What is qualified small business stock? Qualified small business stock is a type of tax-favored investment in certain small businesses. Section 1202 of the Internal Revenue Code allows a taxpayer other than a corporation to exclude some or all of the gain from the sale of qualified small business stock if applicable requirements are met. […]

The short answer: the historical data consistently favors investing now over waiting. Across every scenario (worst-case entry timing, panic-selling during a crash, or missing the market’s best days), the cost of waiting has historically outweighed the cost of imperfect timing The S&P 500 spent the first half of 2026 setting 24 new all-time highs, continuing a bull market […]

Introduction If the value of your stocks, bonds, or other capital investments has increased substantially, there are a few steps you can take to minimize taxation. These include timing the sale of your capital assets, using capital losses effectively, and passing assets to heirs at your death. In addition, you might consider charitable giving. Timing […]

The Roth five-year rule states that a distribution from a Roth IRA or Roth 401(k) is tax and penalty free only if the account has been held for five years and a qualifying event has occurred. Qualifying events include reaching age 59½, becoming disabled, and dying. For Roth IRAs only, a withdrawal of up to […]

The Markets (as of market close July 31, 2026) The U.S. stock market in July experienced a rotation from mega-tech and AI-driven stocks to a broader market. Coming off a robust second quarter that saw equities touch record territory, July witnessed a shift away from megacap technology toward blue-chip value, small-cap equities, and equal-weighted indices. […]

Midyear Checkup: Can You Contribute More to Your Retirement Plan? With traditional pensions in decline, other work-based plans that are driven primarily by employee contributions — such as 401(k), 403(b), and 457(b) plans — are the bedrock of the U.S. retirement system. This means it’s up to you to build retirement savings. The good news […]

Organizing Your Financial Records An integral part of managing your personal finances involves properly maintaining your financial records. This is especially important in the event of a crisis or emergency so that you can quickly locate something if needed. That’s why you should make a point of dusting off the cobwebs that have built up […]

Beginning in 2018 under the Tax Cut and Jobs Act of 2017 and continuing under new provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) of 2025, an individual taxpayer (and certain trusts and estates) may claim an income tax deduction equal to 20% of the taxpayer’s allocable share of qualified domestic business income (QBI) […]

A New Era at the Fed On May 15th, 2026, Jerome Powell’s tenure as Fed Chair ended after eight years, as Kevin Warsh was sworn in as the 17th Chair in the Federal Reserve’s 113-year history. Warsh takes over with the Federal Funds Rate at 3.75%, and markets are forecasting a more than 50% chance that this remains unchanged […]

Ed Lyon, a pioneering urologist at the University of Chicago, wanted his retirement account to go to his 36 grandchildren. Seven years after his death, his heirs are still fighting to make that happen.  The family’s appeals to both the university and the account’s record-keeper, TIAA, were rebuffed. They were told they hadn’t provided the […]