Articles and Videos

Articles

The Best Qualities of a Good Financial Advisor

May 20, 2021

Any time you hire someone to do a specific job for you — whether it’s painting your house, fixing your car, or anything else — you want to know that you’re getting value for your money, and that your project goals are going to be met.  Otherwise, you’re simply wasting your money and everyone’s time. The same holds true when it comes to hiring a financial advisor.  It should go without saying that the person who’s handling your life savings has to be trustworthy, but you should also expect to receive something from them that you wouldn’t have otherwise been able or willing to achieve on your own.  But what should those expectations be? In this week’s edition of Lucia Capital Group Weekly, you’ll hear from “Professor” Rick Plum, CFP®, about what he believes are the qualities of a good financial advisor, and what expectations you should reasonably have for that individual.

Managing Your Financial Future

When Should You Start Taking Distributions from Your 401k?- Season 5: Episode 12

May 18, 2021

If you’re retired, or you’re approaching retirement, there’s a decent chance that you’ve got some money saved up in what’s known as a “qualified” retirement plan – meaning one that gave you a deduction going in, is tax deferred while it grows, and then will be taxable when the money comes out. In general, we’re… View Article

Capitalize

Is It Really Possible to Retire Early? – Interview with Colin Slabach (Part 2) -Season 1: Episode 11

May 17, 2021

In this week’s episode of CAPitalize, host Christopher A. Panagiotu, CFP®, CRPS®,  continues his interview with Colin Slabach, assistant professor and assistant director of the New York Life Center for Retirement Income at the American College of Financial Services. What does it take to retire early?  Is that even possible?  And what can everyone learn from women when it comes to finance and investing? This – and much more – on today’s episode of CAPitalize, the podcast for the intelligent investor!

Articles

Is It Possible to Over-Save?

May 13, 2021

We all know that if you don’t have enough saved up for retirement, you probably can’t quit working any time soon.  This is why we stress the importance of having a nest egg you can rely on, and building it as early as you possibly can. But is it possible that someone could actually save too much for retirement?  From a purely tactical standpoint, probably not.  More money is usually better than less.  But if your savings GOALS are set too high, such that you put off retiring until much later than necessary or you’re denying yourself more than you currently should, then it can certainly become problematic. Learn more about this savings dilemma

Managing Your Financial Future

The Conventional Social Security Strategy That Could Seriously Backfire- Season 5: Episode 11

May 11, 2021

Conventional wisdom, rules of thumb, standard advice – those are what the lazy person often resorts to when they don’t have an answer for you, or they can’t figure out what to do.  “Everyone else does it this way” is not always a good reason to pursue a strategy that may not be suitable for… View Article

Articles

How You May Avoid a Tax Audit

May 5, 2021

Last week’s video dealt with some of the things that may trigger a tax audit of your return.  Of course, there’s no hard-and-fast rule about why anyone’s return might be looked at more carefully by the IRS than others, but we do know that certain actions, or incorrect accounting, can lead to an eventual audit. It’s always best to avoid those situations.  In this week’s edition of Lucia Capital Group Weekly, “Professor” Rick Plum, CFP, gives you some tips on how to keep the IRS out of your hair in the first place.

Managing Your Financial Future

How Do Financial Advisor Fees Actually Work?- Season 5: Episode 10

May 4, 2021

One of the most common questions people ask us when they’re considering the services of an investment advisor and/or financial planner is this: “what will this cost me in terms of fees?” The question of how much an advisor charges, not just for their own services but for the team and others working alongside him or her, is one that you absolutely must get an answer for. And that answer should be clear, concise, and spelled out in simplistic form so that there’s no mistaking who’s getting paid, how much they’re getting paid, and who is actually responsible for paying them. Everyone should be paid for the work they do and the value they may add – you just need to be sure there are no surprises.

Capitalize

Bitcoin, Bias, and Millennials – Interview with Colin Slabach (Part 1) -Season 1: Episode 10

May 3, 2021

Part 1 of our interview with Colin Slabach, assistant professor of retirement.  Today’s topics are many and varied: Bitcoin – what are the red flags when considering an investment in Bitcoin, and in cryptocurrency in general? Bias in investing – Recency Bias and Confirmation Bias are everywhere.  What does this mean in the world of investing? Millennials and money – what the younger set of investors should consider for their future. All that, and much more, on today’s episode of CAPitalize, the podcast for the intelligent investor!

Articles

What Might Trigger a Tax Audit?

April 29, 2021

For taxpayers, an audit notice is perhaps the scariest part of the entire tax-filing process. Even more than having to write a large check at filing time, the thought of being audited is for  many people worse. You may be almost entirely sure you’ve done nothing wrong, but still… that notice in the mail. This is why it’s good to know what might trigger a tax audit ahead of time. The odds of an audit are very low, when given the entirety of the American taxpaying public, but if you know what they may be looking for, and what actions may color your return a deeper shade of red, you may be able to avoid those triggers.

Managing Your Financial Future

3 Generous Tax Law Benefits You Didn’t Know Existed- Season 5: Episode 9

April 27, 2021

Taxes can be scary. Whether you’re anticipating a big tax bill this year, or you’re fretting about a tax deadline that’s coming up, or you’re concerned that you’re overpaying but can’t find a way out of it.  On top of that, the tax code is insanely large and complicated. But oddly enough, the tax code also gives us some good things — a few benefits that just may help allay some of those concerns. Learn more about 3 of those benefits,

Articles

How Should You Withdraw Money From Your Retirement Accounts?

April 22, 2021

It’s hard to find anyone who really enjoys paying taxes. So it’s not surprising that people often want to put them off for just as long as they can. This is why some financial strategists find it easy to tell their clients to “never take money from a taxable account until you’re required to do… View Article

Managing Your Financial Future

How Do You Know When You Can Retire?- Season 5: Episode 8

April 20, 2021

If you’ve been planning on working until a certain age (62? 65? later?), but you find that you are a) overwhelmed by stress at work, and b) a number of years short of that “required” age, are you still able to retire? This is a question that financial advisors and planners deal with every day. How do you know when you’re really able to hang it all up? Maybe your portfolio balance hasn’t reached the number you’ve always figured was the minimum amount you’d need. There’s a chance, given certain generous tax laws and some basic strategy techniques, that you may be able to retire well before you thought you could.