John Bovard, CFP
Proposed Capital Gains Tax Hike
New capital gains rate would increase to 39.6% for people earning $1M or more.Last week President Biden presented his plan to increase capital gains tax rates to 39.6% for those earning $1Million or more per year. The purpose for the tax hike would be to supply the...
Taxation of Social Security Benefits
Keep an eye on your income amounts when claiming Social SecurityMany people are often surprised to learn that once they are retired and start collecting Social Security that they may have to pay taxes on their benefit. Throughout our working career we have probably...
Studying Berkshire Hathaway’s Annual Letter
"Never Bet Against America" - Warren BuffettWarren Buffett, the Oracle of Omaha is one of the best investors the world has ever known. Accumulating a fortune that was over $80Billion at certain times. Studying the words and publications of Warren Buffett has always...
Would a $15 Minimum Wage Work?
By 2025 it is estimated that a $15 minimum wage would reduce employment by 1.4 million workersThe debate of a $15 minimum wage has been in the news lately and seems to be a talking point for most politicians. However, taking politics out of this, would this truly be...
Investing in Disruptive Innovation Part 1
Over the course of two blog posts I will be cover the topic of investing in innovative disruption. It has been said that the pandemic has drastically sped up the adoption of technology and innovation. This thought could be seen amongst the stocks that many considered...
Instead Of Picking Stocks – Do These 3 Things First
I recently read the book “Everything you need to know about saving for retirement” by Ben Carlson Link to book and enjoyed the simple but not easy suggestions he makes to lead to a strong financial foundation. I recommend the book for anyone interested in personal...
What To Do With Extra Savings
Last week I had the pleasure of chatting with Business Insider reporter Liz Knueven to go over some common things I am seeing regarding financial planning. One of the trends I have notice in 2020, either from retirees or those working is that they have an extra amount...
Exclusions & Deductions from Gross Income
It is important to note what items can be excluded from your gross income for taxes. These are items that you will not need to worry about paying taxes on for the year. Deductions and more specifically above the line deductions are most often things that will require...
IRS Enrolled Agent – Tax Planning
Transcript Many financial advisors mention tax planning when they discuss what services they offer their clients. Since becoming an independent financial advisor, to take that a step farther, I became an IRS Enrolled Agent. An IRS Enrolled Agent has the ability to...
2020 Annual Market Review
2020 was obviously a very chaotic year for the country and for the stock market. Even through all the headline risk of this year the market still stock market still averaged double digit returns. Do you know the performance of your portfolio for 2020? You can use this...