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Financial Alternatives News and Insights

Integrated Wealth Management
What is the Right Way to Educate the Next Generation About Money?

Most families, even the more financially successful ones, don’t talk about money the right way, or even put much attention into discussing money as a family at all. For a variety of reasons this is harmful to a family’s continued wellbeing. Here are some tips for successfully imparting the knowledge and wisdom about money that your family needs to know to educate the next generation about money.

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Stuck in Paradise

I recently explored upgrading from my current condo into a house, but the resulting property tax and mortgage expense increase would be too great for me to justify a move. This same predicament, which I call the “golden handcuffs” provides disincentives for many homeowners to move, fanning the flames of the affordable housing shortage in North County.

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What You Need to Know About Preventing Elder Abuse in La Jolla, CA

It is a sad fact of life that often those who are close to us are the ones who have the ability to hurt us the most, even trusted caregivers or family members. Members of the La Jolla community may recall the chilling case of Robert Stella, an elderly man who was tied to his bed, starved, and forced to live in squalor by his ex-wife (NBC, 2014). Elder abuse can happen to any older adult in any community, but the subject of our story today is how our community members in La Jolla, CA may defend themselves and their loved ones from elder abuse.

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Market Review - Q1 2018
  • Looking at broad market indices, emerging markets outperformed developed markets, including the US, in the first quarter.

  • Non-US real estate investment trusts outperformed US REITs in the first quarter.

  • Interest rates increased in the US during the first quarter.

  • The yield on the 10-year Treasury note increased to 2.74%.

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Planning Newsletter - Apr 2018
  • The amount you can pass without owing estate taxes essentially doubled as of January 1st thanks to the recently passed Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.

  • This estate tax provision will expire at the end of 2025.

  • Estate plans based on prior tax law should be re-evaluated to ensure your intentions match the current law.

  • Older estate plans may ultimately cost your beneficiaries more in taxes and/or unnecessary recordkeeping requirements.

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What Your Investment Advisor Should Be Doing to Protect Your Confidentiality

Silence and privacy are the most undervalued assets in a client’s portfolio. We say this to acknowledge an often overlooked facet of investment management and financial planning: client confidentiality. This is something that many financial advisors and even their clients don’t pay enough attention to until it is too late. Is your advisor doing what your advisor should be doing to protect your confidentiality?

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