Many see risk tolerance as a simple measure of their financial ability to withstand market losses. While there are many financial factors to consider (including income, net worth, liquidity, and time horizon), the emotional component of managing risk can’t be underestimated. Recognizing that emotions like fear and exuberance are reactionary mechanisms that tend to flare up over short-term events may keep you in check when examining risk tolerance in the context of your long-term strategy.
Gifting and charitable donations are often used to reduce taxable incomes and redistribute wealth within a family. Annual tax-free gifting limits reset each year, but some high-net-worth individuals may wish to instead take advantage of 2022’s relatively high lifetime gift tax exemption to maximize a tax mitigation strategy.
As your parents age, they may become less capable of managing their own finances. Here are some ways to approach the subject and ways advanced planning can help ease elder care transitions.
Cranbrook Wealth is committed to client communication and transparency, which is why we are pleased to offer our clients an additional way to access portfolio insights: our Cranbrook Wealth Client Portal.
Charitable giving can be a rewarding part of many wealth management plans. Not only does it feel good to help worthy causes, your monetary or asset donations to qualified charitable organizations may be used as a tax write-off. However, recent tax law changes enacted with the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act have drastically reduced the ability of some taxpayers to itemize deductions. Coupling that with the proliferation of phony charitable appeals online, now more than ever, donors must carefully and diligently plan their giving strategy.
Once you officially retire, the transition from nest egg “saver” to “spender” can be a big psychological hurdle to clear. Even diligent savers may wonder if their nest egg can cover the many spending “wants” of retired life amid the uncontrollable variables that will almost certainly affect their savings over time, so our investment professionals recommend a few strategies to prepare for retirement spending.
With large enough balances in a taxable account, margin loans may be a wise option for high-net-worth individuals under certain circumstances. Recognizing the appropriate situations in which to draw a margin loan is an important part of a sound wealth management strategy, and at Cranbrook Wealth, we carefully evaluate individual client situation before recommending this option.
When the world wakes up to dramatic geopolitical headlines, like today’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine by Russia, investors can get spooked. That fear often results in a sell-off and retreat into “safe” investments, but the truth is major global or national events rarely change the trajectory of equity markets for a sustained period.
Owning a small business requires many sacrifices; saving for retirement shouldn’t be one of them. Fortunately, entrepreneurs have many options, including two popular choices which provide attractive tax benefits while offering different features and restrictions: the Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) IRA and the solo 401(k) plan.
Short-term volatility is an almost-certain fact of life in the capital markets, one investors and advisors must handle with a clear and rational approach. The instinct to move money out of a quickly-dropping market and "sit on the sidelines" during a correction can present a host of challenges, not the least of which is deciding when it is safe to get back in.
Special-purchase acquisition companies—or SPACs— are enjoying a moment of unprecedented popularity. Despite their reputation as this year’s “shiny new thing”, SPAC investments should still be approached with caution.
Recent economic indicators have some investors seeking the guaranteed protection against inflation offered by the Treasury Department’s Series I savings bonds. They may look attractive right now, but investors should be warned that the investment isn’t without risk.