Key Savings and Tax Benefits of a Health Savings Account (HSA)
A Health Savings Account (HSA) is a…
News & Press Releases
Learn more about Capital Advantage through our latest news, press releases and recent media coverage.
January 2023
SECURE Act 2.0 Retirement Savings Opportunities: How Can It Benefit You?
The 2019 Setting Every Community Up for…
Key Financial Planning Dates and Deadlines: February 2023 - April 2023
February 20: Washington’s Birthday (Markets and Capital Advantage closed) April 7: Good Friday (Markets and Capital Advantage closed) April 18: 2022 Income Tax Filing Deadline April 18: Q1 2023 Estimated Tax DeadlineOctober 2022
10 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Leave Your 401(k) with Your Ex-Employer
Whatever your reason for leaving a place…
Social Security Recipients Get 8.7% Cost-Of-Living Increase in 2023, the Highest in More than 40 Years • Medicare Premiums will Drop Next Year
Social Security Increase
In response to high inflation, Social Security recipients will receive an annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) of 8.7% next year, the largest increase since 1981 (when COLA was…
September 2022
August 2022
June 2022
529 College Savings Plans: A Tax-Smart Way to Help Your Kids (or Grandkids!) Pay for College
Investing in your child or grandchild’s future education is one of the greatest gifts you can give—a gift that will last a lifetime and can help open doors to…
April 2022
Understanding Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) – How to Avoid Costly Mistakes
Just as a lack of financial planning…
March 2022
Tax Time Tips for IRAs: Contribution Deadlines and Opening an IRA for a Child
This time of year, clients often ask questions about contributing to their individual retirement accounts (IRAs) since the deadline is coming soon.
IRA Contributions Deadline
The deadline to contribute to traditional…
January 2022
Key Planning Dates and Deadlines: January 2022 - March 2022
January 17: Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Capital Advantage and markets closed) January 18: 4th Quarter 2021 Estimated Tax Payments Due February 21: Presidents’ Day (Capital Advantage and markets closed)December 2021
Your Year-End Financial Checklist
Another year is almost in the books, which means now is a good time to make sure your financial situation is in order prior to ringing in the New…
Retirement: I Used to Be Somebody Podcast - Transitioning Successfully to a Second or Third Act
In one of Carl Landau’s most interesting interviews, Mark Linz, former top Bank of America executive talks about how he left banking and co-founded Your Next Season, an organization…
November 2021
Social Security Announces Big Raise for Beneficiaries in 2022—is the System Headed for Insolvency?
Advisor Insight by Ian Castille, CFP®, Capital…
I Used to be Somebody: A Fresh Alternative to Traditional Retirement Podcasts
“I Used to be Somebody” doesn’t give out standard “Life After Retirement” advice. It’s an entertaining antidote to traditional retirement content, which can often be boring (or even depressing!)….
October 2021
A New Tax Plan is Taking Shape: Will you be Affected?
The new tax proposal is taking shape, yet we don’t expect to know the final details until later this year. The proposal’s package of tax changes is in the…
Employee Spotlight: Liz Munson, Service Advisor
Liz Munson joined Capital Advantage as a Service Advisor in May of this year. She is responsible for assisting with financial planning, maintaining accounts, and facilitating the day-to-day servicing of…
August 2021
How to Avoid Paying Capital Gains Tax (Legally)
The IRS has never collected more income tax from U.S. taxpayers than it has over the past 2 years1. It comes as no surprise that people are looking for ways…
Inherited IRAs: Change in Rules for RMDs
The rules for withdrawing funds from an inherited IRA have changed…and can be confusing.
