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Some States Will Offer Home Energy Rebates in 2024

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 included two provisions allowing rebates for home energy efficiency retrofit projects and home electrification and appliance projects. These home energy rebate programs are to be administered by state energy offices, with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) providing guidance and oversight. States are not required to offer these rebates. Many states have...

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Monthly Market Update (April 2024): 3 Things You Need to Know

Concerns mounted around inflation and geopolitics in April. The March Consumer Price Index (CPI) report came in stronger than expected, with many of the usual suspects driving the bulk of this strength. In our opinion, stalling progress on disinflation limits the likelihood of a Fed rate cut in June, although underlying disinflationary trends should allow inflation to march lower over the course...

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How to Navigate the Complex Rules of Inherited IRAs

As Sam enjoys their Sunday evening, Sam gets a call from their sister Maya. This is unexpected since Sam hasn’t talked to Maya in years. “Hi, Maya”, Sam answers the phone. Maya responds, “Hi, Sam. I have some news for you.” Maya proceeds to tell Sam that their Aunt Gertrude passed away and as the executor of her estate, Maya lets Sam know that they are one of the beneficiaries of Aunt Gertrude’s...

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FAFSA Glitches Delay College Financial Aid Awards for 2024-25

It's been a tough financial aid season for college students and their families. The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) was redesigned and simplified for the 2024-25 school year, in what was supposed to benefit families completing the application. But a late rollout and the subsequent discovery of form calculation errors have led to processing delays and, by extension, delays for...

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BFSG Earns BBB Accreditation

We are proud to announce that Benefit Financial Services Group (BFSG) is now a BBB Accredited Business! This signifies that we have achieved the highest standards of ethics and integrity as determined by the Better Business Bureau (BBB). Our unwavering commitment to always striving to place our clients’ interests above all else has been acknowledged, and we are thrilled to be recognized for our...

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Monthly Market Update (March 2024): 3 Things You Need to Know

The U.S. economy continues to show resiliency and disinflation progresses as the February CPI report showed that inflation is still gradually receding. The first quarter’s rally became a “everything rally” as global stocks and bonds posted positive gains with many indices hitting record highs. Here are 3 things you need to know: This year’s first quarter gain for the S&P 500 is the 12th...

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Explore the Types of Retirement Accounts and What is Best for You?

Pretend for a while that you are 40 years old and about to make an additional $10,000 per year with your new job that just started today, January 2, 2024. You are ecstatic about your future, and you go into your new HR manager’s office with all smiles ready to discuss details of your benefits package. You sit down and see that you have a 401(k) available with a Roth option and the ability to...

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New Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) Rules

As we stand waist-deep in tax season, most Americans are scouring the earth looking for legal ways to reduce their tax bill or increase their refunds before they file their taxes. It seems like this scouring has become more voracious as time goes on and is probably correlated to the overwhelmingly negative U.S. Congressional Job Approval highlighted below. This mindset most likely explains why...

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Understanding the Net Investment Income Tax

If your income hits a certain level, you may face an additional wrinkle in calculating your taxes: the net investment income tax (also referred to as the unearned income Medicare contribution tax). This 3.8% Medicare tax applies to some or all of your net investment income if your modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) exceeds certain thresholds. The tax is in addition to any other income tax...

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Financial Planning Tips for Early Career Professionals

For most people, their 20’s are a very exciting chapter in their life, marked by career beginnings and a deeper understanding of personal goals. However, it can also be a very challenging period, with ballooning student loan payments, higher housing, and food expenses. Many resort to credit cards or move back with their parents to make ends meet. Unfortunately, our education system has done a...

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Monthly Market Update (February 2024): 3 Things You Need to Know

Several all-time highs were achieved by the major equity indices in price during February. That included an all-time high for the Nikkei, surpassing its previous record from 1989, and the S&P 500 also broke through the 5,000 mark. Here are 3 things you need to know: The Magnificent 7 (+12.1%) powered the U.S. equity gains, posting their best performance in 9 months and now +14.1% YTD....

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There’s Still Time to Fund an IRA for 2023

The tax filing deadline is fast approaching, which means time is running out to fund an IRA for 2023. If you had earned income last year, you may be able to contribute up to $6,500 for 2023 ($7,500 for those age 50 or older by December 31, 2023) up until your tax return due date, excluding extensions. For most people, that date is Monday, April 15, 2024. You can contribute to a traditional IRA,...

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Tax Season News and Survival Tips

It's not easy to keep up with complex tax laws that always seem to be changing, much less figure out how they might affect you personally. Even so, it's important to consider the potential impact of taxes when making many types of financial decisions. The IRS automatically adjusts the standard deduction and income tax brackets annually for inflation. The rate of inflation rose to 40-year highs...

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Financial and Investment Products You Should Avoid

When it comes to trustworthy professions, what professions would you typically think of? Take a second to think about some professions. Ok. What professions did you come up with? What might be top of mind for you could be “doctor”, “accountant”, or maybe “firefighter”. Much to my chagrin, I doubt that “financial advisor” came up for you during this thought exercise. Don’t feel bad, I’m used to...

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Basics of Valuing Alternative Investments

More than ever, we are seeing individuals begin to show more interest in investing in alternative investments. Alternative investments can be hard to define but for the sake of this article, we will focus on Private Equity, Real Estate investments, and other non-traditional investing options. These investments are more complex than traditional investments like stocks and bonds and are therefore...

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