Why Do My Kids Pay So Much Tax?

“What’s the best way to use our money to maximize our happiness?” Harvard Business School professor, Dr. Michael Norton, sought to answer this question in a 2013 research study and found “people who spend money on others report greater happiness.”1 When it comes to our children, small gifts over time can make a significant impact. … Continued

2025 Gifting Opportunities

The start of a new year is a great time to revisit on your existing financial plan and to determine if there are opportunities to make changes.  For example, with the rise in the S&P 500 over the last couple of years, you may find yourself in a position to be more generous with your … Continued

Exchange Ideas

In many parts of the country—including the Bay Area—house prices have increased dramatically over the past few decades, leading to significant wealth accumulation. Many people have been nicely rewarded by simply owning a house for a long time while often raising a family and staying put in the same neighborhood and local schools. But at … Continued

Understanding the Terms: All About That Basis

While you are probably familiar with the term cost basis, it is not likely something you think about very often. In fact, you may only think about cost basis information when asked for it by your Sand Hill Wealth Manager or CPA. Cost basis—also known as tax basis—is necessary to determine the capital gain or … Continued

Home Sweet RV

If you’re a fan of Albert Brooks like I am, you’ve no doubt seen the 1985 movie classic Lost in America in which the protagonists sell all their belongings and purchase a Winnebago where they plan to live out the rest of their post-retirement days traveling the open road and living off their nest egg. … Continued

Fiscal Sponsorship for Charity

Donor-advised funds (DAF) have become increasingly popular in recent years for individuals supporting various ongoing philanthropic causes, especially given their ease of achieving a potentially large tax-deductible contribution in any one given year but then allowing for the payout of possibly many different underlying charitable donations to occur over time (see “Hassle–Free Philanthropy”). For example, … Continued

Planning for an American Expat Life

Fueled by the advance of technology, flexibility of remote work, continued expansion of global business, and desirable cost of living tradeoffs for retirees, the ranks of American expats continue to swell. Per the U.S. State Department, in 2020, roughly nine million Americans lived abroad, while a 2022 Gallup poll revealed 15% of Americans would like … Continued

Managing Your Financial Mise-En-Place

January 31, 2023 Chefs, from the classically trained to the rock-and-roll celebrity types, cling tightly to the concept of mise-en-place when running their kitchens. French for ‘putting in place’ and a concept derived from the military, mise-en-place is the tightly coordinated planning and organization of the inputs needed to precisely execute the production of a … Continued