Why Athletes Lose the Money Game
As the San Francisco Giants and the Kansas City Royals prepare to square off in the World Series, it’s worth mentioning that both team’s players are already winners—at least when it comes to their bank accounts. The teams’ combined payrolls are a whopping $238 million. That means many of the players have the kind of […]
Get a Tax-Smart Plan for In-Retirement Withdrawals
The following sequence may make sense for retirees to preserve the tax-saving benefits of tax-sheltered investments for as long as possible. 1) For retirees over age 70 1/2, the first stop for withdrawals are those accounts that carry required minimum distributions, or RMDs, such as Traditional IRAs and company retirement plans such as 401(k)s (to […]
Your Money & the Markets in September
The U.S. market was up 4.19% in August after a modest pullback in July. Some of the drivers of the stock market included monetary policy news from Europe as well a number of generally positive economic news out of the U.S. Europe: The ECB announced it was reducing several key lending rates and raising the […]
The Big Social Security Question: When?
When we’re far from retirement, Social Security seems so simple: You pay your taxes during your working years, and when you stop working, you receive a stream of income. But as you get closer to actually retiring, Social Security begins to look about as simple as a Rubik’s Cube. That’s because a dizzying combination of […]
Concerned About Longevity? Three Mistakes to Avoid
Longevity is often cheered as an achievement, but the downside of living well beyond one’s average life expectancy is that it can strain (or worse, completely deplete) an individual’s financial resources. The first step in addressing longevity risk is to evaluate just how great the odds are that either you or your spouse will have […]
Your Money & the Markets in August
The U.S. market declined in July after accumulating some very healthy gains over the past 18 months. A lot of earnings reports from around the world (and especially from Europe) were soft, which didn’t help matters. Other worrying news included the Argentinean bond default, new Russian sanctions, and an escalating situation in the Middle East. […]
Why Baby Boomers Need Taxable Accounts
Imagine grabbing a cookie from the cookie jar and finding a shockingly large tax bill attached. That, in a nutshell, is what’s happening to far too many wealthy retirees today. These retirees aren’t reaching for cookies, of course—they’re tapping their IRAs to pay for somewhat spontaneous expenses such as new cars or family vacations. In […]
How to Widow-Proof (or Widower-Proof) Your Portfolio
Plenty of people who pass away or become debilitated leave their spouses with overly complicated financial plans, too little information, and no clear instructions about where to turn for help. Below are some of the key ways to make sure that doesn’t happen to your family. 1) Start the Conversation. Even if your spouse is […]
FPC In The News
FPC Investment Advisory team members are quoted frequently in the national media as experts on investing and financial planning topics. Members of the media may request an interview by e-mailing [email protected] or calling 800-408-4683 ext. 3 9 Times It’s Smart to Be in Debt Date: 10/29/2015 By: Lou Carlozo Investing When Stock Market Returns Are Flat Date: 10/26/2015 […]
When Tax Deferral Backfires
For decades, we investors have been encouraged to defer the taxes we pay: By investment companies, by our employers, by financial advisors, and even by the government that’s supposed to be collecting those taxes. Every baby boomer has learned that deferring taxes as long as legally possible in 401(k)’s, IRAs, deferred compensation plans and similar […]