How The Center Spends the Holidays

Contributed by: Center for Financial Planning, Inc.

Once Halloween passes, the shift in the atmosphere is palpable, the holiday season approaches! Families gather together after time apart or spend special time together. No matter what holiday you and your family celebrate together, this time of year is filled with traditions. Whether it’s decorating your house, eating certain kinds of food, traveling, baking, or singing, holiday traditions bring people together and help foster cherished memories. The Center team is no different. We have holiday traditions we share with our families each year. Here are some of our favorites:

Sandy Adams keeps her family on the same traditions path that she and her brother shared as children. No Christmas decorations are put up until AFTER Sandy’s birthday on the 14th of December, that’s when the season can officially begin in her household! Her kids exchange presents on Christmas Eve, just as Sandy and her brother did growing up.

Do you love Christmas cookies? How about 600 of them?! Jennie Bauder and her family (kids included!) hone their baking skills each year and make a varied sort of delicious cookies to give as gifts to extended families, teachers, neighbors, and the mailman.

Speaking of cookies, Melissa Parkins and her family have a cookie-decorating contest each year. Nothing like a good ‘ol competition to start off the Holiday! Her family also celebrates Christmas Eve with a Mexican twist, including enchiladas galore!

Jennie Bauder

Melissa Parkins

Gerri Harmer and her extended family have taken Christmas celebration to a whole new level! They get together mid-Summer and celebrate Christmas in July - and they love it! Gerri shares, “Our family has grown so large we can’t fit in the house and weather always tends to be an issue for those that travel.  Our family has a great sense of humor so Christmas in July was perfect for us. We hang out at the lake with travelers camping nearby arriving by car or boat.” This year they even had t-shirts made.

Kimberly Wyman describes her tradition with her children as including, “Grabbing a hot chocolate with the kids and preparing our holiday gift list! Beyond gifts for grandmas and grandpas, our list includes baking cookies for fire fighters and police officers, toys for local families, tamale baskets for families in Guatemala & live stock for Ethiopian families. Involving the children and fostering a love of giving worldwide is a passion of ours.”

Gerri Harmer

Kimberly Wyman

Partner Matt Chope, and girlfriend Kim Schultes, started a new tradition this year during Thanksgiving. They donned red noses and makeup and joined the Clown Corps in the annual Thanksgiving Day Parade in downtown Detroit.

New member to our team, Clare Lilek, describes her family tradition: “Every Christmas, since moving from our hometown of Chicago, my family and I travel back to Chicago to see our extended family. On Christmas Eve we go to church at Holy Name Cathedral, have dinner at Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab (it’s amazing!), and spend the rest of the evening watching a movie in our hotel. It’s wonderful!”

Matt Chope

Clare Lilek

For your viewing enjoyment, Raya Chope and her family get together each year and sing Christmas songs and carols in both English AND German! Raya claims in her family, there’s never a dull moment. From the video, that seems about right!

What are some of the traditions that you and your family will share together this holiday season? Whatever your traditions, all of us here at The Center wish you and your family a Happy Holiday!

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From Founding Partner to Client of The Center

Contributed by: Daniel Boyce, CFP®

As I move into my new life in retirement from the profession I've loved for the past 35 years, I'm looking forward to a more leisurely pace of life and continuing to pursue my other abiding passions--making music, philanthropy, working with non-profits to build capacity and effectiveness in education and the arts, as well as pursuing leisure activities such as working on my tennis game, playing bridge, and hiking around the Prescott area.  More than anything, I'm looking forward to being available for Sue and family activities with my children and grandchildren.

As with Estelle Wade and Marilyn Gunther, the other Founding Partners of Center for Financial Planning who both retired before me, I will now become a client of The Center, like many of you.  I will have my Annual Review meeting and take advantage of the integrity I find throughout the firm and the planners' enormous capacity to handle whatever issues might arise in my future.  And so I move into territory unknown yet to me; but with great hope and confidence and anticipation. 

The short video shares a few more thoughts with you about my retirement:

Daniel Boyce, CFP® is a Founding Partner and Financial Planner at Center for Financial Planning, Inc.

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The Value of Family Holiday Traditions

Contributed by: Timothy Wyman, CFP®, JD

I must admit, as time passes (read: as I get older), I have come to appreciate and desire Family Traditions. Perhaps your family always spends time together up north over Thanksgiving, or your extended family always attends church together on Christmas Eve, or perhaps you make it a point to always have dinner with family on New Year’s Eve. Regardless of the specifics, each of these traditions provides lifelong memories and helps create solid bonds between everyone you share those traditions with.

