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Posted By Lineweaver Financial Group
July 16, 2024 Category: Finance, Legacy, Trust, Will, Estate

Estate and Medicaid planning are crucial components of financial strategy, as they can help protect your assets and secure your legacy. A powerful tool in this domain is the Irrevocable Trust, a fiduciary arrangement that offers numerous benefits while maintaining control over asset distribution. There are many intricacies with irrevocable trusts and they can potentially help enhance your estate-planning efforts. What is an Irrevocable Trust? A trust is a legal relationship where a grantor transfers assets to a trustee, who then manages these assets for the benefit of designated beneficiaries. Trusts serve various functions, such as reducing estate taxes, minimizing or avoiding probate, funding charitable gift strategies, and facilitating Medicaid planning. An Irrevocable Trust, as the name suggests, is a trust that cannot be modified or terminated once it is established. This can allow you to get assets out of your estate, which could potentially be helpful for estate and Medicaid planning. Trusts like these are ultimately about giving you control of your assets, your estate plan, and, ultimately, your legacy. One possible benefit of an Irrevocable Trust is its ability to help avoid probate court. Unlike a will, which must go through the often lengthy and public probate process, a trust can offer the grantor better control of how, when, and to whom money passes. Many parents find this comforting if they have children who are not good with money or if they simply want to

Posted By Lineweaver Financial Group
June 20, 2024 Category: CFP, Financial Planner, Professional, Finance

When searching for a financial advisor, you might notice the alphabet soup following their names. There are over 100 certifications available to financial professionals, all with different meanings and specializations. But among the most distinguished is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER ™ Professional, or CFP®.  There are several reasons why it is considered such an important designation, and one you should look for in your financial planner. Reason 1: Education, Experience, and Credibility The CFP® designation, offered by the CFP Board, is significant because it requires an impressive amount of study, experience, and preparation. It takes from nine months to two years of study, and that’s after earning a bachelor’s degree and a minimum of three years of working as a financial professional. A candidate is then required to sit for a rigorous test that covers many different areas of financial planning. Reason 2: the CFP® Indicates a Holistic Approach Training and experience for a CFP® don’t end at financial planning. While they receive rigorous experience and training in financial planning, a CFP® also receives education and experience on a wide range of related topics, such as risk management and insurance planning, investment planning, tax planning, and estate planning.  This comprehensive experience helps a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER ™ Professional to be a sounding board for clients and helps to consider th

Posted By Lineweaver Financial Group
June 13, 2024 Category: Finance, Annuity, Strategy, Annuities

Annuities have been in insurance agents' and financial advisors’ toolkits for decades. It’s a product designed to provide a steady income stream for retirees. It’s no secret that annuities have been a popular option, but are they always the best investment choice? Here’s the rundown of the pros and cons of annuities. Let’s see if they could be suitable for your financial strategy.  Firstly, it's crucial to understand that every financial strategy has its place, including annuities. Many people value the relative financial security annuities can provide. However, annuities come with several drawbacks. One major issue is the lack of liquidity – meaning once you invest money in an annuity, you are often limited as to how and when you can get it out. At the very least, they’ll likely have a surrender charge. Some have even more limitations – like how much they can withdraw each year!  Often, these products aren’t fully explained at the time of purchase, leading to confusion and frustration down the road. By the time you encounter an issue, the original salesperson may no longer be available to assist, leaving you to navigate the complexities on your own. So, there can be many challenges annuities offer, but how would investors know? Annuity companies are required to report all details to a third-party service. We can access these tools and provide you with a no-obligation annuity intelligence report. Thi

Posted By Lineweaver Financial Group
May 23, 2024 Category: Taxes, Social Security, CDs, Retirement

Recently, we've been hearing from people who have been enrolled in Social Security, seeing their taxes go up, and not understanding why. There are ways to keep more of your retirement income, but first, let’s look at how it can be taxed. We know that Social Security benefits aren’t tax-free. In fact, up to 85% of the benefits you receive each year could be subject to tax, depending on your household income. Moreover, 100% of your withdrawals from traditional IRAs and traditional 401(k)s will likely be considered taxable income. When making these withdrawals, we work closely with our clients to ensure they’re taking what they need but not enough to push them into the next tax bracket. We’ve recently encountered individuals who took advantage of high interest rates by putting their money in CDs or money market accounts. The interest on these is taxed at the same federal income tax rate as the money you receive from paid work, which is why people are seeing their income tax rates jump into the next bracket. That's why it's crucial to collaborate with a tax professional to develop a strategy to mitigate that sudden increase, just like we would with IRAs or 401(k)s. Furthermore, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 is set to sunset on Jan 1, 2026, which could exacerbate the problem further. When the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 ends, this means tax rates will revert to their previous higher levels. The act doubled the standard deduction and

Posted By Lineweaver Financial Group
May 01, 2024 Category: Retirement

  Workers are not new to the idea of saving as much money as possible for retirement. However, there is less conversation about spending the money they’ve worked hard to save, and that shift can cause stress in any retiree's life.  Major worries among retirees include not being able to spend as much as before retirement, not being able to leave money to beneficiaries, facing unknown healthcare expenses, and outliving their money. If you don’t have a strategy in place to help pay for these expenses, you could end up making a mistake that will cost you more in the long run.  For instance, we talked to a client who wanted to add an addition to her home. Her original plan was to take the money from her IRA to pay for it, which would have been close to $150,000 before tax.  If she proceeded with that, she would have increased her tax bracket, increased taxes on her social security, and increased her Medicare premiums. For example, her Medicare premiums alone would have increased by over $5,000/year. However, because we were able to coordinate her strategy with our in-house tax team, we were able to suggest a better alternative strategy and engineer a solution that fit her specific needs. We took about one-third of the money from her IRA, which kept her tax bracket and premiums the same. Then, we worked with her to get a home equity line of credit or HELOC. Finally, we were able to use dividends from her portfolio– which

