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Retiring Out of California
California is a wonderful and expensive place to live. It has incredible beauty, amazing weather, and some of the highest tax rates in...
Steve Coker, CFP
Apr 16, 20213 min read
What is a Qualified Charitable Donation?
A Qualified Charitable Donation is a tax-free distribution from an IRA to a charity. Available only to taxpayers aged 70.5 or older, a...
Steve Coker, CFP
Mar 19, 20212 min read
Overcoming the Covid-19 Retirement Black Hole
“I never thought that retirement would be like this.” The comment from one of my clients struck me this week as we discussed his recent...
Steve Coker, CFP
Feb 27, 20213 min read
Adding up the stimulus
How could the stock market continue to rise during the pandemic? Why are stocks rising while so many Americans are still unemployed? The...
Steve Coker, CFP
Feb 13, 20213 min read
Investor Basics: Stocks and Bonds
At Cedarstone we believe it is important for every investor to understand the fundamentals, including how securities work and what their...
Carole Meitler
Feb 5, 20212 min read
What is a 1099-R?
It is that lovely time of year that we all like to look forward too - Tax Season! You might have noticed something in your mailbox that...
Walter Cifuentes
Jan 29, 20212 min read
The Year Ahead – 2021 Outlook
When we wrote our 2020 outlook almost exactly one year ago, we outlined a basic expectation for 2020 and then highlighted the key risks...
Steve Coker, CFP
Jan 15, 20213 min read
2020 A Year in Review
Now that 2020 is over there are many who would rather not look back! Certainly 2020 will be remembered as a challenging year as many...
Steve Coker, CFP
Jan 8, 20213 min read
Can Money Buy Happiness
‘Tis the season to be …giving. We can’t help but notice the more generous spirit we see during the Christmas season. Furthermore, in some...
Carole Meitler
Dec 18, 20204 min read
Giving Appreciated Stock
As we discussed last week, there is tremendous uncertainty about future tax changes, making 2020 year-end tax planning extremely...
Steve Coker, CFP
Dec 4, 20203 min read
Preparing for retirement – a checklist
Ok, let’s admit it. Retirement can be a stressful and time-consuming task. If you aren’t careful, the process of reaching retirement will...
Steve Coker, CFP
Oct 21, 20203 min read
Traditional vs Roth Retirement Plan Contributions – why not both!
Making after-tax contributions, also known as Roth contributions, to your 401k or IRA can be an effective way to save for retirement and...
Steve Coker, CFP
Sep 25, 20202 min read
Gifting to Children – when does the gift tax apply
In my opinion, both financial planning and estate planning focus too heavily on leaving money to children at death and overlook one of...
Steve Coker, CFP
Sep 18, 20203 min read
Medigap Policies for Original Medicare
According to Nationwide Retirement Institute, 72% of retirees wish they understood Medicare coverage better and Cedarstone is here to...
Carole Meitler
Sep 4, 20205 min read
Wisdom Before Wealth: Financial wisdom for the next generation
For young people, finances can often be an area of trepidation and mystery. Students feel as if their lives are on hold until they...
Guest
Aug 13, 20204 min read
3 Top Tax Planning Opportunities for 2020
Changing income and changing tax rules are opening new opportunities for tax planning. Here are our 3 new tax planning opportunities for...
Steve Coker, CFP
Aug 8, 20203 min read
I Have a Trust – Now What?
Many people feel like they have finished preparing for their family’s financial future after setting up a trust. But they often forget a...
Walter Cifuentes
Jul 24, 20203 min read
Creating a budget – Mint.com
Creating a budget is one of the most important steps to financial peace and confidence. While we all know this, very few of us take the...
Steve Coker, CFP
Jul 17, 20203 min read
When and how to enroll in Medicare
Medicare enrollment is a key event that occurs age at 65 for most people. Even with this date in mind, the timeline and enrollment...
Carole Meitler
Jun 26, 20203 min read
Should I take my pension as a lump sum?
If you are trying to decide whether to take your pension as a lump sum or as monthly payments, then let’s start by saying...
Steve Coker, CFP
Jun 20, 20204 min read