One Family Holiday Tradition that I am trying to continue is an annual giving day. Several years ago my wife Jen and I established a Donor Advised Fund. I have written about the income tax benefits in the past – but that’s not the whole story. Over the years Jen and I decided which charities to benefit with our funds; which has been very gratifying. Last year, however, we decided to include our three kids, ages 21, 20 and 13, in some of the decisions.  We shared that as families we wanted to donate $1,000 from our donor advised fund and needed their help in determining where it should go. Ultimately we chose two groups: Wounded Warriors and Covenant House of MI. Don’t tell my kids, but I really didn’t care which organizations they decided to support. My interest was in the conversation the act of giving sparked and the hopeful transfer of VALUES and not just VALUE. This family tradition allowed Jen and me to talk about how important we feel it is to be engaged in our community and give the gift of time and sometimes money. It also gave us a time to reflect on how fortunate we are in so many ways individually and as a family. And lastly, dang it felt good! J

Like most things worthwhile in life, carrying on a Family Tradition (at least a positive one) takes commitment, time, and some energy.  What are some of your favorite Family Traditions?

Timothy Wyman, CFP®, JD is the Managing Partner and Financial Planner at Center for Financial Planning, Inc. and is a contributor to national media and publications such as Forbes and The Wall Street Journal and has appeared on Good Morning America Weekend Edition and WDIV Channel 4. A leader in his profession, Tim served on the National Board of Directors for the 28,000 member Financial Planning Association™ (FPA®), mentored many CFP® practitioners and is a frequent speaker to organizations and businesses on various financial planning topics.

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Raymond James is not affiliated with Wounded Warriors or Covenant House of MI. You should discuss any tax matters with the appropriate professional.

How to use your Year End Bonus

Contributed by: Matt Trujillo, CFP®

It’s that time of year. The weather is getting cooler, family is in for the holidays, and yearend bonuses are about to be paid! For some the bonus might already be spent before it is paid, but for those of you that are still looking for something to do with that money consider the following:

Here are 5 things to consider in allocating your year-end bonus:

1. Review your financial plan. Are there any changes since you last updated your financial goals? 

2. Have you accumulated any additional revolving debt throughout the year? If so consider paying off some or all of it with your bonus.

3. Are your emergency cash reserves at the appropriate level to provide for your comfort?  If not consider beefing them back up.

4. Are your insurance coverages where they need to be to cover anything unexpected?  If not, consider re-evaluating these plans.

5. Review your tax situation for the year.  Make an additional deposit to the IRS if you have income that has not yet been taxed so you don’t have to make that payment and potential penalties next April.   

If you can go through the list and don’t need to put your bonus to any of those purposes, here are some other ideas:

• If you’re lucky enough to save your bonus consider maximizing your retirement plan at work ($18,000 for 2015), including the catch-up provision if you’re over 50 ($6,000 for 2015). 

• Also, consider maximizing a ROTH IRA ($5,500 for 2015) if eligible or investing in a stock purchase program at work if one is offered. 

• Another idea is a creating/or adding to an existing 529 plan, which is a good vehicle for savings for educational goals. 

• If all of these are maximized, then consider saving in your after tax (non-retirement accounts) with diversified investments.

Matthew Trujillo, CFP®, is a Certified Financial Planner™ at Center for Financial Planning, Inc. Matt currently assists Center planners and clients, and is a contributor to Money Centered.

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This material is being provided for information purposes only and is not a complete description, nor is it a recommendation. The information has been obtained from sources considered to be reliable, but we do not guarantee that the foregoing material is accurate or complete. Any opinions are those of Matt Trujillo and not necessarily those of Raymond James.

Social Security: Earliest Age to File & the Benefit of Waiting

Contributed by: James Smiertka

According to a recent Gallup poll, 36% of unretired individuals in the U.S. expect to rely on social security as a major source of income. Many of these people don’t completely understand all of the rules of the complex social security system. Fortunately, it’s our job at The Center to know and to educate our clients.

Why Wait to File for Benefits?       

When it comes to your social security benefit, you should know a couple basic things:

1. You reduce your benefit by receiving benefits earlier than your full retirement age.

2. You can increase your benefit by waiting until age 70 to collect.

There are certain circumstances in your financial plan that may affect when you file, but you can obtain an 8% increase in your benefit for each year past your full retirement age that you delay receiving your benefit. These “delayed retirement credits” end at age 70. But how much will you lose by filing early? The earliest filing age in a normal situation is 62, and by filing at this age your benefit will be reduced at least 20%. Depending on your full retirement age, your benefit can be reduced up to 30% by filing at age 62 (those born in 1960 or later). Here’s a chart that breaks it down by birth year and filing date:

Source: Social Secuirty.org

Special Benefits for Widows and Widowers

It gets even more complicated with widow/widower benefits. A widow/widower can receive reduced benefits as early as age 60 or benefits as early as age 50 if he/she is disabled and their disability started before or within 7 years of their spouse’s death. If the widow/widower remarries after they reach age 60, the remarriage does not affect their survivors benefits eligibility. In addition, a widow/widower who has not remarried can receive survivors benefits at any age if he/she is taking care of their deceased spouse’s child who is under the age of 16 or is disabled and receives benefits on their deceased spouse’s record.

