Tax Planning

Lucia Capital Group Weekly

Should You Consider Alternative Investments In Your Portfolio?

June 1, 2023

You’ve probably heard that it’s important to have what we call “diversification among asset classes.” Strictly speaking, this simply means “don’t put all your eggs into one basket.” And that makes sense on many levels, because it’s almost never a good idea to make a bet on one single sector, or one asset class, or one stock, or… View Article

Lucia Capital Group Weekly

How Much Will You Actually Spend in Retirement?

May 11, 2023

One of the most common retirement questions people ask themselves is this: Will I have enough money to spend in retirement? It’s also a question that we financial planners spend a lot of time thinking about.  I’ve talked before about one of the more popular rules of thumb – the old “4 percent rule,” which… View Article

Lucia Capital Group Weekly

Yes, Tax Knowledge Is Important

April 27, 2023

When it comes to investing and financial planning, being well-informed about a particular topic gives you an edge that others don’t have. Even with something as complicated as taxes, just a little bit of knowledge can go a long way.

Lucia Capital Group Weekly

A Tax Strategy That Could Save You Thousands of Dollars

March 3, 2023

Did you ever think that tax management could be fun? Probably not. Our team is comprised with people whom really enjoy figuring out ways to strategize on taxes. And as we make our way through this year’s tax season, we wanted to pass along a strategy that you might want to consider sometime this year.

Lucia Capital Group Weekly

How to Take Advantage of Your Zero-Percent Tax Bracket

September 9, 2022

Introduction We talk a lot about tax management, and for good reason. Knowing how various kinds of income are taxed may allow you to minimize your tax bill by taking advantage of what the tax brackets and tax laws give us. For example, did you know that the first $26,000 or so of income for… View Article

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Your Guide to This Year’s Tax Forms and More

January 19, 2022

As the new tax season has officially begun, we’ve been getting some questions from clients who want to know what forms and documents (i.e., 1099s, form 5498, etc.) they should expect to receive over the coming days and weeks.

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What to Do If (When) Your Taxes Start Going Up

December 6, 2021

Not knowing what Congress will do should not stop you from planning One variable that is hard to plan for in retirement is taxes. There are steps you can take, though, despite the uncertain tax landscape. We don’t even know what the tax rates will be next year, so how can you plan for 20… View Article

Lucia Capital Group Weekly

Two Roth Rules You Need to Know

September 14, 2021

The Roth IRA was made available to us back in 1998, and for many people it’s been a useful tax-advantaged tool to help save for retirement.  If you’re unfamiliar with the Roth IRA, it works like this: You put money in on a post-tax basis, and, if you follow the rules properly, any potential gains you realize from… View Article

Lucia Capital Group Weekly

Four Things You Must Do at Age 50

April 9, 2020

A person in their 20s seems to have just about all the time in the world – or so it may seem to them. And that may be a somewhat correct assumption when it comes to their long-term finances, like saving for retirement. But ask just about anyone who’s at least age 50, and they’ll tell you that the time went by quickly, and now that their retirement date is much closer, they realize they have far less margin for error. If you’ve reached the age of 50 and your retirement date is approaching, but still a decade or more away, you may have a unique opportunity to take care of a few very important things. In fact, making a few small changes or updates right now could potentially save you time, money and aggravation when you finally make it to retirement.

Lucia Capital Group Weekly

The College Saving Dilemma

April 2, 2020

Every parent wants what’s best for their kids, so it’s natural for them to feel the need to help them wherever they can. As a result, many new parents begin to save for their child’s college education immediately, guessing (perhaps correctly) that tuition costs 18 years from now will have risen almost unimaginably high. And that may be a very good idea. What’s not a good idea, though, is to take the money you were saving for your own retirement and redirect it to a college savings account for your children. Shortchanging your retirement savings, especially in the earlier stages of your working life, can ultimately cause much bigger problems for you down the line.

Lucia Capital Group Weekly

This Is Why We Strategize!

March 13, 2020

When markets are good, when equity values are rising, it can be difficult to be the lone voice that sets out to remind people that the good times don’t last forever. It’s a tough sell. But as we’ve seen over just the past several days, things can turn around, and turn around quickly. We can’t predict when, why or how – we only know they will. Absent a fully-functioning crystal ball, the only thing we really can do is to be ready when it hits. This is why we say that having a strategy is absolutely crucial. Buildings have fire exits, homes have storm cellars, and prudent investors have a plan. And while no plan or strategy is completely infallible, it’s a good bet that those who strategize for the bad times may be better prepared when they occur. True, the up-markets don’t last forever, but then again, neither do the down-markets. Lucia Capital Group Chairman and CEO Ray Lucia Jr. offers some words of encouragement in this Bonus Edition of Lucia Capital Group Weekly.

Lucia Capital Group Weekly

Is It Time to Restructure Your 401(k)?

March 5, 2020

One of the nice things about a 401(k) plan is that it’s automatic. You set it up, create your allocation, decide what percentage of your income will go in each pay period, and just let it happen from there. Many people don’t give it much thought after that. And that may be fine, if you’ve still got 10 years or more until retirement. But as the date gets closer to when you’ll actually need to access that 401(k) money, the set-it-and-forget-it approach often becomes less beneficial. You begin to subject yourself to market risks if you don’t change your allocation to include some less-volatile assets. Many people recognize this, and actually do make changes to their 401(k) allocation. But there’s another step that you may be missing — a crucial step that you need to consider, well before you retire.