Tax planning in turbulent times part 1: the tools of the tax-planning trade
Whether you’re saving, investing, spending, bequeathing, or receiving wealth, there’s scarcely a move you can make without considering how taxes might influence the outcome. No wonder people get nervous when there’s lots of talk about higher taxes, but little certainty on what may come of it, and who it might affect. How do we plan […]
Protecting what’s yours (after you pass) Part 2: step-by-step estate planning
In our last piece, we emphasized the importance of estate planning as the greatest gift you can bequeath to your loved ones, to reduce their painful stress load during an already stressful time. If you’ve been putting off your estate planning, taking the initial steps can be daunting—but liberating. So, let’s get started today, one […]
Protecting what’s yours (after you pass) Part 1: the importance of estate planning
Fact: When you pass, you will leave behind an estate, and somebody will need to settle it. Your estate may be worth a little or a lot, but there’s no escaping death and taxes. So why do so many families put off their essential estate planning until push comes to shove? Estate Planning Is an […]
What’s the best lockheed martin pension benefit option?
Our Lockheed Martin clients in the Syracuse and Owego plants often ask for our recommendation on how to elect their pension payment. Take the hypothetical example: John works at Lockheed Martin in Syracuse and his life only pension benefit is $5,000/month, or $60,000/year. At the other extreme, his 100% survivorship benefit is $4,000/month, or […]
Lockheed Martin resources
A good portion of our clients are employees of Lockheed Martin’s plant in Syracuse. As a result, we receive a lot of questions about Lockheed’s Martin benefit program, 401(k) allocation, etc. We took some time and did a deep dive into their benefits package and highlighted some areas you don’t want to overlook if you […]
Saab AB share matching plan – Rockbridge’s analysis
The defense and aerospace company, Saab Inc., has their US Headquarters, and several hundred employees in our hometown of Syracuse, NY. In addition to their 401(k) match and great pay, they offer one of the most appealing Employee Stock Purchase Plans we’ve ever seen. At its core, this is an employee stock purchase plan that […]
Investment lessons found in the year of the coronavirus
Investors nerves were tried throughout 2020, yet those investors who avoided behavioral mistakes and didn’t let their emotions get the best of them were rewarded handsomely. The year was full of lessons, but some highlights were: Market results are unpredictable- Missing the best market day in March would have cost you 10%. That “lost” […]
The stimulus bill explained
Congress recently passed a highly anticipated economic stimulus bill just in time for the holidays. The entire bill contains over 5,000 pages of new legislation appropriating over $900 billion in government spending. The following is an outline of the provisions most pertinent to our clients here at Rockbridge. The headline provision in the bill is […]
Six financial best practices for year-end 2020
Has 2020 left you feeling like the fabled Sisyphus, forever pushing a boulder up a steep hill? Thankfully, with multiple COVID-19 vaccines in the works, there’s hope the load will lighten in the new year, fast approaching. While we prepare for a fresh start, here are six financial best practices for year-end 2020 and beyond, […]
Will you please have a will
Now and then, we all wrestle with the fact that we will not live forever. While most of us find this topic difficult to think about, it will happen to all of us and the circumstances will vary. For some, it will be sudden, while others will have prolonged battles with health issues and may require […]