In conclusion, you will receive a reduced benefit if you claim before your full retirement age, and waiting until age 70 to collect is a great way to maximize your own benefit and/or the benefit you leave to your surviving spouse. If anything is certain, it is that the social security rules can definitely be enough to make your head spin, so remember to consult your CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional here at The Center for Financial Planning if you have any questions.

James Smiertka is a Client Service Associate at Center for Financial Planning, Inc.

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This material is being provided for information purposes only and is not a complete description, nor is it a recommendation. Any opinions are those of Jim Smiertka and not necessarily those of Raymond James. The information has been obtained from sources considered to be reliable, but Raymond James does not guarantee that the foregoing material is accurate or complete. Prior to making a financial decision, please consult with your financial advisor about your individual situation.

Year End Planning Opportunities – How to Prepare for 2016

Contributed by: Nick Defenthaler, CFP®

Last week, Melissa Joy and I had the pleasure of hosting a webinar to discuss Year-End Planning Opportunities for clients to consider. In the webinar we outlined certain action items that you may want to keep on your radar going into 2016. As our largest attended webinar for the year, we were eager to review some important, timely planning items to consider before 2015 comes to a close and also touch on some of the more common items we see clients miss throughout the year that we’d like to see avoided if possible. 

Below you will find the links to handouts that we referenced throughout the presentation that contain some key dates and financial planning ideas to consider. 

• 2015 Year-End Planning Opportunities: These important tax and financial planning moves can help prepare you for the upcoming tax season and better align your portfolio with your short- and long-term goals.

• Year-End Tax Planning Worksheet: This worksheet is designed to make organizing your year-end tax planning a little easier. While not intended to be comprehensive, it can help you get ready to discuss your tax situation with your financial advisor and tax professional.

As we stressed several times throughout the webinar – we encourage you to keep us in the loop when things change in your life during the year.  Job changes, large bonuses, early retirement, job loss, moving, starting Social Security, etc. are all examples of events we want you to reach out to us about for guidance and to see if there are opportunities we can help you take advantage of.  Sometimes it will be as simple as us letting you know you’re doing everything you should be doing but other times, there might be items we can help you uncover that otherwise would have been missed.  We are your financial teammate and are here to help you whenever you need us!   

Below is a link to the recording of the webinar that we’d encourage you to share with any friends or family members who you feel could benefit from the information as well.

Nick Defenthaler, CFP® is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ at Center for Financial Planning, Inc. Nick is a member of The Center’s financial planning department and also works closely with Center clients. In addition, Nick is a frequent contributor to the firm’s blogs.

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This material is being provided for information purposes only and is not a complete description, nor is it a recommendation. The information has been obtained from sources considered to be reliable, but Raymond James does not guarantee that the foregoing material is accurate or complete. This material is being provided for information purposes only and is not a complete description, nor is it a recommendation. The information has been obtained from sources considered to be reliable, but Raymond James does not guarantee that the foregoing material is accurate or complete.

Use Your FSA Dollars Before you Lose Them!

Contributed by: Nick Defenthaler, CFP®

With less than a month left in 2015, now is a good time to evaluate your Flex Savings Account (FSA) balance to see if there are any funds remaining from the year.  An FSA is an account that you, as an employee, contribute to on a pre-tax basis – like a traditional 401k. You can then use the contributions for medical or dependent care expenses, allowing you and your family to pay for these inevitable expenses in a tax-efficient manner.  The catch however, is that funds contributed to the FSA typically must be used by the end of the year or the money is forfeited.

Flex Plans Get More Flexible

As mentioned, FSAs are "use it or lose it plans" but in recent years, the rules have become slightly more flexible - no pun intended.  Employers now have the option to either:

1. Provide a “grace period” of up to 2 ½ extra months to use the remaining funds in the FSA or…

2. Allow you to carry over up to $500 to use in the following year

It’s important to note that your employer is NOT required to offer these options, but if they do, they are only permitted to choose one of the above options – not both.  This recent change to how the unused balances for FSAs are treated helps you and makes FSAs far more attractive than years past.    

How to Make the Most of Your Flex Spending Account

The most you can contribute to an FSA for 2016 is the same as 2015 - $2,550 or $5,000 as a family.  A medical FSA can be used for qualified medical expenses such as prescription drugs, co-pays, teeth cleanings, eye exams, etc.  Typically items such as over-the-counter drugs and elective medical procedures are not eligible to be paid from your FSA.  The dependent care FSAs are great for working parents who pay for childcare, but just like the health care FSAs, you should check out IRS.gov for a list of “approved” expenses.