Posted By Lineweaver Financial Group
March 07, 2024 Category: Healthcare, Retirement, Finance

If you're anything like most Americans, healthcare costs can be a big concern when you're planning for retirement. That's why it's essential to keep them in mind as you're getting ready for your golden years. One common error we notice is people assuming their healthcare expenses will be covered by Medicare in retirement. The truth is, a single 65-year-old could need approximately $157,500 saved after tax to cover health care expenses in retirement, according to a report by Fidelity. And that number jumps to $315,000 for an average retired couple age 65.1  Those figures hinge on various factors such as your work duration, retirement timing and location, health condition, and life expectancy. Nonetheless, it could serve as a valuable target to strive towards. Another common pitfall we notice is the consistent underestimation of the need and the costs associated with long-term care. Although the extent of long-term care required varies for everyone, data from the Administration on Aging paints a striking picture: at least 70% of individuals aged 65 or older today will inevitably find themselves in need of some level of care. Every year, Americans are shelling out a whopping $475.1 billion for long-term care. Surprisingly, Medicaid only covers 42% of these costs. This means you'll probably be responsible for a significant portion of the bill, making it crucial to plan ahead. Another important thing to note is Ohio's latest updates regarding

Posted By Lineweaver Financial Group
February 07, 2024 Category: Election

Given the upcoming presidential election in 2024, we thought it would be a great time to look at data from prior election cycles.  We think minimizing emotions and focusing on data is critical when investing.  As can be seen in the charts below, whichever party holds office has not typically had much bearing on investment performance over time. Source: BlackRock   Given this data, we encourage investors to try to tune out the political noise as best as possible in 2024 while maintaining exposure to the market.  There will no doubt be volatility throughout this election year, but if history is any guide, staying invested regardless of the election rhetoric and outcome is likely to reward patient investors.   Should you have any questions about your individual portfolio, please don’t hesitate to reach out to one of our team members or your advisor. We’re here to

Posted By Lineweaver Financial Group
January 18, 2024 Category: Finance, Retirement, Planning

Navigating the financial landscape in retirement can be a daunting task. It's like trying to pass through a jungle of expenses – health care, taxes, and long-term care costs all taking a piece of the hard-earned nest egg you've been building for ages. And just when you think you've got it all figured out, here comes the rollercoaster of economic uncertainty. In the face of such high stakes, it's no wonder the prospect of spending in retirement can be overwhelming. But with our team of financial professionals behind you, you can take steps to help you reclaim control and ease the anxiety associated with post-retirement expenditures. Embarking on the journey toward retirement becomes much smoother when you proactively create a budget beforehand. This invaluable tool allows you to gauge your anticipated expenditures and income streams once the daily grind is behind you. It's crucial to take stock of the various income sources at your disposal, such as Social Security, pensions, and 401(k)s, while also factoring in inevitable expenses like taxes, health care, and long-term care. When you're getting budget-savvy for retirement, start by figuring out what's a must-have and what you can let slide. Let's say you're dreaming of a retirement filled with jet-setting adventures. Well, that travel fund needs to be part of the grand budget plan. And let's not forget the inevitable: taxes. It's a good idea to give taxes a special seat

Posted By Lineweaver Financial Group
January 04, 2024 Category: Resolutions, Finance, Goals, Taxes

We’ve been working with private and corporate clients for nearly 30 years. Every year at this time, we meet new clients who want to drastically overhaul their finances, and set themselves up for increased wealth in the New Year. We’ve put a list of 5 resolutions that we always share and that you can put to work for you, too. Resolution No. 1 First things first. The base of any good financial plan is insurance because it helps you control risk. You can have the best financial plan in the world, but if something happens to you or your family, you need to be protected to keep your plan in solid footing.  You first want to take the time to make sure all your insurances are in proper order. This includes Life insurance, disability insurance, and even property and casualty. Because we specialize in working with retirees, long-term care is especially important to our clients. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 70% of people aged 65 or older are likely to need long-term care at some point.  Finally, you may want to consider an umbrella policy, especially if you have rental or vacation homes.  Resolution No. 2 Your financial goals, both long and short term, should be driven by your personal goals – whether that’s providing for children and grandchildren, sending them to college, passing the family business to the next generation, or preparing for your own retirement and the traveling you want to do, you should

Posted By Lineweaver Financial Group
December 14, 2023 Category: Holiday

'Tis the season of festivities, and in a delightful departure from our typical financial updates, let’s embrace the global spirit of celebration. Join us on this delightful exploration as we unveil five captivating holiday traditions from around the world. It's a journey filled with cultural richness and joyous diversity that is sure to add a sprinkle of excitement to your holiday season! Iceland In the enchanting Icelandic holiday tradition, the Yule Lads, a mischievous gang of troll-like creatures, embark on a 13-day journey leading up to Christmas, bringing both excitement and a hint of mischief to local children.  Each night, a distinct lad pays a visit, either bestowing gifts and sweets upon fortunate youngsters or, in less favorable circumstances, dishing out a peculiar form of punishment by leaving a shoe filled with not-so-delightful surprises—rotten potatoes. It's a whimsical blend of festive cheer and a touch of Yuletide unpredictability! Bahamas Escape to the sun-kissed paradise of the Bahamas, where the allure of turquoise waters meets the vibrant rhythms of Junkanoo—an annual extravaganza that transforms the islands into a pulsating carnival of celebration.  From December 26 to New Year's Day, Bahamians sway to the beats of cowbells, drums, and whistles, creating an irresistible tapestry of sound. Picture dancing troupes, numbering up to a thousand, adorned in dazzling costumes and elaborate headdresses, captiva