Susquehanna Wealth Assurance Group

Market Commentary

Estates & Trusts

What Key Estate Planning Tools Should I Know About?

Wills and trusts allow you to spell out how you would like your property distributed, but they also go beyond that.
What Are the Pitfalls of Probate?

The probate process can be lengthy and complex. There are strategies you can use to help avoid the probate process.
How Can My Gift Benefit Me and the Charity?

To retain the tax advantages associated with charitable giving, your gift must be made to a qualified organization.
Can I Benefit from an A-B Trust?

An A-B trust can be an effective way to help reduce estate taxes and preserve family assets for heirs.
What Gifting Strategies Are Available to Me?

Compare the advantages and disadvantages of different gifting strategies available for planned giving.
How Can I Benefit from a Charitable Remainder Trust?

A designated income beneficiary could receive payment of a specified amount from a charitable remainder trust.
Could My Family Benefit from a Family Limited Partnership?

One estate planning strategy that families with closely held businesses could consider is the family limited partnership.
What Is the Best Form of Property Ownership for Me?

Sole ownership, joint tenancy, tenancy in common, and community property have special benefits for property owners.
What Is the History of the Federal Estate Tax?

Careful estate planning is still one of the most important ways to manage and protect your assets for your heirs.

Retirement

What Is a SIMPLE?

The SIMPLE plan may appeal to small business owners as it is easy to set up, administer, and allows for a tax deduction.
What Is a Roth 401(k)?

A Roth 401(k) is funded with after-tax money, and allows for tax- and penalty-free withdrawal of earnings if requirements are met.
Why Do People Buy Annuities?

Annuities, an insurance-based financial vehicle, can provide many benefits that retirement investors might want.
What Is a Split-Annuity Strategy?

A split-annuity strategy can generate immediate income while potentially stretching some retirement savings.
How Much Do I Need to Save?

Many realize it’s important to save for retirement, but knowing exactly how much to save is another issue altogether.
What Is a 1035 Exchange?

A Section 1035 exchange is a tax-free exchange of an existing annuity contract or life insurance policy for a new one.
Should You Bank Your Retirement on Your Business?

Allocating too much of your retirement investments to one company, even your own, can be a risky proposition.
What Are My Retirement Planning Options?

There are a variety of retirement planning options that could help meet your needs. Here are some of the most popular.
Will Social Security Retire Before You Do?

Greater demand is being placed on the Social Security system as the baby boom generation has begun to retire.
How Can I Estimate My Future Social Security Benefits?

The Social Security Administration’s retirement estimator gives estimates of your future benefits based on your actual Social Security earnings record.
What Is a Self-Employed Retirement Plan?

Tax-deferred retirement plans for self-employed individuals have higher contribution limits than IRAs.
What Are My Retirement Plan Distribution Options?

When receiving money accumulated in your employer-sponsored retirement plan, you have two options: lump sum or annuity.
What Is a Traditional IRA?

If you do not participate in an employer-sponsored retirement plan, you might consider a traditional IRA.
What Is a 401(k) Plan?

401(k) employer-sponsored retirement plans have many benefits, including that the funds accumulate tax-deferred.
Save Now or Save Later?

If you start saving for retirement sooner, the more money you are likely to accumulate and possibly retire sooner.

Tax Planning

What Are the Tax Benefits of Charitable Trusts?

For the grantor, there are a few potential tax benefits that can come with setting up a charitable trust.
What Happens If I Withdraw Money from My Tax-Deferred Investments Before Age 59½

Tax-deferred retirement account withdrawals before age 59½ generally triggers a 10% federal income tax penalty.
What Is Tax Deferral?

There can be a substantial benefit to deferring taxes as long as possible.
Is There Such a Thing as a Tax-Free Investment?

It's important to understand tax-exempt vehicles when establishing a comprehensive tax planning strategy.
How Can I Upgrade My Insurance — Tax-Free?

A 1035 exchange allows you to exchange your life insurance policy for one from another company without tax liability.

