Retirement

Contributing to your IRA is one of the best ways to secure your financial future. The investment into this interest compounding, and tax-deferred or tax-free environment, comes with positive impacts on your retirement savings. Contributing to your IRA also provides tax benefits. You can deduct them on your tax return depending on how much income you make, whether you or your spouse are...

Retirement planning is one of the most important financial goals for your future. When done right, you’ll be assured freedom and financial independence for later in life. When done wrong, you’re facing a future full of stress and worry. To avoid this outcome, consider the ten worst retirement planning mistakes below, and make moves now to avoid them! #1. Not Having a Retirement Plan in Place...

On January 1, 2020, the SECURE Act (Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement) went into effect. The bill is the most significant reform to retirement legislation in decades and dramatically changes how your IRA and retirement benefits are treated post-death. The most immediate impact of the bill will be felt by those nearing or in retirement.  For most people, a retirement account...

The deduction for qualified medical expenses has survived yet another round of tax reform.  The IRS will allow a tax payer to deduct expenses that exceed 7.5% of their adjusted gross income for 2017 and 2018.  Beginning in 2019, all taxpayers may deduct only the amount of the total unreimbursed allowable medical care expenses for the year that exceeds 10% of their adjusted gross income. For...

Helen Justice, Geriatric Care Manager, at Advanced Wellness, published an informative article on updates to VA disbursements: Are you a War-Time Veteran or Widow of War Time Veteran? There are Financial Benefits available for War Time Veteran and Widow of War Time Veteran to help defray the cost for senior placement Assisted Living Facilities, Board and Care Homes, and In-Home Care. There is a...

Welcome to CunninghamLegal – The Living Trust Lawyers On September 1st, 2017, The Sydney Law Firm, P.C. was acquired by CunninghamLegal. Jeff Sydney and his wife, Alicia, decided it was the the right time for them to retire and pass the baton to our firm to serve his clients. We are honored that Jeff Sydney has entrusted his successful, long-standing practice to us at CunninghamLegal....

When you think about the price of having kids, the costs that come to mind may include things like child care, camp, braces and college tuition. What probably doesn’t spring to mind are mortgages, car payments or personal loans. The reality, however, is that your bank account will likely continue to be tapped long past the day your kids turn 21. According to a 2015 Pew Research Center report,...

The elimination of two popular Social Security claiming strategies has left companies that offer Social Security advice scrambling to incorporate the new rules into their systems. Last week, Congress put an end to “file and suspend” and a restricted application for spousal benefits—Social Security strategies that together made it possible for both members of a couple who are 66 or older to...

It is a common concept to want companionship, and elders are no exception. Unfortunately, an elder with diminishing capacity can easily become a victim of financial abuse if they and/or their advocates are not careful to watch for the indicators of elder mistreatment. Here are a handful of possible indicators of elder financial abuse to be aware of and look for: Unpaid bills, eviction...

You can’t take a tax break with you, but it’s becoming easier to leave to your beneficiaries. The IRS released final rulings detailing an estate and gift-tax break for married couples, known as “portability”. It allows a married spouse to pass nearly $11m in assets to heirs, free of estate tax. Without this, couples would only qualify for one exemption, as opposed to two. The exemption,...