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Posted By Lineweaver Financial Group
May 18, 2023 Category: Tax, Finance, 401k, Retirement

The idea of saving as much as possible during your career while making wise investments to have a comfortable retirement is nothing new for workers. But if you don’t consider a tax strategy with that plan, it can derail any retirement.  Many workers are able to get company stock either as part of their compensation or through the company’s 401(k) program and these are the stocks you want to pay attention to so you don’t lose money in taxes.  Typically, when people retire, they roll all of their 401(k) to an IRA and everything you paid for that company stock inside the 401(k) and all the appreciation through your working years will be taxed at your personal income rate when you take money out to supplement your retirement.  Instead, if you use the Net Unrealized Appreciation – or NUA – rules, you can roll the stock out of the 401(k) and pay ordinary income taxes only on the cost basis, or what you paid for the stock through the years. Then, if done correctly, you can have the appreciation of the stock taxed at the much lower capital gains rates. For most people, this could cut your tax bill almost in half. For example, let’s say that you have $300,000 of company stock in your 401(k), that you paid $100,000 for. You roll the stock out of your 401(k) to a non-IRA account. You will pay taxes on the first $100,000 at your ordinary income rate, but the additional $200,000 would be taxed at your capital gain rate, which ca

Posted By Lineweaver Financial Group
May 04, 2023 Category: Postnuptial, Prenuptial, Agreements, Nuptial, Finance

Most people have heard of a prenup – or prenuptial – agreement, but a new law in Ohio will now allow for a postnuptial agreement.  A prenuptial agreement is an agreement a couple enters into before marriage describing how their assets will be divided on divorce or death. However, once you were married, you could not amend or terminate the prenuptial agreement or enter into any agreement regarding the division of assets. Until now, all other states besides Ohio and Iowa allowed for an agreement after marriage to either amend the prenuptial agreement or have a whole new agreement describing how assets will be divided on divorce or death. But now that Senate Bill 210 has been signed into law, married couples in Ohio can go forward with a postnuptial agreement.  There are a couple of scenarios that a postnuptial agreement could lend itself to.  For example, at the beginning of a marriage, the husband and wife were about equal in finances and agreed in a prenuptial agreement that each would keep their own assets. Then they have three children and for twenty years the wife stays at home raising the family and the husband grows his business to be a very valuable asset. The wife might want some part of those assets since she lost the opportunity to grow her assets.  In that case, a postnuptial agreement could provide that she shares in some of the growth of the husband’s assets. In another scenario, let’s say parents want to give a

Posted By Lineweaver Financial Group
January 25, 2023 Category: Finance, Markets, Bonds

COMMENTARY BY JERRY HERMAN, CFA® As we sit in the darkest days of the solar year, we are encouraged to know that the days ahead will have more light – the days will be brighter. And for the financial markets we are optimistic that this will be true in the figurative sense as well. 2022 was a year of recognition and reality - recognition that the stimulus endeavors of prior periods needed to be unwound and the reality that the process could be painful. 2023 offers opportunities and optimism - opportunities being presented in sectors and asset classes that we haven’t seen for some time and the optimism that the Fed will get it right and avoid a deep recession, and global and domestic political and social tension will ease.   In 2022, the forces of pandemic-induced supply chain disruptions, exceptionally high consumer demand for goods such as housing, autos, and appliances, and services like travel and entertainment, combined with an energy shock brought on by the Russia-Ukraine conflict, drove inflation to its highest level in four decades! In June, the inflation rate hit 9.1% and averaged just over 7% for the year, more than double the historical average of about 3%. To combat inflation, the Fed increased interest rates seven times during the year to 4.25-4.5%, levels not seen since 2008.  The year was difficult for investors. Facing the headwinds of rising interest rates, a very tight labor market, and capacity and supply constraints in ma

Posted By Lineweaver Financial Group
January 25, 2023 Category: Resolutions, Finance, Goals, Coordination

