The question on investor’s minds is how will the markets react to the elections next month and will a contested election result in more volatility? We have already seen much volatility in the markets with large daily swings. Most experienced investors feel that markets are overvalued and don’t reflect economic conditions. We believe that in the near-term (5 years or less), markets will remain volatile and that some sectors are overvalued while others are undervalued. These volatile days/weeks create buying opportunities because in the long-term, we believe that stocks are the best investment to save for retirement and to beat inflation.

A fiduciary financial advisor is independent and someone who puts your (the client) interests ahead of their own at all times. The true definition of a fiduciary is someone “held or founded in trust or confidence.” And according to the Cornell School of Law, a person with a fiduciary duty is held to a higher standard and has a duty of care, loyalty, good faith, confidence, prudence, and disclosure. All of these combined ensure that a fiduciary financial advisor will always work in your best interest and not have any conflicts of interest. Should your financial advisor be a fiduciary? The answer is yes! When searching for a financial advisor, always make sure they are acting in a fiduciary capacity and not in a suitability capacity, which is significantly less stringent. Insurance companies and investment banks act in a suitability standard whereas a Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) is held to a fiduciary standard.

It is not uncommon for corporations to own stock in other corporations. The ownership could be either through an acquisition or the creation of a new corporation by the parent company. Sometimes, for various reasons, the parent company wants to separate their ownership in the subsidiary corporation, most of the time it’s because the subsidiary is in an unrelated business from the parent or the subsidiary has more growth prospects as a separate company from the parent. That separation from the parent corporation can be either through a spin-off, split-off, split-up, carve-out, or simply a sale of the subsidiary. This article will focus on the first three and briefly discuss a carve-out; a sale of a corporation is straightforward and will not be covered. 

Chances are you're either working from home full-time or a few days a week due to COVID-19. Naturally, you may be wondering if you can claim a home office deduction when you file your 2020 tax return. Additionally, you may be wondering what expenses you can deduct and how much. This article covers some of the most common questions related to claiming the home office deduction and deciding which one is right for you.

Matt Crisafulli’s webinar on the CARES Act:

What is the SBA Disaster Loans program?

From debt payment to investments to long-term saving, getting the help of a financial advisor to address your financial profile can allow you to target a course of action to fulfill your needs and help you make significant progress towards achieving your financial goals. A financial advisor is a professional who offers guidance and services specific to the financial circumstances of their clients. This means that regardless of your financial needs or situation, a financial advisor will help work with you individually on your own financial profile. 

In retirement saving, as with many other forms of long term financial planning, understanding and mapping out what portion of your financial profile will be devoted to your savings is crucial. Although different savers have different needs and different levels of understanding of how this long-term planning should go, it’s always useful to enlist the aid of a financial advisor (or, as it pertains to retirement savings, a retirement advisor), who can provide individualized guidance and input on how this process should go. Selecting an advisor who will fulfill your needs and help you meet your retirement goals can help you make a big step towards your future, so considering your circumstances and the services offered by the retirement advisor is imperative.   

Just as we are starting to comprehend the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the IRS might be adding some new tax forms to use in 2019. Earlier this month, the IRS released several new draft tax forms for 2019. While the list of draft forms was long, the most notable forms are the 1040 and a new 1040-SR for seniors age 65 or older.