Financial Planning Focus Newsletter
Single Again – For Better or Worse
Going through a divorce during COVID was not easy. There was a lot to disentangle, especially finances, after being married so many years. Like many people, my number one concern was having a positive cash flow, not only after the divorce but 5, 10 or 20 years in the future. Would I have enough to live on? Do I want the house and, if not, where will I live and what will it cost? Can I maintain my lifestyle? So many questions and at first – so few answers.
Investment Management Letter
Investment Management - First Quarter 2023
In the original Top Gun film, Tom Cruise's character, Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, used our title's phrase (though in the singular form) when explaining how he had specific intelligence after his audacious encounter with a MIG 28. The tense scene ended with a memorable moment as Maverick's upside-down F-14 TOMCAT flew a couple meters above the MIG, while his co-pilot snapped a Polaroid.
Special Releases
Special Release - Debt Ceiling Theatrics
The main concern for markets in the coming weeks is negotiations on the debt ceiling. Recently, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen raised the stakes when she moved up her estimate of a possible default to June 1st. As that date approaches, investors are becoming increasingly concerned with the debt ceiling debate, and the ramifications should the U.S. government be in default.
SECURE Act 2.0 – The Sequel
On December 29, 2022, as part of an omnibus spending package, the bill known as SECURE Act 2.0 was signed into law. The original SECURE Act, passed in December 2019, included numerous changes to the retirement planning landscape, including an increase in the age when Required Minimum Distributions (“RMDs”) begin, limiting “stretch IRAs” to just 10 years instead of over the life expectancy of the beneficiary, and eliminating the age cap for IRA contributions by those who work beyond RMD age.