Costs of long-term care and long-term care insurance qualify as deductible medical expenses
July 9, 2010
The costs of "qualified long-term care" and insurance coverage for such care qualify as deductible medical expenses. Since nursing home care can be so expensive and insurance for such care is growing in popularity, this deduction may apply to many taxpayers. Read more...
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Is a Roth IRA conversion right for you?
June 23, 2010
The Roth IRA is a smart way to save for retirement — or to build wealth for heirs — because qualified withdrawals (including withdrawals of earnings) are tax free. But most higher-income taxpayers have been ineligible to benefit from this savings vehicle. Beginning this year, however, anyone, regardless of income, can convert a traditional IRA into a Roth IRA. Whether this is the right move depends on a person's specific circumstances. This article explains both the potential benefits and the income tax implications that should be considered before converting a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA. Read more...
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The Elusive Sure Thing
June 9, 2010
As we began 2010, it seemed there were three sure things: The price of gold would rise, bond yields would rise and inflation would show up uninvited. The year began with gold at $1,121 and the 10-year Treasury note yielding 3.82 percent. Read more...
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In Context Newsletters - Wealth Strategy Articles
April 30, 2010
Spring 2010 issue includes:1) The Elusive Sure Thing 2) Is Technical Analysis Profitable in Equity Indexes 3) Four Estate Planning Steps to Consider
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Long-term care -- a crisis in the making
April 9, 2010
With the lure of tax-free distributions, Roth IRAs have become a popular retirement savings vehicle since their introduction in 1998. But if you are a high-income taxpayer, with adjusted gross income of $100,000 or more, you have not been able to participate in a Roth conversion until now. Beginning this year, you will be able to convert all or part of certain tax-deferred accounts to a Roth IRA. Read more...
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Kraft Asset Management leads formation of Bright Sky Group
Feb. 24, 2010
Kraft Asset Management, LLC, is a founding member of Bright Sky Group (Bright Sky), an innovative alliance of independent investment advisors. The alliance was formed based on a shared commitment to protecting client interests, and a fresh approach to investment and wealth management. Read more...
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Should you consider converting to a Roth IRA this year?
Feb. 3, 2010
With the lure of tax-free distributions, Roth IRAs have become a popular retirement savings vehicle since their introduction in 1998. But if you are a high-income taxpayer, with adjusted gross income of $100,000 or more, you have not been able to participate in a Roth conversion until now. Beginning this year, you will be able to convert all or part of certain tax-deferred accounts to a Roth IRA. Read more...
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Acting as an Investment Steward - Rules of the road for not-for-profit board members
Jan. 22, 2010
When you are successful in business, everyone loves you. Charities and not-for-profits want a little of your money, but mostly they want you. They want to harvest the same level of commitment and expertise that contributed to your success as a businessperson and apply it to their own organizations. They want your leadership abilities, your organizational skills, and the contacts you have developed over the years.
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A Quiet Revolution - Fresh approach to wealth management favors planning over prediction
Jan. 22, 2010
There is a quiet revolution underway in investing and wealth management.The revolution is a slow but steady rethinking of the conventional Wall Street wisdom that told us we could systematically beat the market by applying keener insight, stronger research, better rules, or smarter expert advice. Read more...
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Fiduciary Duty - Once and for all, what does it mean?
Jan. 22, 2010
Investing can be complicated, technical, time-consuming, and, for many, not very interesting. As a result, many individuals seek the guidance of experienced and trustworthy financial professionals.But whom can we trust? Whom can we feel comfortable and confident with our hard-earned assets, personal information, and financial futures? On whom can we rely to put our interests first? Read more...
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Trust your instincts. Except in investing. - How human nature can derail investment results
Jan. 22, 2010
In most aspects of everyday life, instinct serves us well. It protects us from danger. It attracts us to exciting business opportunities, and helps us recognize those that are too good to be true. It draws us to the key characters in our lives – friends, spouses, collaborators, mentors. Read more...
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Plan to Win - Avoid the 5 most common planning pitfalls
Jan. 20, 2010
Everyone agrees that financial planning is important. But actually developing and putting a plan into action is another story. Because planning can be time-consuming and force families to deal with difficult questions that are more easily ignored or delayed, it often slides down the list of priorities. Read more...
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Asset class investing 101 - What it is and why it matters
Jan. 20, 2010
Asset class investing is an important alternative to the methods that have been considered standard investment procedure for generations. As its name implies, asset class investing distributes capital across distinct groups, or classes, of securities, rather than picking specific stocks or industry sectors. Read more...
