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

Roth IRA Conversion: 2023 May Be Your Year

January 31, 2023 If you have been considering a Roth IRA conversion—which is simply a transfer of assets from a Traditional (tax-deferred) IRA to a Roth (tax-free) IRA—but have been hesitant because of the associated tax bill, 2023 might provide just the moment you have been waiting for. With expanded tax brackets now in place … Continued

Should a State’s Tax Code Determine Where I Retire?

October 25, 2022 Tax liability is, for many, a key criterion to consider when deciding where to retire. California is a high-tax state, and many retirees are understandably looking to lower their tax burden when they no longer have a steady stream of earned income to buffer that expense. We advise caution here. While one … Continued

New EV Tax Credits Require Planning to Glean the Largest Benefits

October 25, 2022 If you’re in the market for an electric vehicle (EV), you’re probably already aware that the recently signed Inflation Reduction Act puts into place some new rules around EV tax credits—some of which make it harder to claim the full credit after the end of this calendar year. But with some careful … Continued