Ed Slott is a thought leader on taxes and has made a living on IRA thoughts and tax advice related thereto. For quite a few years he has been beating the drum of “pay taxes or even extra taxes now because the tax bill will inevitably be so much worse in retirement/later on.” At least for my clients, I do not like this train of thought. Here are my takeaways: 1) There is an implication...

And once again, we have a new President. My clientele spans the gambit from thrilled to distraught, much like the populace. I try to keep a steady hand and remain objective about what happens in politics. Let’s take a minute to look at the markets and the potential implications. Interest rates are lower by 0.75% than they were mid-September 2024 on the overnight lending rate, but longer rates have stubbornly moved higher over the same...

It has been a while since my last post, but rest assured we have had a productive, fruitful year here at First Financial Associates. New and established clients alike have made money within their accounts, and generally higher interest rates have provided a tolerable return for those preferring a measure of safety vs. the stock market. Here are some of my current political thoughts in no particular order: 1. The markets generally seem comfortable with...