April 3, 2023

Financial Planning or Wealth Management? All the Small Things, Ep #187

Allison Berger

Chad Smith

Have you ever spent hours trying to fix something that, with the right tools, a professional could fix in five minutes?

We’ve all been there. But it’s often difficult to fully appreciate the time, effort, and in some circumstances the cost it could save you to enlist help earlier in the process.

In today’s episode, we’ll explore six steps that are available to augment your lifetime savings. Press play to discover if you are missing out on critical savings tools.

Are you maximizing your Roth contributions?

High-income earners often miss that they can save in a Roth IRA. This is done through the backdoor Roth. The backdoor Roth is a way that high earners can utilize a Roth account to save tax-free.

The current Roth contribution amount is $6500 per year, or $540 per month–as much as a car payment or half a month’s daycare tuition.

It can be tricky to understand if you are even eligible until you prepare your taxes which is why a professional can help you navigate these murky waters.

Understand and maximize the limits in your retirement savings accounts

Keeping up with the different maximum retirement savings is one way that you can increase your savings over time. In most years, there are slight changes to the amounts that you can save in different savings vehicles. You may not even be aware of the changes made. Pay attention to increased limits to all retirement savings accounts so that you ensure that you are maximizing your savings each year.

Use your losses to offset your gains

Nobody likes living in the uncertainty of a bear market, but there could be a way to harvest your losses to offset your gains. Tax loss harvesting is the silver lining in a bear market. This is a great strategy to implement if you are in a higher tax bracket now and expect to be in a lower one later.

Listen in to hear who shouldn’t use tax loss harvesting. After listening to this episode, check out this YouTube video on tax loss harvesting so that you have a better understanding of how to use this effective tax tool.

Have the right people in your corner

You may already have a financial plan, but having a professional in your corner can ensure that you are staying on the right track. A financial planner can help you make sure that you are implementing the plan that fits your personal goals and that you are taking advantage of all the resources available to you.

Outline of This Episode

  • [6:00] Maxing Roth contributions
  • [9:25] Pay attention to increased limits to all retirement savings accounts
  • [12:32] Confusion between different types of Roth savings
  • [16:29] Use your losses to offset your gains
  • [21:02] Don’t get scared out of the market when the market falters
  • [23:33] Have the right people in your corner
  • [24:48] Learn how to build a decision-making framework

Resources & People Mentioned

Connect With Us

Follow Our Podcast

Share
Posted

April 3, 2023

Category

As an experienced Financial Advisor and partner, Allison’s purpose is to inspire clients to create lives of abundance now while laying the foundation for a prosperous future.

Chad Smith is a Certified Financial Planner™. He is an active member of NAPFA, the Financial Planning Association, and FPA’s NexGen. He has been quoted and appeared on WSJ.com, Bloomberg.com, Businessweek.com, Msn.com, Financial Planning Magazine, Triangle Business Journal, and Investment News.

Market Outlook

Heavy Weights: The Real Story Behind Current Market Concentration

Market Outlook, Podcast

Fighting FOMO in Your Portfolio, Ep #233

Take Charge of your Finances

2025 Contribution Limits

Learn how to balance your retirement

Financial Symmetry advisors unveil financial opportunities to help you balance enjoying today with being ready to retire later.

Subscribe
Get weekly updates with our latest blog posts.

Financial Symmetry icon

CLIENT CENTER

UPLOAD FILES

Pershing Account