This week, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped in a way that it never had before. Monday, the benchmark fell 1,175 points, taking the greatest tumble in its long history. At one point, it was down 1,500 points during the trading day. 1,2 While Monday’s Dow loss was indeed severe, it was not as catastrophic...
Why are they made again and again? Our featured monthly article, The Major Retirement Planning Mistakes: Why are they made again and again?, lists some of the more common retirement planning mistakes made by individuals when they plan for their departure from their current career. Avoiding some of these downfalls can be very difficult due...
What will the near-term impact be? On December 20, Congress passed the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act, sending the final version of the GOP tax reform bill to President Trump’s desk. The legislation alters the Internal Revenue Code to a degree unseen since the 1980s, altering income tax brackets, marginal tax rates, key deductions and...
With odds at 98% leading up to the meeting, there was little doubt of the Federal Open Market Committee’s (FOMC) action today. The FOMC raised interest rates a quarter point increasing the federal funds target range to 1.25% to 1.50%. The expectation was set for further rate increases with three more rate hikes in 2018....
Our featured monthly article, Life Insurance Products with Long Term Care Riders, is a timely piece as November is Long Term Care Awareness Month. A concerted effort has been made by both the insurance industry and most state legislatures to bring attention to the growing concern over the cost of care for our aging population....
Marlton-based Certified Financial Planner™ earns professional honor for sixth consecutive year November 1, 2017 – Marlton N.J. – Independent wealth manager, retirement planner and president of DeCesare Retirement Specialists, Stephen DeCesare, CFP®, was presented with the 2017 Award for the Philadelphia market from Five Star Professional, a market research organization dedicated to defining and promoting...
Our featured monthly article, Understanding Inherited IRAs, highlights some frequently asked questions regarding the structure and distribution of inherited IRAs. However, inherited IRAs are complicated in practice primarily due to the mandatory distributions placed on the beneficiary regardless of age. Conceptually, inherited IRAs should be appreciated for their long term tax deferred preference, which could...
Our featured monthly article, Retiring Before 60, offers helpful insight into the choices and challenges one can face when considering early retirement. How to avoid IRA distribution penalties and thinking about alternate ways to access your hard earned savings. Another idea worth considering is accessing your post-tax 401(k) contributions, if you have them, via a...
The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) will not raise interest rates, but indicated they will begin unwinding their balance sheet starting in October of this year. Also, they are expecting a rate increase at December’s meeting. As of now, the market is predicting a 60% chance of a rate increase at that meeting. As of...
Things to check and double-check. Our featured monthly article, A Primer for Estate Planning, asks some thoughtful questions and provides a high level overview of the necessary Estate Planning arrangements everyone should consider as part of prudent financial plan. If you would like to understand how Estate Planning is relevant to your personal situation and...
