Blog

To the chagrin of many taxpayers, this rhetorical question will be asked many times when 2018 federal tax returns are filed. Of course, most Americans give to charity because they are passionate about an organization and its cause, not because they are looking for a tax deduction. However, if you can give to charity AND lower you tax bill at the same time, it’s a win-win situation!

One of the most common concerns early retirees (pre-age 65) have is healthcare costs. Because it is one of the largest expenses in retirement, it often leads to people delaying retirement for the sole purpose of maintaining their employer-sponsored health insurance.

Did you know that a portion of your Medicare premium is determined by your income?  It’s true!  Medicare Part B, which largely covers doctor’s visits, ambulance services, durable medical equipment, chiropractic care, and outpatient therapy, is based on your Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI).  

A written business plan is a critical tool in setting the vision and goals for your company and creating intense focus on the key performance metrics that will drive success. 

After a long hiatus in the stock market, investors are being re-introduced to pain – not just to a stock market where values bounce up and down a lot, but to account values that can slide lower, week by week and month by month.  

I have a secret for you. Are you ready? 

Quick Update

The last few days have been tough for investors.  Most of the time markets are driven by economic fundamentals (i.e. earnings, valuation, growth, unemployment, inflation), but then there are pockets of time where fear and greed overpower fundamentals and we see some pretty severe short-term shifts.  Recently economic fundamentals have been strong, unemployment is low, inflation is low, interest rates are low (although rising), earnings are high, and future earnings are expected to be high.  Over the last week, fear of rising interest rates, higher inflation, and lower future earnings have taken hold of the markets without much actual change in economic data. 

Welcome to the Milestone Newsletter! We hope this communication allows us to share stories and financial content that is helpful to you – both personally and professionally.

Originally written on April 5, 2018

Happy Spring!  In our last market update, we noted that Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow.  As it turns out, his prediction of 6 more weeks of winter was spot on.  We also discussed volatility coming back to the markets and we have continued to see just that.  In recent client meetings, we have been revisiting the importance of preparing ourselves emotionally for the sudden, severe, and unpredictable stock market drops that are “part of the deal” when it comes to stock market investing. 
 

Originally written on February 7, 2018

We hope this update finds you well!  Among the Super Bowl headlines and Punxsutawney Phil seeing his shadow, predicting 6 more weeks of winter, you may have noticed that volatility has returned to the stock market for the first time in a while.