The penalty for not taking one’s Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) from an IRA, according to the IRS, can be 50% of the amount that was not distributed. For example, if one is required to take $1,000 of RMD this year, failing to do so may cause a $500 tax bill.
You want to put your emergency funds in an account where the funds are easily accessible and not exposed to risk. Examples include traditional bank accounts that carry FDIC insurance (savings, checking, etc.).
If you began taking Social Security before full-retirement age and are looking to postpone payments until a later time, there is a solution: the 1-year payback rule.
Baron Financial Group is an institutional investor. As an independent RIA (Registered Investment Advisor) with no allegiance to any investment company, we use a process to identify investments for both our clients, as well as our own investment portfolios. One of the filters in the process is cost. This comes in to play mostly with mutual funds and exchange-traded funds. When institutionally-priced mutual funds make sense, we take advantage of the opportunity. In the world of mutual funds (which are pools of assets such as stocks and/or bonds), there can be different pricing for the same underlying investments.
Whether you are making a plan to travel or planning for retirement, determining an appropriate strategy ahead of time will provide guidance for a path to success and for actions to take when things might not go as smoothly as expected.
Phone scams and particularly Social Security phone scams have been in the news recently. If you are looking for ways to protect your information, here is a list of some common red flags and what to do from AARP (formerly American Association of Retired Persons). To learn more, read AARP’s article on Social Security Scams.
Warren Buffett said, “Investing is simple, but not easy.” You would think that if something were simple that it would be easy. Not so. Take losing weight. Burn more calories than you take in. The surefire way to invest is to buy low and sell high. Both are very simple, but extremely difficult.
A 45-second read by Victor Cannillo: If you want to help a relative pay for college, you can pay the money to the college directly without incurring any gift taxes. However, you need to ask the school if this would affect the need-based aid eligibility of the student because each school handles this differently. For example, if the school views the money as a payment of the student’s account, then most likely it would not affect financial aid. But if the money is treated as a resource, then it will reduce the student’s aid “dollar-for dollar.”
Your wealth manager should be on the leading edge of every facet of your financial life, anticipating your needs and helping you create an investment strategy to achieve your goals. CFA charterholders blend intellectual curiosity and expertise to deliver premium advice. They are the difference you need. Here’s why:
A 90-second read by Anthony Benante: The first thing you need to do to see if you qualify for financial aid is fill out the FAFSA form: In order to apply for financial aid, you must complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) form. There are certain criteria to first apply for financial aid – Go to the Federal Student Aid website – https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa to see that you meet all required criteria to apply.
A 60-Second Read by Anthony Benante, CFA: Though everyone’s financial situation, or what we call your personal economy, is different, developing the right investment strategy starts with identifying your risk profile. To do this you need to determine your willingness to take risk and your ability to take risk.
One of the easiest ways to gift money to a charity in your estate plan is to name the charity as a beneficiary on your IRA or 401(k). Upon your death, the beneficiary designated on an IRA or 401(k) will receive their percentage of the assets very quickly. In addition, the designated beneficiary is independent of the will.