 32 million Americans made charitable donations. In 2019 that number dropped [...]

Stocks Are Still Not Cheap

By |2020-03-31T13:08:04-04:00March 31st, 2020|Bonds, Commodities, Currencies, Financial Planning, Markets, Real Estate, Stocks|

A Prognosis for U.S. Stocks The future for U.S. stocks over the next decade appears ominous, regardless of the impact of the Coronavirus. Why? Because valuations matter. And stocks at the end of February were priced for perfection. Any significant negative development was poised to drive them lower. The COVID-19 Virus that shut down the U.S. economy has certainly qualified. [...]

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