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"Kitces" Articles
Weekend Reading: Helping Hesitant Clients Boost Their Retirement Spending
Where does your hesitancy to spend come from? Is it driven by need or by emotions of your past that are still holding you back from a bigger future?
Weekend Reading: Why Tax-Loss Harvesting During Down Markets isn’t Always a Good Idea
Amidst recent tumultuous market activity, one strategy you might consider deploying to negate losses is tax-loss harvesting; However, there are instances when this might only bring you a neutral outcome, or even cause you further loss.
Weekend Reading: When Roth Conversions Go ‘On Sale’: Discounted Roth Conversions During a Bear Market Decline
Amidst market volatility, I believe there’s always some form of opportunity. Today, that comes in the form of tax planning and the option to maximize “discounted” Roth conversions.
Weekend Reading: How to Use Economic Context in Retirement Income Decision-Making
We are experiencing a variety of unique factors that affect our economy today. And, while you might think these areas produce undependable data in the realm of retirement planning, that’s not always the case when it comes to making long-term decisions, specifically in regard to your income strategy.
Weekend Reading: The RISA Framework: A Systematized Approach to Personalizing Retirement Income Strategies for Clients
In this article, two of my favorite retirement researchers, past podcast guest Wade Pfau and Alex Murguía, highlight what is known as the RISA (Retirement Income Style Awareness) Framework. This profile is created by pinpointing the two strongest factors that determine your overall income preference style.
Weekend Reading: The ‘Yield-Split’ Method of Asset Location to Improve Tax Efficiency of Index Funds
We preach on the importance of tax efficiency at Howard Bailey, and one of my favorite go-to financial websites is taking that a step further, specifically in the realm of index funds.
Weekend Reading: Maximizing the Step-Up in Basis by Gifting Assets Between Spouses
Presently, taxpayers have a roughly $12 million estate exemption per person. As such, a step-up in basis strategy can be utilized to help minimize capital gains taxes upon the sale of those appreciated assets.
Weekend Reading: Segmenting Retirement Expenses into Core vs. Adaptive to Create Retirement Buckets
Bucket strategies in the realm of financial planning are plentiful, and one you might have come across includes sorting your expenses into “essential” versus “discretionary”.
Weekend Reading: Behavioral Biases and the Hierarchy of Retirement Needs
The “bucketing” manner in which you might account for income and assets, as well as the hierarchy it develops, can cause you to save more money for retirement than you actually need.
Weekend Reading: A Hierarchy of the Value a Financial Advisor Provides
Your financial advisor should be much more than the implementor of your retirement plan. They are your financial thought partner, avid listener and trusted provider of sound, strategic guidance.
Weekend Reading: Getting Comfortable Delaying Social Security with Six-Month 'Reversible' Delays
Your decision regarding whether or not to delay Social Security benefits might come with a feeling of finality, but rest assured, that’s not the case.
Weekend Reading: Why Making Retirement (Or Other Financial) Decisions Based on Happiness Studies May Not Be a Good Idea
My favorite blog takes a look at how we should all take the data produced from "happiness" studies with a grain of salt, especially if you’re letting them help determine important life decisions.