Blog Archives - PFwise.com

If You Contribute to Family-coverage HSA, Time to Make a Change

3/31/2018

HSAs let you set aside money on a pretax basis to pay for qualified medical expenses. Contributions can be made only by workers who opt for so-called high-deductible medical insurance plans.

If you elected earlier this year to contribute the maximum to your HSA family plan, you need to contact your HR department to reduce your annual contribution, because the IRS recently lowered the contribution limit for family-coverage health savings accounts (HSAs) from $6,900 to $6,850 — a $50 reduction.

True, $50 isn’t much, but if you exceed the limit even by that amount, you could incur a penalty from the IRS.

The change doesn’t impact those with individual coverage, where the contribution limit remains at $3,450.

Test Your Retirement Income Knowledge - Answers

3/30/2018

Answers to Retirement Income Knowledge test:

1. (c) 70, not 75, because once you reach age 70, benefits do not increase further.
2. (b) Medicaid, the federal health plan for the poor. You must be in poverty to have the federal government cover your long-term care needs. Medicare doesn’t pay much in long-term care benefits.
3. False. Medicare pays for 100 days — after you’ve first spent three or more days in a hospital getting skilled nursing care. A lot of folks don’t need that. They go straight to a nursing home, in which case Medicare doesn’t pay anything.
4. (d) 70 and a half. You have until April 1 of the year after you reach that age to take the first distribution, but at that point you’d need to take one for the current year as well.
5. (b) B-rated corporate bonds. The others may be rated higher and have higher quality and safety, but not the highest yield. (Those who don’t know this answer could end up buying bonds that are riskier than they thought or lower in yield than they thought.)
6. (b) less. If inflation is more than your earnings, your buying power goes down. Many people don’t know the basic elements of how inflation works and its impact on paychecks.
7. (a) stocks. Yet today more than half of households don’t own stocks, preferring to have their savings in bonds and CDs, wrongly believing those will protect them against inflation.
8. False. A basket of stocks is safer than a single stock, because if one goes down you still have many others. It’s like having 12 eggs in 12 baskets instead of all 12 in one basket.
9. (b) It will drop substantially. Bond values and interest rates are inversely proportional: When one goes up, the other goes down.

Test Your Retirement Income Knowledge - Questions

3/29/2018

1. A single person who’s likely to live to age 90 or longer will generally be better off claiming Social Security benefits at what age?
(a) 62 (b) 66 (c) 70 (d) 75

2. Who pays the majority of long-term care expenses?
(a) Medicare (b) Medicaid (c) long-term care insurance (d) individuals

3. True or false: Medicare typically pays for a nursing home for one year.

4. In order to avoid a penalty, you must begin taking distributions from your IRA in the year you attain what age?
(a) 55 (b) 59 and a half (c) 65 (d) 70 and a half

5. Which of the following long-term bonds typically has the highest yield?
(a) triple-A-rated corporate bonds (b) B-rated corporate bonds (c) treasury bonds

6. Suppose your savings account pays you 2 percent a year and inflation is running at 4 percent a year. After one year, you will be able to buy:
(a) more (b) less (c) exactly the same amount.

7. Most experts agree that the best way to protect against inflation is to have a diversified portfolio of what?
(a) stocks (b) bonds (c) bank CDs

8. True or false: Buying a single stock is usually safer than a stock mutual fund.

9. If 100 percent of a mutual fund’s assets are invested in long-term bonds, and interest rates go up substantially, what will happen to the value of the fund?
(a) It will go up substantially. (b) It will drop substantially. (c) It won’t change at all.

Answers are here.

C-Corp or Pass-through Entity: Which Business Types Is Better?

3/28/2018

Q. I am considering to start a business, should I set up a C-corporation or a pass-through LLC, given the new tax law went effective on Jan 1 2018?

A. The answer is it depends.

C-corporation
With the new tax law passed in December 2017, C-corporations now pay a 21% flat rate. However, C corporation owners are still subject to "double taxation" - the corporation is taxed at 21% on its income and the shareholder/owner is taxed on qualified dividends at a top rate of 23.8%.

For high-bracket taxpayers, C-corporation may makes sense if they intend to reinvest the corporation's earnings back into the business, in this way, they will only pay the 21% flat rate.

Pass-through entity
For owners of pass-through entities, they now have the ability to take a 20% deduction on their personal income taxes for the qualified business income. However, owners still face a variety of definitions, limits, and phase-outs for the 20% deduction on qualified business income. The worst case scenario is a top income tax rate of 37% for pass-through business income.