This is a crazy busy time of year for all of us, but if you have an FSA through work, make it a priority over the next few weeks to check the balance and see what options you have for the unused balance (if there is one).  If you only have until 12/31/15 to use the money, now might be a good time to schedule that teeth cleaning or annual physical you’ve been putting off all year.  Chances are you’ve already gone through open enrollment at work but if you’ve yet to choose to participate in the FSA through your employer, take a look at potentially utilizing it.  When used properly, an FSA is a great tool to help pay for the expenses most of us cringe at in – all while lowering your year-end tax bill. 

If you have questions on how much you think you should contribute or if an FSA makes sense for you and your family – give us a call, we’d be happy to give you some guidance!

Nick Defenthaler, CFP® is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ at Center for Financial Planning, Inc. Nick is a member of The Center’s financial planning department and also works closely with Center clients. In addition, Nick is a frequent contributor to the firm’s blogs.

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This material is being provided for information purposes only and is not a complete description, nor is it a recommendation. Any opinions are those of Nick Defenthaler and not necessarily those of Raymond James. The information has been obtained from sources considered to be reliable, but Raymond James does not guarantee that the foregoing material is accurate or complete. You should discuss tax matters with the appropriate professional.

You Can't Predict / You Can Prepare

Contributed by: Center for Financial Planning, Inc.

There’s a fine line between worrying about the future and obsessing. When it comes to your money and volatile markets, that line can blur. So how do you keep calm when the going gets tough on Wall Street? What helps you stay at ease? We believe it is careful preparation. While you can never predict which way the market is going, you always have control. Control over your own decisions. Control over how you react. But most importantly, control over what you do BEFORE the volatility. To that end, our CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERS™ here at The Center each offer a personal take on how to prepare. Whether it’s learning to ignore the media hype or understanding your own emotional triggers to investing, our tips have one common thread. Prepare now. Don’t wait. Here’s how:

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The information contained in this report does not purport to be a complete description of the securities, markets, or developments referred to in this material. This material is being provided for information purposes only and is not a complete description, nor is it a recommendation. The information has been obtained from sources considered to be reliable, but we do not guarantee that the foregoing material is accurate or complete. Any opinions are those of Center for Financial Planning, Inc. and not necessarily those of Raymond James. Investing involves risk and investors may incur a profit or a loss. Prior to making an investment decision, please consult with your financial advisor about your individual situation.

Technology Supports an Aging Population

Contributed by: Sandra Adams, CFP®

I was recently given the opportunity to visit one of the nation’s top research university’s that has a research institute dedicated to  aging – quite a treat for a geek like me interested in the study of gerontology!  The trip attracted my attention to current studies that focus on topics such as how technology can impact the lives of older adults, and how different generations interpret and understand financial concepts and financial advice – both interesting concepts to our work with clients here at the The Center.

My favorite take-a-way from my trip was a new awareness of the new technology service resources that are now available. So many of my conversations with clients center around the independence and the desire to remain in their family owned homes for as long as possible.  What I learned on my recent trip was how new technology and sharing economic services can make it possible for older adults to fulfill their wants and needs, and potentially make it possible for them to remain active and independent for far longer than they ever thought possible. 

How can you or an older adult in your life make this work in your favor?

• Start by becoming aware of new technology and the sharing service economy.  What am I talking about here?  Services like Uber for transportation, Pillboxie for medication reminders, Heartwise and Care Beacon for health monitoring and assistance, Washio for laundry services, Blue Apron for easy meal preparation, Task Rabbit for locating help with tasks around the house, and so many more.

• Begin to think about your long life planning and what options and preferences you have in mind for your housing, care, etc.

• Work with your financial planner and other professionals to put real plans in place to make sure your preferences can come true, and to make sure that you have access to all of the best and, if it makes sense, most technologically advanced, resources available to assist you.

Technology isn’t just for your kids and grandkids!  The tools and services now available can be used to make the aging process a more convenient, active and independent one for the ages – if we allow ourselves to explore it!

Sandra Adams, CFP® is a Partner and Financial Planner at Center for Financial Planning, Inc. Sandy specializes in Elder Care Financial Planning and is a frequent speaker on related topics. In addition to her frequent contributions to Money Centered, she is regularly quoted in national media publications such as The Wall Street Journal, Research Magazine and Journal of Financial Planning.

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The information has been obtained from sources considered to be reliable, but we do not guarantee that the foregoing material is accurate or complete. Any opinions are those of Sandy Adams and not necessarily those of Raymond James. Raymond James is not affiliated with and does not endorse the services of the above mentioned companies in this material.