Considering a Roth Conversion Requires Analysis Beyond Income Tax Rates

Roth conversions are a tax-planning strategy that you can use to reduce the impact of taxes on your retirement portfolio. The strategy is a way to pay income taxes on pre-tax retirement funds (IRA, 401k, etc.) in exchange for future tax-free growth and withdrawals. The analysis is simple conceptually: if the assets in question would be taxed at a lower rate by converting them to Roth and paying tax on them today, versus waiting to pay the tax in the future when they are eventually withdrawn, then the Roth conversion…

0 Comments

EAGLE RIDGE FINANCIAL PLANNING CALENDAR

At Eagle Ridge, we provide comprehensive financial planning tailored to meet our clients’ needs. Our service is proactive and ongoing throughout the year with regular checkpoints, timely plan updates and frequent communication. The following highlights the focal points of our service, mapped out across various times of the year for our clients’ benefit. Download our Financial Planning Calendar and learn more...

0 Comments

INVESTMENT COMMENTARY – THIRD QUARTER, 2023

After a strong first half, the equity market was down about 3% in the 3rd quarter but is still up 13% for the year (using the S&P 500 as the benchmark). The market was strong during the 1st half despite the Federal Reserve (Fed) raising its target Fed Funds rate from 4.25% (lower bound) to 5% by the end of the 2nd quarter. The Fed then raised rates again in July before a pause at the September meeting, leaving the lower bound target at 5.25% as of quarter end...

0 Comments

SECURE 2.0 Recent IRS Updates and Effective Dates

Late last year Congress passed, and the President signed into law, the second major piece of retirement legislation (SECURE 1.0 was passed in December 2019) in three years’ time. Much of SECURE 2.0 pertained mostly to contributions to qualified retirement plans rather than withdrawals from qualified plans, though there were a few adjustments that were made concerning (1) an increase in the Required Beginning Date (“RBD”) of age 73 for those individuals born after December 31, 1950 to begin Required Minimum Distributions (“RMDs”), and (2) distributions from inherited IRAs by…

0 Comments

Ulta Beauty Inc: A beauty of an investment?

Ulta Beauty changed the beauty retail experience in the 1990s by offering a new way to shop. At the time, prestige, mass, and salon products were sold through distinct channels — department stores for prestige products; drug stores and mass merchandisers for mass products; and salons and authorized retail outlets for professional hair care products.  Ulta Beauty changed the experience by offering multiple brands at multiple price points and now offers 25,000 products across 600 brands. Ulta Beauty has more than 1,350 stores plus more than 350 shop-in-shops in Target…

0 Comments