Retirement Income Strategies for Rising Medicare Premiums
We recently wrote about Medicare premiums and discussed how high earners may be affected by those premiums. The premiums can be substantial and can have a huge impact on a retiree’s discretionary income. You can click here to read the previous article. This article is “part 2” of that article and discusses ways to lower […]
WHAT DO RISING MEDICARE PREMIUMS MEAN FOR ME?
What does the number $491,039 mean to you? According to Jester Financial Retirement Health Care Cost Calculator, it is the amount the average 65 year-old couple today will pay, taking into account inflation, in health care costs during a 20-year retirement. Most people are aware that health care costs have been dramatically increasing for years, […]
What Does Receiving a Tax Refund Mean For Me?
If you receive a tax refund when filing your tax return, it means your tax liability is less than what you paid the government in taxes. In other words, throughout the year you paid the government more than you were required and you are being refunded the excess. On the surface, it may be nice […]
Tax Implications of Distributions from a Mutual Fund
There are a variety of investment products out there and they are not all taxed in the same manner. As an investor, it is important to understand the tax implications associated with any investment you make. This is certainly the case with mutual funds. Like an individual stock, mutual funds make distributions to shareholders, but […]
Understanding the Basics: Incentive Stock Options & Non-Qualified Stock Options
Today many companies grant employees stock purchase rights as a form of incentive. These rights are often one part of a total compensation package. Employers use these incentives to attract and retain valuable employees. These grants are given through a stock plan and grant agreement. They can come in two different forms: incentive stock options […]
How to Get Out-of-State College Education at an In-State Tuition Rate
The college decision is one of the more important moments of a young adult’s life and making the best decision can be rather challenging when analyzing all the factors, whether it be the cost of tuition, location, or the programs offered by an institution. Over the last decade, we have seen rising college costs weigh […]
Tax Implications of Investing in Master Limited Partnerships
Master Limited Partnerships (“MLPs”) have been a hot topic in the investment community in the last few years and for good reason. One of the top performing sectors of the market, MLPs have and continue to play a major role in the developing U.S. energy renaissance. A MLP is a partnership that provides liquidity because […]
Are Your Beneficiary Designations Up-to-Date?
The disposition of retirement assets such as individual retirement accounts (“IRA”) and employer-sponsored retirement plans as well as death benefits from life insurance policies and annuity contracts are not covered by your will or trust as long as beneficiary designations are in place for those assets. These vehicles are a great way to transfer assets […]
A Different Twist on Education Planning
At THOR, we continually strive to find the best financial solutions for our clients. We recently reviewed the “Private College 529 Plan,” which has an interesting twist to saving for college expenses. Most of our clients are aware of traditional 529 plans. The Private College 529 Plan is different from a traditional 529 plan in […]
The Emotional World of Investing
Investing is far from an exact science and in many ways it can be considered an art. Nobody has the perfect process or equation to tell them when to buy or sell, even though many will try to convince you otherwise. Just walk through a bookstore. You will see the shelves lined with investing books […]