Useful Websites

3/27/2018

Allergy self-defense
You can find out the symptoms, triggers, and treatments for different kinds of allergies - seasonal, cats/dogs, dust, food, mold, and more at ACAAL.org/allergies

Tech know-how
You can learn how to buy, use, and fix digital cameras, drones, smartphones, smartwatches, and other wearables at LifeWire.com

Free movie/TV shows
You can access the fully legal, ad-supported service through laptops, smartphones, Roku, Xbox, and other devices at Crackle.com

Could Life Insurers Misread My Medical Records?

3/26/2018

Q. When I apply for life insurance, what if an insurance underwriter misread my medical records?

A. It is possible for a life insurer to misread or misinterpret your medical information and think you have a health problem that you don't have. If this happens, the consequence could be costly.

What to do if this happens?

No worries, we have experienced underwriting expert in our support office that work for us, rather than the insurance companies. If the above situation happens, our in-house underwriting expert will be engaged and work on behalf of you to communicate with the insurance company's underwriters to address any misunderstanding that might exist.

Such in-house expertise has actually save some of our clients lots of money. If you have unusual health conditions while applying for life insurance, please contact us beforehand so we could get our experts to work on your case from the beginning.

What Is Life Insurance's Role In Retirement Plan?

3/25/2018

What Is The Optimal Retirement Plan?

3/24/2018

Q. What's the optimal retirement plan?

A. Most consumers spending their entire life accumulating a pile of assets. However, the optimal retirement plan is not about assets, it's about guaranteed retirement income.

To achieve this optimal retirement plan, following the simple 3 steps below:

First, calculate how much money you need each month in retirement.
Second, subtract your social security and any pensions you may receive.
Third, cover the rest with a guaranteed lifetime income annuity, this will remove market risk, withdrawal rate risk, and order or return risk.

Are Income From Pension the Same As Income From Bonds?

3/23/2018

Q. Is pension income the same as bond income?

A. No, they are different, because bonds are liquid assets, you can sell it whenever you want for its current market value if you need the cash. However, you cannot cash in a pension, all you can get is this month's check, then you must wait another month for the next check.

Dow Dropped 1000 Points, What Does Warren Buffet's Advice?

3/22/2018

Q. I am really concerned about the big drops of stock market indexes, what should I do?

A. It's nature for ordinary investors to be in panic mode when seeing the Dow drops more than 1,000 points in one day. However, here I like the words of Warren Buffett from his recent letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders:

“During such scary periods, you should never forget two things: First, widespread fear is your friend as an investor, because it serves up bargain purchases. Second, personal fear is your enemy. It will also be unwarranted.”

I believe the Sage of Omaha is spot-on.

Protective's Step Premium Strategy Lower Premium Up to 45% Now

3/21/2018

Q. I need life insurance to protect my loved ones, but I have cash flow problem now. What can I do?

A. If you know you need life insurance, but the monthly premiums are more than you can afford right now, you can consider the solution from Protective - it’s called “Step Premium Strategy,” and it can help you pay up to 45% less right now. Here’s how it works.

Protective's Introduction of this Strategy to Agents:
Why pay more than necessary for life insurance coverage? With our Step Premium Strategy, your clients can lower their out-of-pocket premium costs in early years (generally when the savings are most appreciated) with the option to pay catch-up premiums in the future. Additionally, stepped premium designs allow clients to maximize Internal Rate of Return (IRR) on death benefit through life expectancy.

Possible Scenarios:

Current cash flow concerns, with ability to pay higher premiums in the future
Client who appreciates and understands leverage and the value of IRR
Trying to present a rated case in a favorable light
Standard/substandard client with a realistic life expectancy shorter than the typical age 121 guarantee illustrations commonly presented

Solution/Highlights:

Provide your client with the option to PAY LESS UP FRONT (up to 45% less)
Maximize IRR through life expectancy
Why overpay for guarantees he/she won’t need?
Strong and simple alternative to premium finance
Great, too, when in competition
Protective Life BILLS AS ILLUSTRATED. This means Protective will bill your client according to the illustration submitted for policy issue. Protective keeps track of when the premium step-up occurs!

Here's an example:
Male 69 Standard Non-Tobacco; $1M Advantage Choice UL (Guaranteed to age 105)

One Thing To Do After You Are Done With Your 2017 Tax

3/20/2018

Q. Why it is important to check W-4 in 2018?

A. After you are done with your 2017 tax, if you owe IRS money or have a refund, there is one thing you need to do, but most people are too lazy to do - check your tax withholding and make sure it is accurate.

This is especially important in 2018 due to the new tax law changes, and right after you are done with your 2017 is the best time to do so because you have all the data you need.