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If Madoff made off with billions, how safe is my money?
April 8, 2009
Last month, Bernard Madoff pled guilty to swindling billions from his clients. While a scandal of this magnitude is rare, similar crimes of a smaller nature happen more often than you might realize. Read more...
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Investing in a volatile market
April 8, 2009
As tempting as it might seem, most financial experts agree that assuming a fetal position is not the most effective way to ride out today's volatile market. Read more...
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Current market conditions and your 401(k)
Jan. 2, 2009
While most clients of Kraft Asset Management, LLC, are well educated about the value of investing in 401(k) plans and other types of retirement accounts, a down economy and stock market volatility can make even a seasoned investor ask questions. Below are answers to a few common questions. If you are a plan sponsor, you may want to share this article with your employees. Read more...
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Kraft Asset Management puts stock market flux in perspective
Oct. 14, 2008
We've experienced many dark days on Wall Street in the past quarter. On September 29, 2008, the DOW experienced its worst singleday point loss of 777 points. In terms of one-day percentage loss for the DOW, it is the eighteenth worst trading session, but there are reasons to be optimistic. Read more...
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Why women are better investors than men
Sep. 22, 2008
In the battle of the sexes, men will point out that they are physically stronger than women, and jokingly contend they are smarter. But there are some things that women are much better at than men -- like investing in stocks. Read more...
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Extensive due diligence plays role in firm's success
Sep. 22, 2008
It would be a significant understatement to say that RSM McGladrey Network member KraftCPAs PLLC was deliberate in its decision to enter the investment advisor industry. For more than seven years, Member Stephen High and his colleagues assessed various platforms including brokerage firms, wirehouses, and banks. Most were commission-based rather than fee-only, and "actively managed," meaning they would seek to outperform the market by picking future winning stocks, or timing markets or sectors. Read more...
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Investors can minimize risk with passive investment strategy
Sep. 22, 2008
The field of behavioral psychology has determined that most individuals tend to be risk averse -- that is, they tend to more keenly feel the pain of loss than they relish the pleasure of winning. In the realm of investing, there are two main ways to invest -- an active approach that seeks to beat the market via stock-picking or market timing, or a passive approach that instead focuses on capturing dimensions of risk commensurate with expected returns. Academic research indicates that active investing significantly increases the odds of loss. The logical choice, given our risk averse tendencies, is to avoid active investing. Read more...
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Timeless advice on recessions and bear markets
July 4, 2008
Whenever headline news from the financial media screams recession, many investors react by selling stocks. Clients of Kraft Asset Management understand the importance of remaining steadfastly diversified according to their unique risk profile rather than attempting to chase -- or flee -- returns. Patience is the key to achieving your long-term objectives. Read more...
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The best kept secret of investment management
April 11, 2008
Much has been written about active management versus passive management approaches to investing. The active management approach attempts to time investment selections to be more heavily invested in equities when the market is rising and selling equities when the market is declining. It is also the attempt to find securities the market has either under or overvalued. Read more...
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Are you smarter than the market? Is anyone?
Feb. 14, 2008
When thinking about saving for college or retirement, "bookie" and "point spread" are probably not the first words that enter an investor's mind. Nevertheless, there is an important parallel between sports betting and investing that has powerful implications -- the sports betting market and the stock market are both fairly efficient. In other words, whether you're analyzing Vegas point spreads or Wall Street stock prices, it's very difficult (if not impossible) to uncover inaccuracies and do it fast enough to exploit those anomalies. Read more...
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Market crisis, or déjà vu all over again?
Sep. 19, 2007
Recently, the stock market has experienced significant volatility. Should we be surprised, or should we have expected it? What does this volatility mean to an educated investor? Read more...
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Financial planning: Have you had a check-up lately?
June 14, 2007
Developing the right investment plan is among the most important decisions a prudent investor faces. Just as a second opinion regarding important medical decisions can provide reassurance, a review of your existing or proposed investment plan can be of great benefit to you and your family. Read more...
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The wrong kind of diversification
April 16, 2007
When investors keep their assets in several places with multiple managers, it becomes more difficult to achieve long-term financial goals. Instead, individuals can more easily coordinate their overall investment plan by choosing a single trusted advisor to manage their assets. Read more...
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KAM has also been quoted or featured in national publications, including:
"Advisors want proof firms are on the straight and narrow"
Fund Marketing Alert
"Missed opportunity: The retirement plan market"
Investment News
"Advisors look to attorneys for help"
Fund Marketing Alert
"Estate tax issues finds planners in search of products, solutions"
Accounting Today |
