The end of the year is quickly approaching, so we thought it would be fun to close out the year with our top 5 blog posts from 2018! Here’s our 5 most read posts from this past year, with an excerpt from each:
1. How Tax Reform May Impact You
As we approach year end, we are also closing in on the first major tax overhaul in over 30 years, which will become effective January 1, 2018. As financial planners, we are focusing a great deal of our attention on the changes that are coming and how they are going to affect each of our clients in the coming years. The reform creates new opportunities for some, and closes the door on others. So, what are the major changes that are coming and how do they affect you?
2. Leave Your Emotions at the Door When Investing
Emotions have a sneaky way of taking over our investment thinking. Instead, investments should be evaluated on their merit, not personal emotions that can cloud your judgment and lead you to act in ways that are counterproductive to your financial success. Here are the top 7 emotions that hijack our thoughts and lead to poor decision making around investing.
3. How Does the Small Business 20% Pass-Through Deduction Work
One of the most significant changes made to the tax code through tax reform was a major reduction in the corporate tax rate, from 35% to 21%. Understanding that this only directly benefited C Corporations, legislators included a new deduction to give a like tax break to smaller businesses. This brand-new deduction for ‘pass through’ entities allows for a 20% deduction on income that flows through to business owners, with some limitations.
4. What To Do When You’re Laid Off In Your 50s
Over the past few years IBM, Lenovo, NetApp, Cisco, BASF and GSK among others have announced layoffs for employees in The Research Triangle Park (RTP).
While being laid off at any age or stage in your career can come as a shock, getting laid off while in your 50s with retirement plans in sight, can completely overhaul your financial plan.
5. 2018 Market Outlook
Where should you invest now? As I wrote last year in “Should I Own International Stocks?”, in investing it is important to “skate where the puck is going, not where it has been” (Wayne Gretzky). What this means is don’t use historical results to predict future returns. The last 10 years have been very good to US stock investors as we explain further in “Why Have US Stocks Performed So Well”. It is easy to be complacent and assume you can expect the same results for the next 10 years.