Per the 2020 SECURE Act, for IRAs inherited after 2019, the IRS now requires that new…
June-July 2021
Proposition 19: A Win for Retirees in California
By Capital Advantage, Inc. Financial Advisor, Ben Agron, CFP®
Property taxes in California can be a big expense and without past legislation like 1978’s California Proposition 13 (a property tax…
Expenses for Assisted Living May Be Tax-Deductible
Did you know? If you are required to enter assisted living or a nursing home as part of a physician’s plan of care, a portion of the cost may…May 2021
Legacy Planning: 4 Key Steps
Legacy planning…estate planning…whatever you want to call it, people are hesitant to have that initial conversation around what life will look like after they’re gone. That’s understandable given that…
Capital Advantage Hurdles Over $900 Million AUM Milestone: Founder cites experience as key to successfully navigating market volatility
Capital Advantage, Inc. recently announced that they exceeded $900 million in assets under management (AUM) on April 5, 2021.
“Capital Advantage had been resilient in the face of the pandemic,”…
April 2021
Women and Wealth: Financial Advice for Recent Widows
The death of a spouse is one of the most difficult experiences many of us will have to face…
Selma Hackett Promoted to Senior Client Representative
Capital Advantage, Inc. is pleased to announce the promotion of Selma Hackett from Client Service Representative to Senior Client…
Federal Tax Filing Deadline Extended to May 17th
The IRS has postponed the deadline to file 2020 tax returns for individuals from Thursday, April 15th to Monday, May 17th giving taxpayers another month to file tax returns…
February 2021
Nobody Wants to Move Twice! How to Avoid a Double-Move When Buying a Home
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic…
Tax Update: If You Made a 60-Day Rollover Deposit in 2020
As you may recall, under the 2020 CARES Act, the IRS allowed a one-time provision to waive your required minimum distribution (RMD) in 2020. For those who had taken…
January 2021
Women and Wealth: The Unique Financial Needs of Women
Q&A with Capital Advantage Senior Financial Advisor Donna Zinman, CRPC®
Over the past 25+ years that I’ve been working in financial services, I’ve noticed differences in women’s financial planning needs and…
Ian Castille, CFP® Completes Schwab Executive Leadership Program
Capital Advantage, Inc. is pleased to announce that Ian Castille, CFP®, Principal and Senior Financial Advisor, has successfully completed the Schwab Executive Leadership Program, an exclusive and competitive one-year…
RMDs Have Returned for 2021
RMDs (Required Minimum Distributions) were waived for 2020 but have resumed in 2021. Last year, the CARES Act (passed in March 2020) allowed seniors to skip taking their required…
November 2020
2020 Year-End Financial Deadlines Checklist: Prevent Tax Penalties and Missed Planning Opportunities
The end of the year is fast approaching, and there are several key financial deadlines that you should be aware of. Let’s start with some suggestions for navigating year-end…
Planning for Retirement? Avoid These 3 Costly Mistakes
Advisor Insight by Ben Agron, CFP®, Capital Advantage Financial AdvisorYou’ve worked hard, saved your money, invested diligently and finally (hopefully, on your terms), you have decided it’s…
September 2020
Exciting New Enhancements to the Tamarac Client Portal
In today’s increasingly digital world, it’s never been more important to deliver an engaging online experience to our clients. As part of our ongoing commitment to provide our clients…
August 2020
My Homeowners Insurance Just Doubled! Tips for Finding an Affordable Replacement Policy
Given the devastation and loss caused by the California wildfires in recent years, many insurance companies are either increasing their homeowners insurance rates substantially—some as high as 300%—and even dropping…
Reminder: 60 Day Rollover Deadline Extended to August 31
All taxpayers who have taken a required minimum distribution (RMD) in 2020 from an eligible retirement account (including those taken in January and February of this year) have the…
July 2020
Understanding the 11 S&P 500 Sectors: Sectors Rotate from Performance Leaders to Performance Laggards Quickly
Investors are bombarded with news about how well (and poorly) individual companies perform and how well groups of companies that share similar business characteristics might perform given certain economic…
How to Respond to a Long-Term Care Premium Hike: Weighing Policy Options to Maintain Coverage at an Affordable Price
When I decided to purchase long-term care insurance in my early 50s, I thought I was being so responsible. But 14 years later, facing my second premium increase, I…
June 2020
Retirement Planning: Market Volatility and The Fragile Decade
The 5 years leading up to retirement through the first 5 years after retirement is the most crucial period that a retiree will go through – in fact, a…
Wealthy Buyers Reportedly in Mad Rush to Leave San Francisco
The demand for real estate is unexpectedly high in wealthy regions outside of San Francisco.
