Category: Wealth Strategy

In the start of this new year and new administration, many LGBTQ+ investors are wondering what the future holds. In this time of uncertainty, it might be the perfect time for LGBTQ+ couples to ensure their financial world is current, accurate, and best serving. Without federal protections ensuring equal rights to those in the LGBTQ+ [...]

Your teenager may have had their first job working at the snack shack last summer, and their W2 just arrived in the mail.  Or perhaps you collectively decided to sell some of the gifted Microsoft stock from their custodial account so your teenager could purchase their first car.  Now you’ve received a 1099 and wonder [...]

The Beatles taught me my first lessons about taxes when I heard the song “Taxman” as a teenager. Years later, George Harrison’s lyrics about taxes frame a lot of my client conversations, as George was not joking when he wrote, “Let me tell you how it will be: there’s one for you, nineteen for me, [...]

How does an advisor add value for the fees that you pay? The value that a financial advisor brings to the table can extend far beyond the quantifiable. Coldstream’s work to integrate financial planning and investment management is multi-faceted and often reaches into many areas of our clients’ lives. In this brief, we examine recent [...]

One of my favorite tasks as a financial planner is to help clients plan for retirement. We gather data and run Monte Carlo simulations and tax analyses, but often that planning process runs much deeper than asset allocation and withdrawal strategies. Recently I had the pleasure of meeting with a couple in their early fifties. [...]

If you’re planning to retire early, remember to include the cost of health insurance in your financial plan. Medicare eligibility begins at age 65, but until that time you’ll need to enroll in a private insurance plan.  Be sure to check your eligibility with COBRA from your prior employer as well.  COBRA premiums can be [...]

Let’s face it: monthly debt payments can feel overwhelming, right? If you chat about it with anyone, chances are you’ll find someone who understands. Many of us carry debt, whether it’s from student loans, a car loan, or personal loans. The interest rates can vary greatly depending on when you took on the debt and [...]

Backdoor Roth IRA contributions are a commonly used planning technique to help high-income earners contribute to a Roth IRA, even when their income is higher than the maximum set by the IRS. While the strategy is commonplace, the logistics are often misunderstood. This can lead to misconceptions and potential errors on tax return filings. In [...]

My fitness class always starts with a “question of the day” so we can get to know each other. Yesterday’s question was particularly well worded, so I am going to steal it for our purposes of this blog post. The question was: “What is a short-term goal (2-3 months) and a long-term goal (12 months) [...]