Finances
529s Becoming the Valedictorian for Families at Private Schools
Do your children attend a private school or do you know someone whose children do? Parents of children attending primary and secondary may be applauding recent tax law changes concerning 529 education savings plans. New this year, families can use 529 education savings plans for private schools, and they may receive a state income tax […]
Ten Tax Planning Tips to Consider Now for End of Year Planning
Here are 10 tax planning tips to consider that might help reduce your federal income tax bill: Contribute the maximum amount to your 401(k) plan. Up to applicable limits, your contributions are subtracted from your gross pay, so you don’t pay current income taxes on the contributions (although you still pay Social Security and Medicare taxes). […]
Economic Freedom and Care for the Environment: Mutually Exclusive or Mutually Beneficial?
In the late 1970s, our energy outlook was not looking good. Over six years, gas prices had tripled and there were shortages and long lines at the pump. It appeared that we were at the mercy of OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries). Experts predicted that we would be out of oil soon, perhaps […]
Supreme Court Strikes Down State’s Double Taxation
On May 18, 2015, the United States Supreme Court declared a provision of Maryland’s State Income Tax unconstitutional as discriminatory against interstate commerce, and thereby in violation of Article I, Section 8 of the United States Constitution. The case is Comptroller v. Wynne. The specific and technical issue is that Maryland’s personal income tax has […]
What Does Oatmeal and Giving Have to Do With Each Other?
The next time you’re in the cereal isle at your local grocery store I want you to think of Henry Parsons Crowell. Mr. Crowell has been a source of inspiration to me. While he faced many difficulties in his life his focus was on what truly matters. He endured the early loss of his father, […]
What is the Value of My Business?
What is the value of my business? That’s the question every business owner wonders from time to time. But the correct answer varies depending on the purpose of the appraisal. Different rules and “standards of value” may apply in different circumstances. In the United States, the most widely recognized and accepted standard of value is […]
A Review of the Financial Markets in 2014 —Grading Bob Doll’s “Ten Predictions”
In January of each year, Bob Doll, the Chief Equity Strategist at Nuveen Asset Management (and the Keynote Speaker for the 2015 CPN Conference) makes his “Ten Predictions” for the coming year. With the year coming to a close, we can look back at 2014 Financial Performance through the lens of Mr. Doll’s predictions: 1. […]
“Shark Tank” and Church Financing
Shark Tank, a show about billionaire investors who either turn away or fight over investing in hopeful entrepreneurs, can teach us a lot about capital campaigns, and how capital campaigns impact a church’s ability to qualify for financing. If you have watched the show, you have probably noticed that there are two types of entrepreneurs, […]
Staying Solvent, Staying Liquid: “The Micawber Principle”
“Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen [pounds] nineteen [shillings] and six [pence], result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery.” So opined Wilkins Micawber in Charles Dickens great novel David Copperfield. Mr. Micawber thus announced a principle of personal and business finance taught by professors, preached by […]
The Five Year Bull Market and Smart Investing
The stock market recently celebrated the fifth year of growth since the start of the current bull market. Looking back, there are clear lessons for intelligent investors. On March 9, 2009, the financial news was universally bad. The Standard & Poor’s 500 stock index had fallen 57% from its 2007 peak; headlines in the Wall […]
