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Integrated Wealth Management
Planning Newsletter - April 2025
  • Some are worried that Social Security may not be there when they retire. Even without increasing taxes, the Social Security system is projected to be able to pay 73% of promised benefits all the way out to the year 2098.

  • The primary source of Social Security funding—payroll taxes—is continuous. As long as people are working, the system collects revenue. Currently, payroll taxes cover about 77-80% of benefit payments even without trust fund reserves.

  • Unlike private financial schemes, Social Security is backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. Congress has adjusted Social Security multiple times in its history, including the 1983 reforms, which raised the retirement age and increased payroll taxes to stabilize funding. Future adjustments will likely follow a similar path.

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Having Trouble with Insurance Renewal Since the LA Fires?

California residents affected by the devasting wildfires, especially in Los Angles are experiencing emotional heartbreak. Our hearts go out to you. Many have lost not only their homes but also a lifetime of memories. But what is causing this crisis, and what can you do to protect yourself from not being about to renew insurance after the LA wildfires?    

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Marcelle Kako
The IRS is coming for your cash app

Venmo, Zelle, PayPal… all the new ways society is getting used to sending, receiving, and requesting cash without ever needing a physical wallet. However, as we start to track more finances on our smartphones, the IRS is using the data to better enforce the tax code. Here is what consumers need to know about changes in the IRS tracking of cash transactions.

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Marcelle Kako
Reporting crypto on taxes: big changes for 2025

The IRS has your Bitcoin on their radar - get prepared before the grace period ends on December 31st! There are some big changes on the brink when it comes to how you report Bitcoin on your taxes. This blog presents a summary of what you need to know about changes in Bitcoin (and other digital asset) income tax reporting for 2025.

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Chris Jaccard, CFP®, CFA
Planning Newsletter - October 2024
  • Review your marginal tax brackets for ordinary income and capital gains rates to decide which account to withdraw from.

  • Don’t make the mistake of overfunding retirement accounts at the expense of your brokerage (taxable) accounts. It’s important to have non-retirement assets for flexible spending and savings goals. If you haven’t set up a taxable brokerage account, perhaps this is the next move to make for any money leftover that you haven’t found a home for

  • End of year provides you with the opportunity to think about managing liabilities. Consider the relative advantage to paying down debts with assets. What is the tax impact of doing so? Would it make a difference to your peace of mind?

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Investing Newsletter - July 2024

  • Cycles of US stock outperformance and underperformance vs. International stocks are normal.

  • The international equity outperformance from. 2000 to 2009 was especially painful for US investors because US stocks averaged negative returns for 10 years - now known as “The Lost Decade.”

  • Valuation measures such as price-to-earnings ratios lead some to believe that International stocks may outperform US stocks over the coming yearsmay outperform US stocks over the coming yearsmay outperform US stocks over the coming years

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