Tag: Rick Brooks and Blankinship & Foster
Charitable Gifting Today
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 eliminated or capped a lot of itemized deductions for most taxpayers. While deductions for charitable gifts were preserved, raising the standard deduction meant that many taxpayers lost the benefit of all but the largest donations. Here are some strategies that you can use to squeeze out the […]
Should I Buy or Lease My Next Car?
For some people, the decision whether to buy or lease a car is simply a matter of preference. But which is the better financial decision? To answer this, you must evaluate long-term cash flows and winnow out the (often hidden) costs. This can be difficult to do, especially when the salesman is tapping his finger […]
Turning Savings Into Income
One of the most common questions we hear from people preparing for retirement is, “How do I access my savings now that I won’t be working anymore?” It requires a bit of a shift in thinking, especially for those who’ve diligently saved funds into retirement and savings accounts. What you need is called a “Withdrawal […]
The First Horse of the Apocalypse?
There’s been a fair bit of media attention on the Treasury Yield Curve lately, so I thought I’d dig into that a bit this month. Investors look at a LOT of indicators to try to figure out where the economy and the stock markets are headed. There are several leading indicators that you can look […]
Getting Ready for Medicare
Medicare is the primary health insurance for U.S. citizens over 65. Unless you (or your spouse) are still working and covered by an employer-sponsored group health plan, all persons age 65 and older must sign up for Medicare to obtain health insurance. The Medicare rules are complex and can be confusing. It is important to […]
Social Security and Longevity
Every year, the Trustees for Social Security release a report which discusses the funding of the Social Security program. While it’s possible that Congress may enact changes to the Social Security program at some point in the future, we can’t predict how (or even if) that might take shape. With the caveat that there is […]
Trust, But Verify
Hiring a bookkeeper is an excellent way to help keep your finances organized, especially if you’re not that into managing money and balancing a checkbook. A bookkeeper who can keep track of income and pay bills is a valuable resource for a busy entrepreneur, enabling a business owner focus on his or her business instead […]
Five Simple Steps to Reduce Your Debt
According to the Federal Reserve, total consumer debt (mortgage, credit card, auto and other) totals $12.7 trillion, or roughly 99 percent of disposable personal income. Of this, revolving debt is just shy of $1 trillion, most of which is credit card debt. One more stat: for households that carry a balance on their credit cards, […]
Home Sweet Rental
Lately, there have been a few homes in Mission Hills that have been listed on websites like VRBO.com, AirBNB, HomeAway and others. My family has used these websites to find great travel deals. But a recent article shared by one of my colleagues got me thinking: how do you insure something like that if you’re […]
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 […]
