Investments & Financial Planning

A traditional IRA is a type of individual retirement account in which individuals can make pre-tax contributions.  These investments then grow tax-deferred. When retired, the owner pays income tax on withdrawals from the IRA.  An education IRA is a tax-advantaged investment vehicle meant to pay for education expenses from kindergarten through college. 

A Roth IRA is an Individual Retirement Account to which you contribute after-tax dollars. A Simple IRA (Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees) is a type of tax-deferred retirement savings plan. A SEP IRA (Simplified Employee Pension) is a plan that provides business owners with an easy method to contribute toward their employees’ retirement as well as their own retirement savings.

REITs (real estate investment trusts) are companies that own or finance income-producing real estate. Most REITs trade on major stock exchanges and they offer a number of benefits to investors.

With a managed account, you give your investment advisor an outline of your goals and he/she has the ability to make changes to the account. With a self-directed brokerage account, you control the buying and selling of securities. With this type of account, you also assume responsibility for all other aspects of managing the account. The brokerage simply executes the trades that you request.

Government securities work in a similar fashion to corporate bonds and are debt instruments sold to fund an independent government’s operations.

An annuity is a contract between you and an insurance company that requires the insurer to make payments to you, either immediately or in the future. A fixed annuity guarantees payment of a set amount for the term of the agreement. It can’t go down or up. A variable annuity fluctuates with the returns on the funds in which it’s invested. Its value can go up or down.

Alternative investments can include private equity or venture capital, hedge funds, managed futures, commodities and derivatives contracts. 

Retirement planning involves determining income goals and creating a plan to achieve these goals before retirement. The process involves reviewing expenses, identifying income sources and creating a plan.

401(k) planning involves using a retirement savings and investing plan offered by an employer. This type of plan gives employees a tax break on money they contribute.

Legacy planning is like estate planning in which a financial strategy is put into place that prepares people to leave their assets to a loved one or next of kin after death.

The main objective of tax planning is to reduce tax liability. It is often thought of as the foundation of effective financial planning. It guarantees that savings from taxes are generated according to the legal obligations and requirements.

College planning involves strategies and proactive tax planning with the goal of managing the costs of higher education and avoiding the mistakes that often cost a significant amount of money in aid, scholarships, taxes and interest.

Estate planning is the process of creating a comprehensive plan that designates who will receive your estates and oversee your responsibilities after your death. A proper estate plan is funded once created with your assets.

Income planning is the process of determining your financial health.  This includes the amount of savings one has, the amount of income a person spends on non-discretionary and fixed expenses and the amount of money they are saving for retirement.