by Jonathan G. Cameron, CFP®

To me an annuity in an IRA is usually a dead giveaway that the client worked with a salesperson and not a financial planner.

Annuities, like any other tool, are not inherently bad. They work best when they do the job they were designed to do – and that job is income distribution.  The job of a retirement account, however, is asset accumulation. 

Where are Annuities Best Used?

Annuities can be a useful accumulation vehicle for those with a conservative investing outlook.  If you can accept absolutely no investment risk then a fixed annuity is for you.  If you have non-qualified money to invest (that is, not retirement funds) and you're in a high tax bracket, then an annuity might be a good option for you to defer current income taxation.  

As a distribution vehicle, an annuity is also a safe way to create a perpetual stream of income without market risk.  A pension payment is simply another name for an...

By Glenn J. Downing, MBA, CFP®

A lot has happened in our regulatory world since I posted the original blog piece, The Advice Industry. The DOL rule is void. The SEC is now working on final new rules for standards of client care.  

The government regulates this industry – investments, advice, and insurance – via the Securities and Exchange Commission (the original 1940 Investment Advisers Act), the Department of Labor (ERISA comes under DOL, or the Employee Retirement Income Security Act), and the insurance commissioners of the 50 states. Just as it takes a team to give a client comprehensive advice (financial planner, investment adviser, estate attorney, accountant, and maybe more), apparently it takes a team of government agencies to regulate all of us in the industry to their satisfaction.

The Now-Dead DOL Rule

The 1940 SEC Act requires a fiduciary standard of client care for investment advisers. The SEC made concessions to the brokerage industry, known...

By Glenn J. Downing, MBA, CFP®

This is a really good Frequently Asked Question. Instead of taking out a 30-year mortgage, should I take out a 15-year loan? How much more are the payments? How much would I save? Can I afford it? Great questions all.

A Sample 30-Year Mortgage

Let’s use a sample mortgage. $400,000 borrowed, at 4.5%, over 30 years. The monthly payment is $2026.74. That means over the life of the mortgage you will have paid $729,626.85 in principal and interest payments to repay that $400,000 loan – and, of course, $329,626.85 of that amount is interest.

You pay interest each month on the unpaid balance. That means in early years your payment is mostly interest, with very little principal repayment. In later years, situation reverses: you pay mostly principal, with much of the interest having been paid in the earlier years.

Using our sample 30-year mortgage, in the first year you will have paid $24,320.88 – your monthly payment times 12. Of that...

by Glenn J. Downing, MBA, CFP®

I know many people reading this blog post have never engaged a professional financial planner before, and may be a bit anxious about what to expect. So let me tell you all about working with a financial planner at CameronDowning.

The First Meeting is Always Complimentary

You can book an appointment online, or just call in.  One of our support staff will ask you several questions to determine if we are equipped to advise you properly.  This will involve asking you a series of questions:  What is your main concern?  What is your current financial status (assets; debts).  These aren't to be nosy, but to prepare for your meeting with a financial planner.  You'll be given a list of documents to upload to a secure vault in preparation for that meeting.  

When you have your first meeting - in person or virtually - it will be with a financial planner.  You'll have a deeper discussion then, and share more of your...

by Jonathan G. Cameron, CFP®

Although there are many similarities these are two very different kinds of insurance. Disability insurance coverage protects wages lost due to an illness or accident. In contrast, long term care insurance is designed to help cover costs of health care services. Typically, health services are in your home, a nursing home, a rehabilitation center, or an assisted living facility.

Disability Insurance Coverage vs. Long Term Care Insurance

Disability insurance coverage provides replacement for lost wages when you are unable to work. Your ability to earn a living – reflecting your professional education and experience – are what’s insured. Long term care insurance, in contrast, addresses expenses associated with palliative medical care services in your home, a nursing home, a rehabilitation center, or an assisted living facility.

Short vs. Long Term Disability Insurance Coverage

Disability insurance coverage may address either short term...

By Jonathan G. Cameron, CFP® 

What is a Roth IRA?

