Category: Wealth Strategy

A conflict of interest is anything that puts the investor at risk for the personal gain of the financial professional. Such conflicts of interest generally put the interests of the professional ahead of the investor, and in some cases can even cause harm to the investor as a result of a financial professional’s outside interests. [...]

CONFRONTING THE SINGLE PERSON PENALTY: Empower Your Finances with Strategic Planning The reality facing single people in the United States today is that it is more expensive to be single than married. For example, a single woman may end up paying hundreds of thousands of dollars more over her lifetime than her married counterpart when [...]

Each year in October the window opens to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the following school year.  Although you have until June 30th to complete your application, filing your FAFSA as close to October 1st as possible can improve your chances of qualifying for the most grant, scholarship and work-study [...]

Since the late 1990s, the Internet has enabled broad access to investment information. This, coupled with the rise of discount brokers, has provided cost-effective ways for anyone with a computer to play in the stock market. Companies like Schwab and eTrade have reduced trading fees to zero, and “Robo advisors” like PersonalCapital.com have automated the [...]

Women’s financial power today is higher than it has ever been before, with estimates that women control 32% of the world’s wealth. That’s an amazing statistic considering that before 1974, women in the United States couldn’t get a credit card in their name if they were single or had to have their husband co-sign for [...]

Update as of: January 27, 2022 On January 27th, Governor Jay Inslee signed House Bill 1732 which delays implementation of the long-term care payroll tax in Washington State for 18 months.  Employers will not be required to collect the .58% payroll tax until July 1, 2023. In addition, the law was updated so individuals born [...]

KEY INSIGHTS Residents of Portland, Oregon, and the surrounding area (within Multnomah County) have two new income taxes effective January 1st, 2021: The Metro Tax is a 1% personal income tax on income over $125K for single filers and $200K for joint filers. The Multnomah County Tax is 1.5% on income over $125K for single [...]

SUMMARY President Joe Biden has proposed substantial changes to the tax code, mainly focused on individual income and investment taxes, and at least some of them stand to have a significant impact on high-net-worth investors.  The proposed changes create challenges, but also planning opportunities. This blog post focuses on what potential changes are ahead, who [...]

Update as of 12.12.2022 Read the latest update here. Update as of 03.03.22 When the Washington State Capital Gains tax officially went into effect at the beginning of 2022, it did so while still facing significant legal scrutiny. A ruling has now been reached by a Douglas County Superior Court Judge in which the tax [...]