Investing

What Are Zero-Coupon Bonds?

Zero-coupon bonds represent a type of bond that does not pay interest during the life of the bond.
What Is Diversification?

An important element to successful investing is to manage investment risk while maintaining the potential for growth.
What Types of Bonds Are Available?

Bonds are issued by many entities and share many characteristics, each type of bond has certain benefits and risks.
What Is a Stock Index?

Stock market indexes can be useful benchmarks for gauging the performance of an investment portfolio over time.
How Do Mutual Funds and Stocks Differ?

The difference between purchasing an individual stock versus shares in a mutual fund to potentially earn dividends.
What Is a Mutual Fund?

A mutual fund is a collection of stocks, bonds, and other securities with certain benefits and risks.
What Is a Closed-End Fund?

With closed-end funds, investors pool their money together to purchase a professionally managed portfolio of stocks and/or bonds.
What Is an Annuity?

An annuity is a flexible financial vehicle that can help protect against the risk of living a long time because it provides an option for a lifetime income.
What Is Asset Allocation?

Asset allocation is a method used to help manage investment risk; it does not guarantee a profit or protect against investment loss.
How Can I Save for My Child’s College Education?

There are several funding methods for a child's college education including mutual funds and Section 529 plans.
What Is Dollar-Cost Averaging?

Dollar-cost averaging involves investing a set amount of money on a regular basis, regardless of market conditions.
529 Lesson Plan: High Scores for 529 Plans

529 plans are tax-advantaged savings plans that generally allow people of any income level to contribute.

Cash Management

What Are Some Tips for Managing My Money?

A sound cash management program uses a disciplined approach: accounting, analysis, allocation, and adjustment.
How Do Money Market Mutual Funds Work?

Money market funds can be a highly liquid and effective cash management tool.
What Advantages Does a Biweekly Mortgage Offer?

Biweekly mortgage payments can have a dramatic effect on the amount of interest homeowners have to pay.
What Are Some Smart Ways to Refinance?

Here are some smart ways to refinance your home.
What About Financial Aid for College?

It's important to understand the options, such as financial aid grant programs, when having to pay for college.
How Does Inflation Affect Me?

Historically, one of the best ways to fight the effects of inflation has been to utilize growth-oriented investments.

Risk Management

Why Purchase Life Insurance?

If you have a family who relies on your income, it is important to have life insurance protection.
Do I Need a Business Owner Policy?

A business owner policy is an insurance package that assembles the basic coverages required by a business owner in one bundle.
What Is Term Life Insurance?

Term life insurance differs from permanent forms of life insurance in that it offers temporary protection.
What Is Whole Life Insurance?

Some of the pros and cons of whole life insurance.
What Is Universal Life Insurance?

Consider a universal life insurance policy if you want the flexibility to change your premium or death benefit.
What Is Variable Life Insurance?

Variable life insurance gives you the control to allocate your account value among a variety of investment options.
How Can I Protect My Home?

Since your home is one of your greatest assets, you should make sure it is adequately protected. That's where homeowners insurance enters the picture.
Do I Need Disability Income Insurance?

Knowing the basics of a disability income insurance policy is a good first step toward protecting your family.
What Types of Health Coverage Are Available?

There are three basic types of medical insurance plans: fee-for-service, managed care, and high-deductible health plan.
Am I Prepared for Long-Term Care Expenses?

The odds of needing long-term care increase as you age. Prior planning can help protect you from financial ruin.
What Does Medicare Cover?

Medicare is the federal health insurance program for those persons age 65 and over. But what does it cover?
What Are the Basic Types of Life Insurance?

When selecting a life insurance policy, examine all your options, as well as the positives and negatives of each type.

Weekly Market Commentary

Weekly Market Commentary | September 30, 2024

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Articles

Market Commentary

Estates & Trusts

Retirement

Tax Planning

Investing

Cash Management

Risk Management

Weekly Market Commentary