Rick Brooks
Rick Brooks's Latest Posts
Financial Fraud is on the Rise
Recently, financial companies have seen a marked increase in the incidence and sophistication of financial fraud, especially through email. Charles Schwab has informed us that industry-wide attempts at financial fraud have increased more than ten-fold over the past five years from 30,000 per year to more than 300,000. At a recent meeting with other financial […]
Rental Car Insurance
It’s probably safe to say that most of us have been there before. You’ve just gotten off of a long flight, and you’re ready to start your vacation. The rental car shuttle has just dropped you off at the counter, and after the tedious search to confirm your reservation, you get the following question: “Would […]
The Value of a Financial Advisor
We Americans tend to be a very optimistic bunch. It’s part of our national character and some might even say part of our DNA. Perhaps that’s why casinos are so popular despite certain knowledge that the odds are against us. How else could you explain spending $1 for a lottery ticket with odds against us […]
Presidio Little League Season Ends
Chalk lines, trimmed grass, close plays, chanting teammates and cheering parents making up the sights and sounds of little league baseball came to an end for the Presidio Little League at Sefton Field on Saturday June 8th. The official season ended for twelve teams of Padres playing in four divisions but play will go […]
What Does a Smoke Break Really Cost?
I was recently struck by how much money Americans spend on healthcare every year. The figure is astounding: almost 18 percent of all spending in our economy goes to health care. So I thought it might be interesting to break out some of the costs of one of America’s favorite bad habits: smoking. Of course, […]
Financial Planning for the Terminally Ill
Preparing for the Worst Unfortunately, this seems to have become a theme for me lately as a colleague and a client both recently asked me to help them prepare for an imminent death in the family. Estate planning in general is a complex, difficult and often emotional process. Having to rush the planning by doing […]
Tax Efficient Investing, Part II
Last month I wrote about different types of investment earnings, including taxable and tax-exempt income and capital gains. This month I’ll discuss how investors can go about creating portfolios that take advantage of these characteristics. Given the different types of earnings from investments, it should be clear that each will have a different impact both […]
Tax Efficient Investing, Part I
For the first time in over a decade, tax rates on income and investment gains have risen. In addition, a new Net Investment Income tax has been imposed on all investment income for taxpayers whose Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) is above certain thresholds ($200,000 for single filers and $250,000 for married filers). So, given these […]
Update to Estate Planning
One of the most challenging things about estate planning since 2001 has been keeping up with the changing rules and Congress’ inability to decide on a ‘final’ estate and transfer tax regime. Well, with the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 (“ATRA”, the fiscal cliff deal), we finally have some clarity, and a set of […]
Dementia: More Than Just a Family Matter
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, an estimated 5.4 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, a form of dementia. This includes 5.2 million people over age 65, most of whom are women. That’s roughly one in eight older Americans, and about one half of all those over age 85. I’m not trying to scare you, but […]
