Health savings accounts are accounts that are paired with high-deductible health plans. They are also a tax-efficient way to save for retirement offering savers a triple tax advantage, via tax-free contributions, investment growth and withdrawal (if money is used to pay qualified medical expenses). To qualify for an HSA you must have a high-deductible health care plan (HDHP) and must be 18 years old.
Retirement is just over the horizon and while most people have making ends meet during that period on their minds there is another extremely important part of aging that should be explored. Medicare! There is a 7-month initial enrollment period that begins 3 months before you turn 65, the month you turn 65 and 3 months after you turn 65. If you do not sign up during that window of time you will be penalized for late enrollment, which comes in the form of higher premiums (typically a 10% increase premiums).
When you have a job change or are facing retirement there are a number of decisions that need to be made. One of the more significant ones is what to do with your 401(k). The choice may seem straight-forward but it is anything but. When making this decision it is critical to weigh in all the factors to your decision.
It is clear that any perceived direction of the trade talks or tweets from the President regarding tariffs are market movers. No one, with the exception of a few insiders, really knows the true status of the ongoing negotiations between the U.S. and China.
Many believe that their money is locked in when you are a participant in a 401(k) or profit sharing plan through an employer where you are a participating and current employee. However, certain qualifying events allow employees to access their vested balance to either withdraw and/or roll over money from those accounts and still continue to contribute.
Earlier this month, we discussed dollar-cost averaging as a strategy for investing which can offer you a higher average rate of return over the long-term and a seamless means of investing each month without too much pain for your wallet. Today, we will discuss the best way that you can achieve this strategy through the concept called “Pay Yourself First”.
Market moves can be choppy at times and downright terrifying. This is one reason many would-be investors never take the leap into investing their savings. We know that in order to make your dollars last, we must take on some risk in order to grow them. Then our rational minds try to determine that perfect moment to begin, which in itself is an impossible task - as we all know that trying to time the market is a fool’s errand. You can avoid the stress of getting together a lump-sum to invest and make saving possible without having to overthink it by utilizing the principle of dollar-cost averaging.
How do the new contribution limits affect you? Retirement contribution maximums have increased across the board for 2019. Here are some of the biggest changes to be aware of this year.
As the shutdown continues, we would like to urge you to continue to monitor your own tax situation and how it relates to your financials, being prepared for when the shutdown ends as well as continuing to look toward your future.
Recently, we have experienced a downturn in the markets and while that is frustrating and, at times, downright scary, there are ways that you can take advantage of these tough times. Tax-loss harvestingnot only can decrease your tax liability exposure by offsetting taxable income, it also allows you to indirectly increase your overall return or have the ability to reap the gains from some of your other investments.
