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Retirees Need To Focus On Account Balances, Not Investment Performance
Learn about what really matters when it comes to your investments in retirement, and how to greatly increase your chances of success. Hint: It's not performance.
Read MoreHow Capital Gains Taxes Work
Capital gains taxes can be a real dampener when trying to make important financial decisions. Cameron Valadez, CFP®, AWMA® explains capital gains taxes, how they are calculated, and some tips to help you reduce or eliminate them entirely!
Read MoreTax Efficient Retirement Portfolio Strategy
Have you accumulated a large balance in your workplace retirement plan or IRA? Cameron Valadez, CFP®, AWMA® discusses a retirement "barbell" portfolio strategy to potentially help minimize taxes in retirement.
Read MorePrevent Your 401(k) From Increasing Your Medicare Premiums
Is there such a thing as being "too good" at saving into your retirement account? Surprisingly, the answer is yes - when it comes to Medicare insurance costs.
Read MoreUnderstanding Medicare Premiums
After "paying into the system" over their working years, most people are shocked to find out that Medicare has additional costs after becoming eligible. One of those costs is the ongoing premium payments for rather basic coverage...
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Did You Know About This Social Security Strategy?
Cameron Valadez, CFP®, AWMA® goes over a little known Social Security strategy that can be extremely useful in your retirement planning. The Start-Stop-Start strategy.
Read MoreBeware of These Investment Behaviors During Times of Crisis
Cameron Valadez, CFP®, AWMA® educates investors about a few common pitfalls associated with behavioral finance. Investor behaviors such as anchoring, the endowment effect, and loss aversion can derail long-term investment performance.
Read MoreThe Road to Recovery from COVID-19 & How to Stress Test Your Investments
Cameron Valadez, CFP®, AWMA® discusses the impacts and opportunities brought by COVID-19 and how investors can stress test their retirement portfolios. Do you know much risk your 401(k) or trust account is really taking?
Read MoreHow to Handle Market Volatility Within Your Investment Portfolio
Cameron Valadez, CFP® shares some tips on how to take advantage of volatile stock markets using a little bit of creative financial and tax planning.
Read MoreMaximize Your Retirement With This Distribution Strategy
Taking a fixed percentage (i.e. 4-5%) from your retirement portfolios may set you up for a failed retirement in the years to come. Here's how to increase the likelihood that your retirement portfolio lasts 30 years...
Read MoreHow Might The SECURE Act Affect Your Retirement?
The SECURE Act represents the most significant legislative change to the United States retirement system in over a decade so we thought we would give you all some of the more pertinent changes.
Read MoreAre We Headed For a Recession? Positioning Portfolios for 2020 and Beyond
It's a new decade, and with that comes the obscure vision of the years to come. Many investors are skittish heading into an election year due to political uncertainty; however those with long-term investment time horizons should not...
Read More529 Plans & How to Use Them
What is a 529 plan? What are some of the common misconceptions about 529 plans? How do they affect financial aid? What are the tax ramifications and benefits of 529 plans? Cameron Valadez, CFP® discusses in detail how to use your 529 plan.
Read More5 Reasons Why You Should Own a Roth IRA
Roth IRAs can be an excellent wealth building tool if implemented and used properly. Cameron Valadez, CFP®, AWMA® give you 5 reasons why you should have a Roth IRA, and how to get started.
Read MoreCalifornia Is Now Requiring Retirement Plans
California has done it again. A new mandate! The CalSavers Retirement Savings Program. Except what most employers and employees don't know is that the mandate is actually already in place as of July 2019! Here's what it means for you.
Read MoreRoth IRA and Roth 401(k) 5-Year Rules
ARTICLE UPDATED AFTER THE SECURE ACT (Post 2019) The Roth IRA and Roth 401(k) are some of the most, if not potentially the most powerful and flexible wealth building vehicles in existence today. However, most people don't fully...
Read MoreHire Your Children to Save Taxes
Hiring your children to do general maintenance and errands for your business can potentially save you thousands!
Read More3 Pro Tips for the 20% Qualified Business Income Deduction
Attention business owners! Want to make sure you get the most out of the new tax deductions available to you? Check out these 3 tips that can help you save.
Read MoreWhat to Expect When Getting a Divorce: The Legal Process
Waddell & Reed and its representatives do not provide legal advice. Stephan Pancer is not affiliated with Waddell & Reed. (09/20)
Read MoreHow to Lose Weight & Eat What You Want: By A Financial Planner
What does Cameron Valadez, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ know about fitness and fat loss? More than you'd expect. If you want to stop jumping on the latest fad diet and learn the science behind how weight loss really works, check this out.
Read MoreDivorce Series #5: The New Alimony
Cameron Valadez, CFP®, AWMA® discusses the new alimony rules arising from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 or TCJA. How will alimony differ going forward? What new strategies should be considered?
Read MoreOur Thoughts on The Current Markets Heading into 2019
Happy New Year! The markets are on what seems like a never ending roller coaster ride going into the new year. Cameron Valadez, CFP®, AWMA® gives his thoughts on the markets and where they could be headed for 2019.
Read More20% Tax Deduction for Small-Business Owners!
Cameron Valadez, CFP®, AWMA® discusses the new 199A tax deduction for small-business owners and certain other professionals.
Read MoreDivorce Series #4: What Happens To My IRA?
Divorce can put a kink in your finances...if you let it. Learn about how to handle your IRA during a divorce.
Read MoreDivorce Series #3: Divorce & Retirement Accounts
Divorce usually involves a meticulous separation of assets, and likely among those are retirement plans. Here's what you can do...
Read MoreDivorce Series #2: Social Security and Divorce, What Do I Do?
How will a divorce affect my Social Security? What options do I have? If you are unsure how to take control of your income planning post-divorce, it behooves you to get this Social Security thing right. You only get one shot!
Read MoreDivorce Series #1: What Happens With Debt During a Divorce?
Cameron Valadez, CFP®, AWMA® discusses some important topics that arise during divorce: What happens with our debt? What happens to my personal credit? How do I separate and begin to establish my own life again?
Read MoreThe 401(k) Loan: The Lesser of Many Evils
The 401(k) loan can be a valuable tool in your financial toolbox. While we don't necessarily advise taking them, we feel that clients should know the rules and other important factors that are often overlooked...
Read MoreActive vs. Passive vs. Behavior
Investor behavior plays the largest role in an investor's overall performance. One may know how to effectively analyze and compare different investments, but if they cannot separate emotions from investing they may find themselves..
Read MoreMedicare Series #3: Signing Up for Medicare Part D
In the second part of our "Signing Up for Medicare" series, we cover enrolling in Medicare Part D. If you are confused by Medicare and need to learn how to sign up, you need to read this article.
Read MoreMedicare Series #2: Medicare Part C or Medicare Supplements?
This article in our Medicare series shows you how to fill the last gap in your health care coverage; Medicare Part C and Medicare Supplements. If you have not read our previous...
Read MoreMedicare Series #1: Signing Up for Medicare Parts A & B
Age 65, retiring soon, and going to lose your employer health coverage? Member of CalSTRS or CalPERS? Are your parents turning 65 and would never find this blog because they aren’t strikingly tech savvy? Read on!
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