Every year, as a firm, we do something that is very important for you, but you probably never noticed…and that’s a good thing. What is it? We run a test of our Business Continuity Plan, or BCP. As part of this testing procedure, every single person in our office works remotely for the day to […]
I was explaining to a new client recently how we invest our client assets. They wanted to know if we use individual stocks, Mutual Funds or ETFs (Exchanged Traded Funds.) I told them we don’t use individual stocks or securities, as this adds a level of risk that does not necessarily improve the risk/reward return. […]
With the unexpected passing of my husband, I’ve had a lot of unplanned decisions required of me. I’ve been very intentional about not making emotional decisions, but to be honest, how do you remove emotion? There are both rational and emotional elements to making financial decisions. “Research has found that negative emotions hit us with […]
Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act, or better recognized as the new SECURE Act, was signed into law on December 20th, 2019. The bill’s intent is for folks to have opportunities to increase their “nest egg” by addressing a number of retirement savings and employee benefit changes. While there are numerous aspects to […]
If you enjoy taking the opportunity a new year offers to make resolutions, make sure financial resolutions are a part of that focus. Formulating financial resolutions this year can help get you closer to long term goals like retirement, a large purchase, business ownership or debt elimination. Here are just a few practical ideas to […]
As we reflect back on 2019, it is clear that the stock market had a great year. It feels good reviewing your end of year household balance statement and see your net worth growth due to the stock market, but what happens if the stock market is not so kind in 2020? After all, 2018 […]
Greg and Jennifer are in their late 30s and have prudently managed their finances ever since they got married. With the changes in the recent tax laws and while realizing they are just barely able to itemize their deductions on their tax return, they decide to save more taxes by immediately donating to their favorite […]
You may have heard that TD Ameritrade and Charles Schwab are merging. How does this affect Stewardship Advisors and our clients? First, let’s take a look at who TD Ameritrade is, and how they are connected with Stewardship Advisors — and yourself as the account owners. TD Ameritrade is a contracted service provider (that Stewardship […]
Your total medical expenses, including premiums, must surpass 10% of your AGI to be deductible. Here’s a little backstory to help you understand this deduction in context. In 2019, the IRS allows taxpayers to deduct the total qualified unreimbursed medical care expenses for the year that exceed 10% of their adjusted gross income (AGI). Note […]
Perhaps you have heard about a fabled behavioral study regarding five monkeys and a ladder. It goes something like this: scientists put five monkeys in a room. In the middle of the room was a ladder with bananas on top. Every time a monkey went up the ladder to retrieve a banana, the scientists soaked […]
