Market Commentary

Rate Cuts and Your Bond Portfolio

After several years of low interest rates, bond yields have been attractive for the past few years. While a recent turning point in central bank policy has slightly lowered yields, today’s bond market offers a unique combination of capital preservation and income in an increasingly complex economic landscape. Our current fixed income investment strategy is […]

Tax and Retirement Updates

Updated March 2, 2023 to reflect the updated California tax deadline.  NEW BEGINNING AGES FOR RMDS The SECURE Act that was signed into law at the end of 2019 changed key rules around Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs). Notably, the age to begin taking required minimum distributions increased from 70.5 to 72. The Act also eliminated […]

Clifford Swan

Update: Charitable Gift Annuities More Attractive As Payout Rates Rise Again

Now is a good time for those wanting to give to consider establishing a charitable gift annuity. At its core, a CGA is an arrangement whereby assets are given to a charity in return for the charity’s promise to make lifetime payments of a fixed amount to a beneficiary, who is often the donor. This […]

Lloyd K. Wong, CFA

Gift Annuity Payout Rates Are Increasing

There are many ways to support charitable causes financially. There are outright cash donations, bequests in an estate, different types of charitable trusts, as well as charitable gift annuities. Today, we will focus on the latter. “The promise of a reliable income stream is often attractive to donors.” Charitable gift annuities, or CGAs for short, […]

Lloyd K. Wong, CFA

Social Security as an Inflation Hedge

Inflation is top of mind in the investment community. As my colleague Dan Mintz discusses in his corresponding article, inflation is historically high. At Clifford Swan, we have strategies to preserve and grow our clients’ wealth in an inflationary environment. Our approach to disciplined stock picking, as described by Dan, is one of them. In […]

Erica S. White

3 Pillars for a Happy Retirement

Clifford Swan partner Lloyd Wong recently spoke on this topic as a guest on gerontologist Mary Winners’ “Visionary Aging” podcast.What do a fitness tracking device, a budget, and an appointment calendar have in common? They are all tools to motivate you and monitor your progress towards securing a successful retirement. “We believe it is best […]

Lloyd K. Wong, CFA

Different Ways to Give

Philanthropy is top-of-mind for many of our clients during the holiday season. In this theme, we are pleased to republish an article that Ken Dike, our Executive Director of Planned Giving Services, wrote for one of our nonprofit clients. Ken explains the differences between charitable gift annuities and charitable remainder trusts and answers common questions […]

Kenneth H. Dike

Does Cryptocurrency Belong in Your Portfolio?

Cryptocurrencies have entered the mainstream. What began as a white paper written by the mysterious Satoshi Nakamoto in 2008, titled “Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System,” has morphed into several cryptocurrencies currently valued at approximately $2 trillion dollars. Bitcoin is the first and most well-known cryptocurrency and is gaining momentum worldwide. In fact, The President […]

George E. Hasbun, CFP®

A New Era in Death and (Estate) Taxes

They say nothing in life is certain, except for death and taxes. While neither is avoidable, there may be certain ways to mitigate the impact of taxes at death. President Joe Biden’s recently proposed “American Family Plan” highlights funding the legislation through increased income and capital gains tax on the wealthiest and highest earning Americans.What […]

Carlota B. Venegas, CFP, CDFA

Goodbye to the Stretch-IRA and Hello to Testamentary Charitable Gift Annuities and Testamentary Charitable Remainder Trusts

The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act (SECURE Act) that went into effect at the beginning of 2020 aims to expand, Surviving spouse of the deceased owner, Minor child of the deceased owner, Disabled person, Chronically ill person, and a Person that is not more than ten years younger than the deceased owner.preserve, and encourage […]

Kenneth H. Dike

Are Tax Increases on the Horizon?

As we move into the sixth month of masks, sheltering-in-place and all the awful effects of the coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. government has pledged approximately $3 trillion to battle the virus and stabilize the economy. How can our nation afford this mounting bill on top of an already high level of government debt? Tax increases […]

Maxwell R. Pray, CFA

Financial Planning in a Pandemic: More Important Than Ever

None of us could have planned perfectly for 2020. This year has delivered a marked departure from the norm, as the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the routines, finances, and sense of security of many. As summer begins to fade and we naturally look towards year-end, we always recommend a check-in with your investment counselor to […]

Erica S. White

New Tax Law Could Benefit You

The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act was passed in December 2019. It is one of the largest pieces of retirement legislation to be approved into law in over a decade, and it changes rules that have been in effect for well over 30 years.The SECURE Act tackles several enhancement areas for […]

George E. Hasbun, CFP®

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