How to Set AccurateTax Withholding?

1. Go to IRS.gov and search for "tax withholding calculator".
2. You will see an updated tool to review and change your W-4 for 2018.
3. The tool has 5 pages, with your 2017 tax return information handy, you can get all the 5 steps done easily.
4. At page 5, you will see the results and recommendations from IRS to set the right amount of tax withholding.

How Much Do I Need In Order To Keep The Lifestyle I Want?

3/19/2018

Q. I am age 45 now, I want to retire at age 65. How much do I need to invest now in order to generate a net annual income of $80,000 for my retirement years?

A. It's good that you already figured out how much each year you need during retirement time in order to live a lifestyle you want, that is $80,000 per year. Next you will need to figure out how much guaranteed annual income you will have from pension and social security income, let's say it is $25,000, so you need $55,000 each year from your retirement savings.

You can assume 5% withdrawal rate each year from your retirement savings, this means you will need $1,100,000 at that time. Now take a look at how much savings you have now, and how much you need to save each year between now and age 65, and how much return you would get, it will give you an idea if you are on track to your retirement goal or not.

You can run the following retirement planning tool to calculate how much saving you will need each year -

www.pfwise.com/blog/how-much-to-save-in-order-to-reach-retirement-saving-target

2017 Frequently Overlooked Tax Deductions - Miscellaneous

3/18/2018

Miscellaneous
Miscellaneous itemized deductions generally are deductible to the extent that they exceed 2% of your AGI. Included…

Accountants’ fees.
Costs for job-related uniforms.
Fees paid for professional journals.
Investment management and custody fees for taxable investments.
Job-related education expenses.
Job-search expenses for a new job in your present occupation, including…
- Travel to and from job interviews, including cab fare and/or auto expenses.
- Costs for preparing, typing, printing and mailing résumés.
Legal expenses incurred for the production of income or the management, conservation or maintenance of income-producing property.
Legal expenses incurred in collecting alimony under a divorce decree are deductible. However, legal expenses incurred in a divorce paid by one spouse in resisting the other’s monetary demands are nondeductible personal expenses.
Tax-preparation fees.
Union and professional dues.

Others
Other deductions that a taxpayer can benefit from are…

Teachers can deduct as an adjustment to gross income up to $250 for unreimbursed expenses for equipment used in the classroom (books, computer equipment and supplies).
Employees and self-employed individuals may deduct as an adjustment to gross income the reasonable expenses of moving themselves and their families if the move is related to starting work in a new location. Deductible expenses include (1) transportation of household goods and personal effects and (2) travel (lodging but not meals).
Legal fees and court costs paid in conjunction with discrimination or “whistle-blowing” cases after October 22, 2004, are deductible as adjustments to gross income and not as itemized deductions.
All properly substantiated gambling losses are fully deductible to the extent that they are used to offset that year’s gambling winnings.

2017 Frequently Overlooked Tax Deductions - Charitable Contributions Related

3/17/2018

Charitable Contributions Related

Contributions to qualified charities are deductible within limits base on your AGI. (You can carry over any nondeductible excess for up to five years.) Included…

Automobile expenses for volunteer activities computed at 14 cents per mile plus parking fees and tolls.
Cash contributions up to 50% of AGI (100% for certain disaster relief contributions). (Either canceled check, bank statement, credit card statement or acknowledgment is required for all donations up to $249 and written acknowledgment from the charity for contributions in excess of $249.)
Fair market value of clothing and other household items donated to charity. A qualified appraisal is generally required if the value of donated items exceeds $500.
Gifts of capital gains property, such as appreciated stock. The current-year deduction is limited to 30% of AGI. Any excess can be carried over for up to five years.
Out-of-pocket expenses incurred while engaged in volunteer activities, as long as they are properly substantiated.
Deductions for charitable contributions of used motor vehicles, boats and airplanes now generally are limited to the amount the charity receives upon the vehicle’s sale and not the fair market value on the date of donation. Upon sale of the property, the charity is required to report to the taxpayer within 30 days the amount of proceeds realized on the sale. Charities are required to give a copy of written acknowledgments of such donations to the IRS.
Appraised value of the vehicle donation may be used when the charitable organization uses the donated item in its charitable activity.

2017 Frequently Overlooked Tax Deductions - Casualty and Theft Losses Related

3/16/2018

Casualty and Theft Losses Related
Casualty and theft losses are deductible if they result from a sudden, unexpected and unusual cause to the extent that they exceed 10% of AGI and $100 for each occurrence and cannot be reimbursed by insurance. (The 10% floor does not apply to certain disaster losses). Included…

Automobile accident if not caused by your willful act.
Loss of a bank account due to insolvency of the bank.
Fire, flood and storm damage, including hurricanes and tornadoes.
Repairs to home because of damage due to pyrrhotite.
Replacement cost of trees and shrubs damaged by storms or fires.

