Articles and Videos

Can You Control the Uncontrollable and Forget the Rest?
Lucia Capital Group Weekly

Can You Control the Uncontrollable and Forget the Rest?

February 13, 2020

In last week’s video, we explained why it’s often better to manage the amount of risk you take in your portfolio, rather than trying to achieve a high rate of return.  We showed how two sets of hypothetical portfolios, both with the exact same investments over a 10-year period of time, could have entirely different outcomes — simply by changing the date that a retiree began taking withdrawals. In this week’s edition of Lucia Capital Group Weekly, our “Professor” Rick Plum takes that same hypothetical scenario and expands the time horizon by another ten years.  How did these two (imaginary) identical portfolios fare after a 20-year time horizon? You may be surprised.  
Manage Risk, Not Return
Lucia Capital Group Weekly

Manage Risk, Not Return

February 6, 2020

When it comes to investing, people often make the mistake of focusing on the wrong goal. Certainly, most everyone would like to see a good rate of return on their investments, and it’s nice when that happens, but trying to manage your way into achieving a high rate of return is almost always a fool’s game. Day trading, chasing yield, acting on short-term market predictions, and other gambits are not only time-consuming, but also time wasting. There is simply too much that is out of your control. A better way to go may be to focus instead on what is actually manageable: the amount of risk you take. While lower risk usually offers lower rewards, it may also potentially protect your portfolio from loss. This may be especially true over longer periods of time — and when it comes to stock (equity) investments, a long time horizon is essential.

Two Roth Rules You Need to Know
Lucia Capital Group Weekly

Two Roth Rules You Need to Know

January 30, 2020

Roth IRAs have been around for more than two decades, and their tax-free withdrawal potential is an important retirement planning asset for many people. But violating the rules of the Roth can easily create a taxable event for you — thus defeating the purpose of having a Roth in the first place. That’s why it’s a good idea to understand how they work. Two important rules that people tend to overlook have to do with what we call the “five-year clock.” Earnings within a Roth IRA sometimes have to wait out this clock before they’re eligible for tax-free (or penalty-free) status. It often depends on how the money got into your Roth in the first place.

A Strategy That May Save You Thousands in Taxes This Year
Lucia Capital Group Weekly

A Strategy That May Save You Thousands in Taxes This Year

January 23, 2020

Of all of the bills you pay in your life, your tax bill has to be one of the hardest. Unlike with your credit card bill, or your electric or water bill, you get virtually nothing in exchange for shelling out your tax money. So it stands to reason that you’d like to pay only the absolute minimum amount in taxes over the course of your lifetime, if at all possible. At Lucia Capital Group, we love a good strategy – especially a tax strategy. If you’re in a somewhat high tax bracket, and you want to make a gift to someone in a lower bracket – like maybe your kids – you may be able to do it in a way that benefits both the recipient and yourself.
Why Tax Knowledge Is Power
Lucia Capital Group Weekly

Why Tax Knowledge Is Power

January 16, 2020

You’ve probably heard the phrase “knowledge is power” many times in your life. It’s one of the few near-clichés that’s actually packed with truth. The more you know, the more power you have – either literally or figuratively. The phrase fits especially well when it comes to taxes. Many people find the very concept of taxation, or at least anything beyond the most basic elements of it, to be out of their realm of understanding. And it IS complicated. But sometimes all it takes is a little specialized knowledge in a few key areas for you to put yourself, potentially, in a much better financial situation, both now and in the future. So what is this tax knowledge? What do you need to know that could maybe save you from greatly overpaying your tax bill?
Three Smart Money Moves to Make in January
Lucia Capital Group Weekly

Three Smart Money Moves to Make in January

January 9, 2020

The 2020’s have begun, and you may have some wonderful new opportunities for financial planning! While some may tell you it’s never too late to get started, when it comes to money in general, and taxes in particular, waiting to take action may be the worst thing you can do. So now that the yearly calendar has reset, it’s time to think about a few things that you might do to potentially make this year a little more financially rewarding, and maybe a little less taxing as well. January can be a particularly good time, because by planning now, you still have (almost) the entire year to make any necessary course corrections along the way. If you wait to get started, your window of opportunity becomes much smaller. With that in mind, “Professor” Rick Plum is here to give you three smart money moves you should consider making in January.