Beacon Wealthcare |

18 May 2023 The Debt Ceiling

Posted at 15:26h in The Friday Brief by Ryan Smith, CFP®, RICP®, CTS™, MSFP

The current Debt Ceiling debate first became a thing as far back as last November when Republicans took control of the House. With a divided congress and the U.S. running its usual budget deficit, agreement would be needed within the legislative branch to raise the...

27 Apr 2023 Financial Inertia

Posted at 15:06h in The Friday Brief by Ryan Smith, CFP®, RICP®, CTS™, MSFP

Inertia is a powerful force, and I'm not talking about "ball rolling down a hill" kind. No, I'm talking about the kind that keeps us stuck-in-a-rut, maintaining bad habits and preventing us from starting good ones. When it comes to money, we call this "Financial Inertia,"...

30 Mar 2023 Three Takeaways from the Silicon Valley Bank Failure

Posted at 07:00h in The Friday Brief by Ryan Smith, CFP®, RICP®, CTS™, MSFP

Three weeks ago today, Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) was put into receivership by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) after experiencing outflows of more than $40B the day before. Since then, most of the conversation has focused on how the FDIC balances their own insurance...

09 Mar 2023 529-to-Roth IRA Transfers

Posted at 14:13h in The Friday Brief by Ryan Smith, CFP®, RICP®, CTS™, MSFP

If the goal is to save for college, there isn't a better vehicle than the 529 plan. Because of their unique combination of tax benefits, which vary by state, they can offer a greater after-tax return than a normal brokerage account. How much greater depends...