2017 Frequently Overlooked Tax Deductions - Interest Related

3/15/2018

Interest Related
The IRS divides interest into several categories. Personal interest (paid on auto loans, credit card debt, etc.) is not deductible. However, interest on qualified higher-education loans is deductible, subject to AGI and other limitations. The maximum deduction for these loans is $2,500 of interest each year. This is a deduction used in calculating your AGI and is not an itemized deduction.

Mortgage and investment interest expenses typically are deductible as itemized deductions, subject to these limits…

Co-op owners may deduct their share of mortgage interest paid by the association.
Interest expense paid on loans held specifically to purchase taxable investments is deductible to the extent of net investment income. Excess interest expense is carried forward indefinitely.
Interest paid for a loan on a boat that has living, sleeping and eating quarters.
Mortgage interest expense incurred on as much as $1 million in home acquisition debt (or $500,000 if married and filing separately). The $1 million threshold can be reached using mortgages on only your primary residence and one other personal residence. This includes debt incurred within 90 days of the purchase or major improvement that is secured by the principal residence and/or one additional residence. If you took out a mortgage after December 15, 2017, the deduction can be taken on mortgage debt up to $750,000 (or $375,000 if married and filing separately).
Mortgage insurance premiums for those with income below set levels.
Mortgage interest expense incurred on home-equity loans of up to $100,000 (or $50,000 if married and filing jointly). Generally, the proceeds can be used at the taxpayer’s discretion without risking the interest being classified as nondeductible. One exception is if the loan is taken out to purchase tax-exempt/municipal bonds, which would then classify all home-equity loan interest as nondeductible.
Points paid on your principal residence generally are deductible immediately, unless you choose otherwise.
Points paid on a refinance generally are amortized over the life of the loan.

2017 Frequently Overlooked Tax Deductions - Tax Related

3/14/2018

Taxes
Taxes other than federal income, FICA, estate or gift tax generally are deductible. Included…

Co-op owners can deduct their proportionate share of the building’s taxes.
Foreign taxes, unless a credit is claimed.
Personal property taxes.
Real property taxes paid during the year. (This may be different from the amount paid into your escrow account. Your lender will advise you as to the amount to deduct.)
State and local income taxes paid or applied during the year, including wage withholding, or state and local sales taxes.

2017 Frequently Overlooked Tax Deductions - Medical Related

3/13/2018

Medical Deductions
Medical expenses for the 2017 tax year are deductible to the extent that they exceed 7.5% of your adjusted gross income (AGI), regardless of your age. Included…

Acupuncture.
Alcoholism and drug/nicotine addiction treatment programs.
Capital expenditures for home improvements required to accommodate a disability. Examples: Elevators, ramps, modifications to cabinets.

Chiropractic care.
Closed-caption television decoder.
Contact lenses.
Cosmetic surgery necessary to ameliorate a deformity from a congenital abnormality, personal injury or disfiguring disease—not elective cosmetic surgery.
Dental fees and dentures—not for cosmetic procedures, such as tooth whitening.
Eye examinations.
Eyeglasses.
Health insurance premiums paid with after-tax dollars, including the cost of Medicare Part B and Part D coverage. Self-employed individuals may deduct 100% of their insurance premiums even if they do not itemize their deductions.
Insulin and prescription drugs.
Lodging (but not meals) not provided in a hospital while away from home primarily for, and essential to, medical care. Limited to $50 each per night for the patient and a companion.
Nursing home care required because of a medical condition.
Premiums paid for long-term-care insurance subject to limitations depending on the age of the taxpayer.
Prescription contraceptives, legal abortions and vasectomies.
Psychiatric treatment.
Seeing aids for the blind, including expenses for Braille publications and guide dogs.
Telephone equipment for the deaf.
Transportation to and from hospitals or doctors’ offices. The automobile rate is 17 cents/mile, plus parking fees and tolls.
Weight-loss programs for the obese.
Wheelchairs or other special chairs for a disabled person.

Last Minute Frequently Overlooked Tax Deductions For 2017

3/12/2018

Here is a checklist to find savings before filing your 2017 tax returns.

These deductions have been allowed by the IRS and upheld in court. Although most changes under the new federal tax law take effect with the 2018 tax year, some deductions for the 2017 tax year, including medical deductions and deductions on interest payments for certain mortgages, have changed.

