BFSG Blog

Financial Resources & News

It’s Your Money Financial & Estate Literacy – “Investment World” Replay

BFSG’s CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professionals, Michael Allbee, CFP® and Paul Horn, CFP®, CPWA®, were invited to be guest speakers for the “It’s Your Money!” workshop series. For the “Investment World” session, Mike and Paul focused on how the investment world gets compensated. Learn the differences between brokers versus advisors, what does the word “fiduciary” mean, how to find an advisor,...

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Social Security: What Should You Do at Age 62?

Is 62 your lucky number? If you're eligible, that's the earliest age you can start receiving Social Security retirement benefits. Although collecting early retirement benefits makes sense for some people, there's a major drawback to consider: If you start collecting benefits early, your monthly retirement benefit will be permanently reduced. So, before you put down the tools of your trade, there...

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Federal Student Loan Repayment Postponed for Sixth Time

On April 6, the U.S. Department of Education announced a record sixth extension for federal student loan repayment, interest, and collections, through August 31, 2022. The fifth payment pause was set to end on April 30, 2022. The six extensions have postponed federal student loan payments for almost two and a half years — since March 2020 at the start of the pandemic. During this time, the loans...

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What Business Owners Must Know About CalSavers as the Deadline Approaches

California is among the first states in the nation to design a “state-run” retirement program enacted by the CalSavers Retirement Savings Trust Act. Any business with more than 5 employees that does not have a current employer-sponsored retirement plan MUST enroll in the program by the following dates: September 30, 2020, for businesses with 101+ or more employees*June 30, 2021, for businesses...

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What Happens When You Move? CA Proposition 19 Explained

By:  Crystal Kessler, CFP®, Wealth Advisor/Financial Planner Proposition 19 limits property tax increases for seniors, disabled persons, and disaster victims needing to replace their home, and limits property tax increases on transferring family homes used as primary residences. Proposition 19 or The Home Protection for Seniors, Severely Disabled, Families, and Victims of Wildfire or Natural...

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

Stocks rebounded in March even as the Russia/Ukraine conflict continued to escalate. The key message from the Federal Reserve is that it is focused on fighting inflation and is prepared to hike short-term interest rates steadily and reduce its balance sheet until it reaches its goals.  Q1 earnings season will kick off the week of April 11th and although Wall Street analysts have recently...

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SPRING 2022 It’s Your Money Virtual Seminar Financial Literacy Series

The “It’s Your Money!” financial literacy workshop series is back. Sign up for free to attend the virtual Zoom sessions covering the business of the financial service industry. BFSG is a proud supporter of the It's Your Money and Estate series. Peter Kote and the team put together another great line-up of speakers. Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_pa2s2pBhRjKJlqIfLG-BDA...

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BFSG Short: Estate Planning Basics

What are the key estate planning documents? Who should have an estate plan? What are the differences between a will and a trust? Why do you want to avoid probate? This quick 3-minute video with BFSG's Senior Financial Planner, Paul Horn, CFP®, CPWA®, breaks down the basics of estate planning. Watch here for more. Disclosure: BFSG does not make any representations or warranties as to the...

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The Supply Chain, the Fed, and Lingering Inflation

By:  Thomas Steffanci, PhD, Senior Portfolio Manager The first link in the supply chain, the number of ships backed up in Los Angeles and Long Beach harbors, is in sharp decline as the accompanying chart from BCA shows. Source: BCA Research The harder part is relieving the structural scarcity of trucks, drivers, and logistics (i.e., port workers, warehouse capacity) to decompress...

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Tax-Free Investing with In-Plan Roth’s and Roth IRAs

By:  Crystal Kessler, CFP®, Wealth Advisor/Financial Planner There is a lot of confusion when it comes to In-Plan Roth’s (i.e., Roth 401k or Roth 403b) and a Roth IRA. Throughout this article we will refer to just Roth 401ks but know the rules we refer to for Roth 401ks apply to other In-Plan Roth’s like 403bs. It is important to realize that these are two completely different investment...

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The Rule of 55

What is the rule of 55? How does it work? Are there any catches? The rule of 55 allows those looking to retire earlier than normal or those who need the cash flow, a way to take distributions from their retirement plans sooner than is typically allowed. This quick 3-minute video gives the details with BFSG's own, Tina Schackman, CFA®, CFP®. Watch here for more. Disclosure: BFSG does not make any...

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What Happens to Stocks When the Fed Hikes

By:  Robert Verdugo, CMFC®, APMA®, Financial Analyst As the Federal Reserve (the Fed) is poised to start raising rates today, and with the S&P 500 (1) down over 10% off its highs, is it time to declare the bull market dead? History would say no – in fact, a resounding no. Jess Menton’s article in Bloomberg, titled “What Happens to Stocks When the Fed Hikes: A Historical Guide”, does a...

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Understanding Your Paycheck

Congratulations! You've just landed a new job. Here are some important things to be aware of before you receive your first paycheck. When will I receive my paycheck? How often will you be paid? Typically, your payday will depend on the company you work for and which state you work in. You might be paid on a weekly, bi-weekly, bi-monthly, or monthly basis. Regardless of your employer's pay...

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Navigating the Ukrainian Crisis to Protect Your Assets

We have all watched the crisis in Ukraine unfold in the media over the last two weeks. There is concern that the sanctions imposed may lead Russia to seek retaliatory action via an increase in cyber-attacks targeting industries and businesses worldwide. When the world feels unstable, we want to reassure you that your assets are safe, and we are on high alert. While this is not a comprehensive...

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Tax Savings Opportunity for Business Owners – Must Act Before March 15th

By:  Michael Allbee, CFP®, Senior Portfolio Manager We pointed out last year there was an opportunity for some Californian taxpayers to get relief for the $10,000 state and local tax (SALT) cap through 2021 - 2025. You can do this by paying some of your California taxes through a profitable pass-through business with some limits and nuances. This helps get around the $10k federal cap for state...

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