Amid the depths of a global pandemic and financial downturn, the demand for real estate…
More Companies Weigh Cutting 401(k) Match in Pandemic Pinch
More than 100 million Americans are covered by defined-contribution plans, but many firms are considering suspending, reducing or deferring matches in the wake of the coronavirus.
The coronavirus pandemic is…
May 2020
The Great Depression: Why it is Highly Unlikely to Happen Again
An economic depression is a severe downturn that lasts several years. Fortunately, the world has only experienced one economic depression. That was the Great Depression which lasted for 10…
7 Estate Planning Must-Dos in the Time of Coronavirus
Self-isolation and quarantines have given rise to unique problems and a new way of thinking. With a global pandemic and health and wellness becoming a huge priority in people’s…
April 2020
CARES Act Means Easier Distributions and Loans From Retirement Accounts
As you know, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was signed into law on March 27, 2020 and includes provisions that are intended to provide relief…
March 2020
Congress Suspends Required Minimum Distributions for 401(k)s and IRAs for 2020, Opening Window to Tax Savings
The bipartisan COVID-19 stimulus bill just signed by President Trump includes welcome tax relief for retirees: The required minimum distribution rules for Individual Retirement Accounts and 401(k)s are waived for 2020….
COVID-19: Stopping Misinformation and Keeping Calm
As you probably know, there is a profusion of misinformation out there on social media about the coronavirus outbreak. It is so widespread that it’s being dubbed an “infodemic”…
February 2020
You Can Earn 155 Times More Interest Just By Using a Different Kind of Savings Account
If you let a $10,000 deposit sit in a standard savings account for a year, you’d earn a mere dollar in interest. That’s because most major banks out there…
The Standard Deduction Will Be a Little Bit Bigger in 2020
Most tax filers look for every opportunity to reduce what they owe the IRS. And one of the biggest ways to reduce your tax bill is to be smart…
Deciding to Buy Municipal Bonds
Municipal bonds may seem like a perfect investment. Income that isn’t subject to taxes—what could possibly go wrong? Not much, especially if you stick to the higher-rated issues, but that…
January 2020
Stock Market Performance in Presidential Election Years
Do presidential elections influence the stock market? While the stock market is cyclical and it’s tempting for investors to look to history as they try to time their decisions,…
Your 2020 Tax Fact Sheet and Calendar
As 2020 dawns, the changes to the tax code are more evolutionary than revolutionary. Most of the changes amount to tweaks to income or contribution limits, reflective of the…
The SECURE Act is Changing Retirement - Here are the Most Important Things to Know
The new law took effect January 1, 2020 and changes some rules about retirement savings.
President Trump signed the SECURE on December 20, 2019 as part of the government’s spending…
December 2019
The Biggest End-of-Year Money Mistakes
Getting things in order before ringing in the new year can be stressful. There are holiday preparations, work deadlines and family gatherings to attend. But for many, tackling the…
Fed Decision: Interest Rates Left Unchanged, Indicates No Changes Through 2020
The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady following its two-day meeting this week and indicated that no action is likely next year amid persistently low inflation.
Concluding a year that…
What Role Should Your House Have in Retirement Planning?
Home is where the heart is. And it can also be where the assets are. As of 2011, home equity made up about three-quarters of the average American’s net…
November 2019
Year-End Financial Checklist to Prevent Tax Penalties and Missed Planning Opportunities
Several significant tax and savings deadlines are fast approaching. Before you flip your calendar to December, consider making some of these smart money moves.