By Jim Lineweaver, CFP®, AIF® President and Founder It might not be so shocking to learn that many of us don’t stick to our New Year’s resolutions. In fact, according to a study conducted by the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania, only 8% of people achieved their New Year’s resolutions in 2021.  One problem that typically arises is that we set aspirational goals for ourselves instead of ones based on the reality of integrating them into our everyday activities. This can set us up for failure and create self-doubt in our abilities. Here’s a list of attainable resolutions I’ve put together to give you the confidence needed to stay true to your financial goals throughout the new year.  The first resolution that will help set a solid foundation to your financial plan is to set aside time to look at your insurance plans. You’ll want to make sure all your insurance is in proper order including life insurance, disability insurance and even property and casualty. Because we specialize in working with retirees, long-term care is of top priority to our clients. And if you have rental or vacation homes, you may want to consider an umbrella policy.  Another resolution is to establish your financial goals. Both long and short financial goals should be driven by your personal goals. That could look like sending your children or grandchildren to college, passing on the family business or having a retirement plan tha

Posted By Lineweaver Financial Group
January 13, 2023 Category: Second Opinion, Finance, Cosultation

People often question if they’re doing all they can to protect their portfolios from losses while taking advantage of buying opportunities. To help you gain more confidence in your financial well-being, it can be beneficial to get a second opinion.  Even if you’re happy with your current plan, a second opinion can help pinpoint issues or call attention to parts that might be overlooked otherwise. Here are five reasons why it might be time to consider a second opinion.   All financial planners are different, and each offers different services and products. You need a planner who is truly independent and not forced to offer a limited selection of options to meet your goals and objectives. The advisor you want is one that can customize a solution for whatever your circumstances may be.  You’ll want to make sure your advisor is a fiduciary, which means that an advisor puts your needs and goals before their own. If you’re currently seeing an advisor that is not a fiduciary like ours, that may mean they’re not keeping your best interests in mind.  Make sure you’re working with someone with the proper credentials. Ideally, you’ll want to see a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) because they follow higher standards in terms of education and ethics. The best of both worlds would be an independent fiduciary who is a CFP. Then they’d have access to almost any strategy, product or security and have to put your inte

Posted By Lineweaver Financial Group
November 03, 2022 Category: Retirement, Certified Financial Planner, Finance

A question that comes around often is not only how much you should save for retirement, but how much you should spend in retirement. When it comes to talking about how much to save, many times the rule of thumb is 10-15%. However, that assumes that you have saved that same amount for your entire career, and many of us haven’t.  Instead of just assuming a single savings rate, many financial advisors will suggest that you start by working backward. That means deciding when you want to retire and how much you’ll spend each year in retirement.  Once you set those targets, you can work backward to get the number you’ll need and then divide that by your remaining years and figure in market return. This will help you figure out how much you need to save. While this is a valid strategy many advisors use, an issue that arises here is that situations change. If you do this in your 20s, 30s or 50s, your priorities can be completely different when you’re in your 60s. Working backward can work, but you may want to check that the plan you made 20 or 30 years ago will still appeal to you when it comes to the time of retirement.  When it comes to figuring out how much to spend in retirement, many investors and advisors use the 4% rule, which says you can take about 4% of your portfolio in distributions every year. But as we’ve seen this year, inflation doesn’t always cooperate. If you don’t have strategies in your portfolio

Posted By Lineweaver Financial Group
October 03, 2022 Category: Market Update, Finance, Newsletter

Following the conclusion of its September meeting, The Federal Reserve (Fed) announced another “jumbo” interest rate hike of 0.75% and communicated that further interest rate increases will likely be appropriate in the coming months. The Federal Open Market Committee now projects its target interest rate to be raised an additional 1.00% to 1.25% by the end of 2022. Following this announcement stock markets declined, resulting in the S&P 500 index re-entering bear market territory (more than 20% below its January high). In August’s inflation report, the Consumer Price Index rose 8.3% from a year ago, suggesting that inflation may prove higher and longer lasting than many previously believed. In response, Federal Reserve chairman Jay Powell reiterated that the Fed intends to continue raising interest rates, rather than prematurely pausing or pivoting as financial markets had hoped over the summer. From June lows to August highs, the S&P 500 index rallied nearly 19%. As you may recall, we took advantage of that run-up in equity markets to rebalance investment portfolios back in line with the asset allocation most appropriate to meet long-term investment objectives (for reference, asset allocation is the percent of a portfolio’s investments held in each major asset category, such as stocks, bonds, or other securities). We did this to manage risk as we entered what we felt may be a volatile fall. Thus far, stock declines have occurred while corpor

