Tag: Rick Brooks
Retirement Accounts: Distribution Rules
With the year-end approaching, an important deadline for retirement account owners is also coming, so this column will deal with some of the rules surrounding IRAs and distributions. A significant caveat applies here: the rules can be very complex and people have literally written books on the topic. So I won’t be able to cover […]
Tax Efficient Charitable Giving
A couple of months ago, I wrote about having a charitable giving plan, and how that can allow people to be strategic about their charitable gifts. As tax rates have been on the rise lately, many people have been looking for ways to reduce their income tax bill while benefitting the community. The whole point […]
Charitable Giving is on the Rise
By Rick Brooks According to a report by Giving USA, gifts to charity totaled $335.2 billion last year, up 4.4 percent from 2012 and almost back to the peak levels reached in 2007. I’ve also had the pleasure of being able to assist some very generous clients with their personal gifts recently, so I thought […]
Saving for College
According to a 2011 report by the Census Bureau, a college graduate can earn over 80 percent more during his or her lifetime than someone with just a high school diploma. But that advantage comes with a price tag. Currently, the annual cost of a four year private college can top $30,000 for tuition, fees, […]
Extra Crispy
By now, it can’t come as a surprise to San Diegans that California is facing one of the worst droughts in recorded history, and according to one report, maybe the worst since 1580. In a recent interview on KPBS, CAL FIRE San Diego Deputy Chief Kelly Zombro stated that local brush moisture levels are at […]
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 […]
The Fiscal Cliff. Hype or Hysteria?
Last month I tried to show how Americans are both unclear and conflicted about what our federal government spends its revenues on and how much ought to be spent on those things. I tried to show that We The People want our government to spend more money on security and services than we are willing […]
Introduction to Municipal Bonds
During the past quarter, three municipalities in California filed for bankruptcy protection. The City of Stockton, followed shortly by Mammoth Lakes, and most recently the city of San Bernardino. Each municipality has been rocked by a combination of economic stagnation, declining revenues (property and sales taxes) and, in the case of San Bernardino, (possibly criminal) […]
Disability Insurance Basics
According to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), more than half of Americans say they would be unable to pay their bills or meet their expenses if they became disabled and could not work for a year or longer. Research on the reasons for personal bankruptcy has shown that prolonged medical bills are often […]