As you approach the end of…
Why Tax Changes are Hurting the Housing Market
2019 U.S. home prices are falling as the market absorbs the 2017 Tax Act changes. Meanwhile, other factors are hampering the housing market and point to a potential recession…
Downshifting: Working Longer and Loving It
Many people have an all-or-nothing view of work. But there can be a downshifting phase before full retirement that brings both fulfillment and increased savings.
I have a friend who…
Fall 2019
Are Negative Interest Rates on the Way in the U.S.?
The U.S. could be headed for negative interest rate territory. Experts from Wharton and Michigan State University discuss the implications for the U.S. economy.
First it was former Federal Reserve…
How the Composition of Wealth Differs from the Middle Class to the Top 1%
The composition of household wealth tends to change a lot as people move up the economic ladder.
Most of middle class household’s wealth will be derived from their principal residence,…
Americans Lose Trillions Claiming Social Security at the Wrong Time
A lack of knowledge leaves individual retirees dumping thousands of dollars out of their own pockets.
The graph below says it all. The age at which most people claim Social…
Summer 2019
The Shift in the Fed’s Stance Fuels Equity Gains
An expanding economy, falling bond yields, and a Fed that is poised to cut interest rates have pushed the Dow, NASDAQ, and S&P 500 Index to new highs, countering…
Where Should My Kids Apply to College?
If you believe the hype, families these days have their kids applying to 10 or more schools, and acceptance rates are at record lows. What’s going on? Lynn O’Shaughnessy,…
Divorced-Spouse Social Security Benefits: 8 Rules with Examples
When Social Security was first instituted in 1935, most women did not work. So, in 1939, as part of a sweeping series of amendments, the system made spousal benefits…
June 2019
Time to Refi? Economic Volatility Drives Mortgage Rates Below 4%
As the bond market drives yields down because of the economic turmoil, mortgage rates moved in concert, dropping below 4% for the first time since January 2018, according to…
Bay Area Housing Slump: Home Sales Drop, Prices Turn Flat
Price sluggishness, sales declines strike most of Bay Area housing market.
The Bay Area housing market turned noticeably sluggish during April, according to a report released May 30 that sketched…
What Does the House Retirement Bill Mean for You?
A House bill would make it easier to convert retirement savings into a steady lifetime income.
The retirement bill the House of Representatives passed on May 23 includes an assortment…
May 2019
What Does 'Inverted Yield Curve' Mean?
Question: What is a yield curve, and what does it mean when it’s inverted?
Answer: In simple terms, the yield curve shows the price of borrowing money in the bond…
Reboot, Rewire or Retire: Personal Experiences with Phased Retirement and Managing a ‘Life Portfolio’
This article provides insights from my personal experience with phased retirement and that of friends and others, and about what has made retirement work well for us, as well…
Choosing Health Insurance Options at Retirement: A Primer
Maintaining adequate health insurance as you transition through the various stages of retirement plays a key role in the retirement decision.
While you are working, you generally have employer-sponsored insurance….
April 2019
Emotional Investing: What it Costs, and What to Do About It
In a recent Journal of Financial Planning article, I analyzed the costs and implications of selling investments during downturns. By my estimates, and others in the field, the cost…
Medicare For All: What's In It for Seniors?
Run an internet search for “Medicare for all and seniors,” and you’ll see plenty of posts explaining just how harmful single payer health care would be for retirees.
The Medicare…
Your RMD Amounts are More Conservative Than You Might Think
We know this: Affluent retirees love to hate their required minimum distributions.
Taxes are the major reason. The amounts that people who are age 70 1/2 or older must begin…
February 2019
How to Invest When Markets are Down (For Those Who Don't Remember)
It has been nearly 10 years since U.S. stocks were in a bear market. Time to brush up on some proven techniques.
Many investors might have forgotten (or, for the…
What You Can Learn from Your 1099 Forms
The current tax season–for the 2018 tax year–is likely to be pretty different from years past.
