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 […]
Several years ago, my wife and I set an ambitious financial goal for our family. As a way to temporarily increase my income, I decided to embark on the millennial rite of passage known as the “side hustle.” While the term “side hustle” is used broadly to describe part-time or temporary work in addition to […]
Credit card contributions are a quick and easy way to support your favorite charity. Using their website, or even by texting donations, makes sending money convenient and you often benefit from points or other rewards. According to the IRS, a last-minute year-end donation is deductible in the year it’s made, even if the charge is […]
I was talking with a new client and they said they were saving for retirement. I replied with “Are you investing for retirement?” They asked me what the difference was. Savings is just that, setting small amounts of money aside for a rainy day or a short-term goal, and there is value in that. With […]
This past weekend my family and I had a chance to visit friends who recently moved to a place steeped in history, Williamsburg, Virginia. The quiet, car-free street of Colonial Williamsburg provides a stark contrast to the modern-day engineering marvels just down the street, Water Country USA and Busch Gardens. It got me thinking that the last […]
Life gets busy and things inadvertently get postponed, but getting your credit report should not be one of those items. However, you may find yourself asking, “Why should I care about my credit score or what’s on the report? I don’t like debt and I’m surely not getting a loan anytime soon!” To better answer […]
Bills, mortgages, bank statements, brokerage statements, credit card statements—being an adult certainly does require a lot of paperwork. Here is a guide for how long you should keep different kinds of financial records before putting them through the shredder (and yes, it should be the shredder, not the trash). Tax Documents: Keep tax-related records for […]