One of the most popular ways to save for retirement is in a Roth Individual Retirement Account, or a Roth IRA. Roth IRAs first came out in 1997 after being championed by former Senator William V. Roth of Delaware. Tax-wise, a Roth IRA is basically like a Traditional IRA but backwards. In a Traditional IRA, just like 401ks, you generally get an up-front tax deduction when making a contribution. The account grows over time, tax-deferred. You don’t pay any taxes as the account grows. When it’s time to retire, whatever you take out of a Traditional IRA is taxable at your ordinary income rate.

Let’s do some basic math: if your tax bracket at retirement is 24% and you distribute $1000 from your Traditional IRA you will get to keep $760. The IRS keeps $240. Remember, since contributions are made before tax, distributions from a Traditional IRA are fully taxable.

The Roth IRA basically works the other way around....

by Jonathan G. Cameron, CFP®

Investing for Millennials is an important topic for a generation set to inherit a massive amount of wealth over the next few decades. Millennials will likely inherit $30 trillion from boomers over the next 30 years[1].  The questions for Millennials are, “When is the right time to invest? Where do I start?”

Investing for Millennials – Three Keys to Keep in Mind

1. Market timing is a losing formula

You cannot time markets. This is very important. Waiting for the right time to buy or sell is the realm of day traders. In other words, if you think you’ll get ahead by picking the right day to start investing, chances are there will always be a better day. Certain investments are attractive because of brand popularity or hype, but are often bad investment choices for the investor. It is a big temptation to “time” the market or to buy on hunch or the news. What’s the alternative?

2. The magic of dollar cost...

by Jonathan G. Cameron, CFP® 

A Roth conversion means taking your Traditional IRA, or some portion of it, and turning it into a Roth IRA.  Whatever dollars are converted become taxable to you right then and there.  

Who should consider a Roth conversion?

In a previous post we went into the Roth IRA – how it works, and how to make it work for you. In this blog post we delve into the topic of Roth conversions. Before launching in, though, we’ll begin with a brief review of IRS rules on getting money into your Roth IRA.

Your contribution limits are $6000 year or $7000 if age 50 or older (2020). You must have earned income to contribute. This is W-2 income or income from a trade or business. In other words, investment earnings and Social Security income do not count. Additionally, the IRS begins to phase out a taxpayer's ability to make a Roth contribution if his adjusted gross income, as a single taxpayer, exceeds $124,000, or $196,000 for...

by Glenn J. Downing, MBA, CFP®

In this post I’m tackling a tax topic: The difference between ordinary income taxation and capital gains taxation. What’s the difference and why is it important to know? One word: taxes.

The IRS taxes your income, as you know, but it also taxes profits. If you buy a stock for, say, $100/share, and then sell it for $120/share, you have a $20 gain which is taxable. The original $100 purchase price is what’s called your basis in the stock. Basis is increased by sales taxes paid on the item, any legal fees associated with its purchase – even inbound freight costs. When you sell at a profit, you want your basis to be as high as possible, to reduce your taxes on the gain.

A Capital Gains Taxation Example

Let’s look at how that $20 gain is taxed. It all depends upon your holding period for the asset – how long you owned it. If you held the asset for more than one year, then it is taxed at a capital gains rate. That rate...

by Glenn Downing, MBA, CFP® 

 In a previous entry I discussed the difference in taxation of capital gains property vs. ordinary income property. That piece discussed what happens on your form 1040.  This piece looks ahead to your eventual mortality.  What happens when you die and bequeath these assets to your heirs?

A Step-Up in Basis Example

Previously I used the example of a stock that I bought at $100. Now say I leave it to my daughter at my death, and it is trading at $120 on the day I die. How is she taxed? Since stock is capital gains property, she gets a step up in basis to the date of death value. This means that she does not inherit my original basis of $100 – on the date of my death the stock is worth $120, so $120 becomes her new basis. That $20 gain is therefore never taxed! She could turn around and sell the stock the next day for $120 and have no taxable event. If she sold it two months later for $130/share,  she'd have a $10 long...