The key reason is that changes in the tax code that went into effect…
The 2019 Retirement Landscape
What’s the best way to get more people to save for retirement on the job?In 2019, a large national experiment will take shape that tests two very different approaches….
January 2019
The Biggest Danger to Your Long-Term Investment Results
What is the Biggest Danger?Here’s a trick question: what is the biggest danger to your long-term investment results? If you answered something like “market downturns” or “downside volatility,” you’re…
Your 2019 Tax Fact Sheet and Calendar
The year 2018 ushered in seismic tax-code changes that you’re likely to see reflected on your 2018 return: notably, the end of personal exemptions as well as higher standard…
November 2018
What is Asset Location? And Why it is So Important.
While many investors are focused on asset allocation – finding the right mix of asset classes for their level of risk tolerance, goals and investment time frame – smart investors…
Bunching Deductions to Take Advantage of the New Tax Laws
The newly raised standard deduction means taxpayers need to get strategic to reap tax benefits from their deductions and charitable donations. Here’s how.
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act has…
2019 Retirement Calendar and Checklist to Keep You on Track
Most retirees just want to visit Oahu and pamper their grandkids, but there are critical financial tasks to handle throughout retirement. Here, we round up the important dates and…
October 2018
Why is October the Stock Market's Most Volatile Month?
There is an ancient Chinese curse – “may you live in interesting times.” The saying has a sort of wry truth to it. After all, quiet and persistent growth…
Fit Travel to Personality
Where should you go on your next vacation? Your satisfaction and enjoyment level may depend on who you are, according to psychologist Joshua Jackson, associate professor at Washington University…
Handling Large IRAs Under the New Tax Act: 3 Things to Consider
IRA distribution planning is entering a new world, a departure from the days when simply dropping dollars into a traditional IRA was the sensible thing to do. With the…
September 2018
The Generational Financial Divide
If some random person off the street handed you $10,000 in cash, no strings attached, and would pay the taxes on this windfall, what would you do with it?
Researchers…
New Tech, New Jobs
It’s interesting to watch economists and tech prognosticators go back and forth over whether artificial intelligence, robots and other thinking machines will kill or create jobs. Most recently, the…
3 Free Ways to Pay Your Mortgage Faster
Paying extra on your mortgage can be a good idea. It can shave years off your home loan and save tens of thousands of dollars in interest charges.
The one…
August 2018
Qualified Charitable Distributions
If you are age 70½ or older, IRS rules require you to take required minimum distributions (RMDs) each year from your tax-deferred retirement accounts. This additional taxable income may…
The Growth Spike
Recent reports about the U.S. economy were a case of good news and bad news. The good news is that, in the second three months of the year, the U.S….
The Alarming Truth About American Healthcare Costs
In all the debate over how or whether we need affordable care, state registries, guaranteed coverage despite pre-existing conditions etc. etc., few Americans realize that our U.S. healthcare system…
July 2018
How the Two Roth IRA 5-Year Rules Work
Two 5-year rules are the benchmarks that determine whether distributions from a Roth IRA are subject to income tax and/or the 10% early distribution penalty.
A Roth IRA is funded…
Three Swords to Slice Through the Bonds of Procrastination
The Greeks called it akrasia—so that’s just how long we humans have been failing to follow through on good intentions—and getting filled with regret! Modern science offers three surprisingly effective,…
18 Facts About Women's Retirement
In the last 50 years, women have made unprecedented strides toward equity in work, family, and social settings. Yet when it comes to securing a financially safe retirement, they…
June 2018
New Ways to Give to Charity While Getting the Best Tax Breaks
In 2017, the standard deduction was $6,350 for individuals and $12,700 for married couples. However, as a result of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017, the…
A Better Place
A recent global survey of more than 18,000 adults in nine countries asked a simple question: “All things considered, do you think the world is getting better or worse, or…
States vs. SALT
Each year, thousands of professionals use their creativity and ingenuity to try to figure out the best ways to lower your federal taxes. You know you’re living in interesting times…