Posted By Lineweaver Financial Group
October 03, 2022 Category: Finance, Commentary, Newsletter, School Tuition

Anticipation is swirling around the pending student loan forgiveness plan announced by the Biden Administration in late August.   The plan can cancel up to $10,000 in debt for eligible student loan borrowers who didn’t receive a Pell Grant. If a borrower is a Pell Grant recipient, they will be eligible for up to $20,000. To be eligible, you must be a student loan borrower with a federal student loan and earned up to $125,000 of annual income (or $250,000 as a joint filer) during the COVID-19 pandemic.     Here’s where the plan is so far: An exact date for applying for loan forgiveness has not been set, but the U.S. Department of Education says to expect it by early October. The initial form will be available online, with a paper version available later.  The payment pause has been extended through the end of 2022, and another pause will not be coming. Interest will begin accruing again on January 1, 2023, and regular payments will resume. To receive loan forgiveness before the payment pause ends, the Department of Education recommends applying for relief before November 15. Loan servicers will send a notification when relief has been applied to an account. Borrowers should see forgiveness applied to their loan balances within four to six weeks after submission of the application. Note that borrowers with FFEL or Perkins loans not held by the Department of Education may not be able to obtain debt relief due to new guidance issued by the Depart

Posted By Lineweaver Financial Quarterback
July 08, 2022 Category: Commentary, Newsletter, Finance, Crain's

We are humbled and excited to share that we have been ranked in the top 20 of Crain’s Cleveland’s annual list of Registered Investment Advisors based on assets under management for the second year in a row. We were especially excited to move up on the list, after ranking in the top 25 in 2019 and 2020. While this is a great milestone and accomplishment for us, we know that there are really two reasons for it: a great staff, and client trust. Our staff work hard and go the extra mile for clients, and in turn clients trust us, use us as a valued sounding board, and introduce us to their family and friends. To us, there is no higher recognition. We also believe in personal service. We know how frustrated people are with phone trees and digital assistants where they have to answer questions and are often transferred and re-routed. We live in a fast-paced world that requires cutting-edge technology and the latest market analysis to make smart, informed decisions for all our clients. But, when it comes to service, we believe in a personal touch. You’ll always speak with a person, and we pride ourselves on getting you answers to your questions in 24 hours or less. For nearly 30 years, our team of qualified, experienced, and credentialed professionals has provided our private and corporate clients with a plethora of options for their financial needs. Our success lies in our continued commitment to providing clients with sound advice, world-class customer se

Posted By Lineweaver Financial Quarterback
July 08, 2022 Category: Finance, Commentary, Newsletter

By John Kunze, Vice President of The Brooks & Stafford Company The real estate market has been crazy these last two years. Many of the home values in our area have increased 25% or more. The cost of building a new home has seen similar increases. There are many reasons, including a limited supply of homes for sale, lower interest rates, increased cost of building materials, shortage of skilled labor in the building trades, etc. But, what if there was a terrible loss to my home? Do I have enough insurance?  Is my home properly protected?  Understanding your insurance policy will help you protect your home in the way that is best for you. Homeowner’s policies use a Replacement Cost as the basis of coverage and claim valuation. Replacement cost is the cost to repair or replace the damage to your home without any deduction for age or depreciation, not the cost you could sell your home.  Make sure your policy is Replacement Cost contract and not an Actual Cash Value policy. Your insurance agent or company should be able to help you determine a fairly accurate estimate of your home’s Replacement Value. Once that is determined, make sure your agent includes a provision that each year changes your Dwelling Limit to coincide with the change in the new building costs – many companies call that “Inflation Guard Protection”. How do I protect against a huge increase in my home’s valuation during the policy