Two Risks of Index Investing

3/11/2018

Q. Is there any risk in investing in index funds?

A. Index funds have two main advantages:

Lower costs
Instant diversification

However, index funds are not equal to safety. In fact, index investing has two major risks, especially in a bear market -

1. 100% of Bear Market Return
By definition, index funds guarantee that you will suffer 100% of the next bear market's decline! Active Funds might work better because fund managers could keep more cash on hand than do index funds.

2. Over Weight on Over-valued Stocks
Most indexes weight components by market capitalization (stock price multiplied by shares outstanding), therefore, at the peak of bull market, the index has more overvalued stocks, however, in a bear market, those overvalued stocks tend to fall harder.

2 Ways to Buy Foreign Stocks

3/10/2018

Q. How can I buy foreign stocks in U.S.?

A. There are two ways to buy foreign stocks in U.S.

1. Buy ADRs
A few hundred foreign stocks trade on a US exchange as American Depository Receipt (ADR), these are issued by major US banks who buy bulk lots of stock shares from foreign companies and then reissue them as certificates that trade just like stocks on NYSE, Nasdaq, or on the OTC.

You can buy ADRs through most US brokerages with all trades in US dollars. The downside is some ADRs have very low trading volume.

2. Buy Through a US Broker
Online discount brokers such as Fidelity, Charles Schwab, and Interactive Brokers, all allow you to access dozens of major exchanges in the World so you could purchase a large number of foreign stocks from their website.

The downside: first, trading costs tend to be higher than on US exchanges; second, your money must be converted into a local currency before you purchase a stock, then back into US dollars after you sell it, the fluctuating US dollars will affect your gains and losses.

What Are Other Ways to Protect Yourself?

3/9/2018

Umbrella insurance is designed to ensure your assets won’t be seized in the case of a lawsuit—but that’s not the only way to protect yourself.

Alternative 1 - Set Up an LLC
Another way is to set up your business as an LLC if you’re currently operating as a sole proprietor. That way, if someone suffers harm because of your business, they can only go after property held by the business instead of your personal holdings.

Alternative 2 - Increase Current Policy's Coverage
You can also increase the liability coverage on your renters, homeowners and auto policies to avoid buying umbrella insurance. However, it’s usually cheaper to buy a new umbrella policy than to increase the liability payouts on your other forms of insurance.

Alternative 3 - Study Your State Laws
Research your state’s homestead laws, which can protect your property from being named in a judgment. These usually only apply to your primary residence and not a vacation home. You also must live in a state for a minimum length of time to qualify as a resident.

Alternative 4 - Self Insure
A more unorthodox method is to self-insure with a large stockpile of assets, usually several million dollars. But this route is only attainable for a small subset of the population.

Where to Purchase Umbrella Insurance?

3/8/2018

In general, you can buy an umbrella policy from the same insurance provider you use for your other property insurances. Call your agent to get their rates, and see if you can get a discount for bundling.

However, it could also be worthwhile to contact an independent insurance broker to compare notes and see whether you’d save money by going with your existing insurance company or with a new one.

An $1M umbrella insurance should cost you a few hundred dollars a year.

When Do You Need Umbrella Insurance?

3/7/2018

It’s easy to be held liable for something that happened on your property—that’s why umbrella insurance is so popular. If you don’t own a home, have little to no net worth and don’t keep any dangerous equipment on your property, you can probably do without umbrella insurance.

However, most people should consider buying a policy. An umbrella insurance is necessary if you fit one or more of these categories:

People who own (or rent) boats, cars or other vehicles
Coaches of youth sports
People with dogs or dangerous pets
Parents
People who host guests in their home or on their property
Anyone who own rental properties
People who talk about other people or businesses
People who volunteer their time and services

Many of these activities increase your chance of being involved in a lawsuit, even if they might seem harmless.

How Much Umbrella Insurance Do You Need?
An $1 million policy is sufficient for most people and should only cost a few hundreds a year. It’s one of the most affordable insurance policies you can buy, but it's still a good idea to shop around.

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IMPORTANT DISCLOSURES
PFwise.com does not provide investment, tax, or legal advice. The information presented here is not specific to any individual's personal circumstances.

To the extent that any material concerns tax matters, it is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, by a taxpayer for the purpose of avoiding penalties that may be imposed by law. Each taxpayer should seek independent advice from a tax professional based on his or her individual circumstances.

These materials are provided for general information and educational purposes based upon publicly available information from sources believed to be reliable—we cannot assure the accuracy or completeness of these materials. The information in these materials may change at any time and without notice.

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