By Glenn J. Downing, MBA, CFP®
Q: I’m in financial trouble. Should I take out a 401k withdrawal?
This is a tough question, and the answer is generally, Not unless you truly need it. A direct withdrawal from a 401(K) before age 59 ½ is a last-resort option, with a big taxable event.Â
I want to ...
By Glenn J. Downing, MBA, CFP®
Q: I have a lot of high interest credit card debt. Should I take out a 401k loan?
This is a question we come across not uncommonly. There is a lot to like about doing this, but a big potential tax trap as well.Â
I want to distinguish clearly between 401K loans an...
By Glenn J. Downing, MBA, CFP®
The SIMPLE IRA is the Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees. The SIMPLE allows for both employer contributions and employee deferrals. The plan is deal for employers who want to contribute something – but not a lot – to employee retirement accounts.
The is the s...
by Jonathan G. Cameron, CFP®
Young professionals are expected to accomplish a lot early in life. You’re beginning to make real money. Time to get sound financial advice to establish a good foundation from someone you trust. The problem is most financial advisors focus primarily on retirement planni...
by Jonathan G. Cameron, CFP®
1. Create a budget.
If this sounds too obvious, I’ll say it again for reinforcement – are you maintaining a budget? Seriously. Miami is one of the flashiest cities in the world. If you don’t have a budget I’ll put it another way — Estas loco? It has been proven that o...
by Jonathan G. Cameron, CFP®
Congratulations! You've read Your First Home Purchase Part I and Part II and taken the advice to heart. Now you’re a first-time home owner in Miami, FL and you’re settling into your new place. The first year of home ownership brings many changes – new commute to work, ...
by Jonathan G. Cameron, CFP®
A first home purchase is a big financial commitment. Not only are you taking on a mortgage, but you often need to deplete cash reserves to come up with the down payment. But what if you don’t have enough socked away for a down payment? or what if you prefer not to use a...
By Glenn J. Downing, MBA, CFP®
With this blog post I’m beginning a two-part series about retirement savings plans available to the small business owner. Earlier Jonathan wrote about the Traditional IRA and the Roth IRA. In this piece I’m going to explain the Simplified Employee Pension, or SEP IRA....
By Glenn J. Downing, MBA, CFP®
Last year (2019) I watched the entire Upstairs Downstairs series on Britbox. Easily sixty episodes in all. My viewing interests are usually limited to either WWII or British crime stories, so this was a bit of a departure for me, and one I thoroughly enjoyed. As the n...
by Jonathan G. Cameron, CFP®
When I originally wrote this, the Carolinas were experiencing the worst of Hurricane Florence. As a native Floridian I've ridden out half a dozen hurricanes myself . The aftermath of a hurricane is not only about the damage to life and property, but for many it can tak...
by Jonathan G. Cameron, CFP®
A few months ago I heard Susan Bradley from the Sudden Money® Institute say something quite profound regarding our relationship with money and financial windfalls:
When life changes, money changes.
When money changes, life changes.
The order in which change happens mak...
By Glenn J. Downing, MBA, CFP®
Usually when we think of estate planning we have in mind the orderly transition of assets at death. Death is something that you have a 100% chance of experiencing – we just don’t know when. Tomorrow isn’t promised to us – and neither is this afternoon, for that matter...
