Beacon Wealthcare |

28 Sep 2023 Why I Left the NC 529 Plan (And Why You Probably Don’t Need To)

Posted at 15:20h in The Friday Brief by Ryan Smith, CFP®, RICP®, CTS™, MSFP

Emily and I opened 529 accounts for Jack and Gwen within a month of their birth with The College Foundation of North Carolina (CFNC). When I set up Jack’s account more than 10 years ago what initially stuck out was how dated the website was...

07 Sep 2023 The IRS On Its Heels

Posted at 12:23h in The Friday Brief by Ryan Smith, CFP®, RICP®, CTS™, MSFP

Since 2010, there have been no fewer than five significant changes to the tax code. It began with the passing of the Affordable Care Act, which added a 0.9% Medicare tax on earnings above a certain threshold plus a 3.8% Net Investment Income Tax (NIIT)...

10 Aug 2023 Three Personal Finance Books You Should Read With Your Kids

Posted at 13:28h in The Friday Brief by Ryan Smith, CFP®, RICP®, CTS™, MSFP

Last Saturday the entire Beacon team, including kids, gathered at Jared's house to hang out and have dinner. On the drive home, Gwen asked a question that she and Jack ask from time-to-time: "Dad, what do you do at work?" My response is typically something...

13 Jul 2023 What Counting Crows Get Right About Memories

Posted at 12:43h in The Friday Brief by Ryan Smith, CFP®, RICP®, CTS™, MSFP

Somewhere on my desert island, all-time top five list of bands (s/o High Fidelity) sits Counting Crows. They released their first album, August and Everything After, in 1993 and you couldn't turn on the radio or switch on MTV without coming across Mr. Jones, the...