Getting a tax break for your charitable giving has become harder over the past handful of years. The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs act eliminated a bunch of potential ‘itemized’ deductions and severely capped others. As a result, today fewer than 20 percent of taxpayers itemize their deductions, eliminating the opportunity to deduct their charitable […]
I’ve seen Donor Advised Funds (DAFs) referred to as the “bullet train” of philanthropy. Charitable-minded people for generations have created private foundations to manage their gifting – but DAFs have recently hurtled past foundations in popularity. 22% of all charitable giving goes to DAFs now, whereas 15% goes to private foundations. Their ease and convenience […]
Teaching can be a thankless job, and it’s no secret that our educators earn modest wages. In 2022, teachers made 26.4% less than other similarly educated professionals (1). This gap has been widening for decades. One area where teachers make up just a little bit of ground is in benefits offerings. In Maine, the MainePERS […]
Exploring Long-Term Care Options Nearly 7 out of 10 people will need long-term care services in their lifetime. That probability, combined with the significant costs of long-term care, underscores the importance of advance planning. Proactive planning allows you to explore your financial options and the potential impact of each on your long-term financial plan. A […]
Summary In this Halftime Report, Sam Chaplin and Jim Bradley discuss inflation, the economy, and the market outlook. They note that while inflation has been a concern, it is a mix of transitory and persistent factors, with goods inflation proving to be more transitory and service inflation remaining sticky. They also discuss the positive state […]
Going through life we run into a lot of the “less-than-pleasant” adult responsibilities that force us to grow up and take action. A lot of time these responsibilities help us mature, make us better people, and can be rewarding… other times they can be as boring as watching paint dry, like purchasing insurance… Now, don’t […]
Most taxpayers don’t need to even consider this question. If you’re paid by an employer and they withhold your taxes during the year, it’s unlikely you’ll need to add the complexity of estimated payments. This assumes you’ve completed your W-4 form correctly (if you routinely owe taxes or get large refunds, you may want to […]
While 2022 may go down as one of the toughest market years we have worked through in recent memory, 2023 gave investors some notable news to chew on. In a year that’s seen its fair share of financial gyrations and geopolitical headlines, I’ve narrowed down to three areas some themes that certainly grabbed attention in […]
