Tea & Taxes

Cliff notes version of Friday’s tax reform proposal

 in Tax Updates / Tea & Taxes  tagged tax planning / taxes by (updated 763 days ago)

I’ve spent the week-end digesting what’s in this tax bill, now that it’s formed up and ready for a vote. Obviously it could still fall apart, but here are some quick thoughts. I’ve bolded the ones that could use attention in December. Standard deductions are going up, and some of you may find you have even less reason to itemize than ever before. I’ll revisit my recommendations to everyone individually this week. (Festive yule, anyone?) But […]

How long do you keep that document?

Book Review: “The Money Book for Freelancers, Part-Timers, and the Self-Employed”

 in Book Reviews / Financial wellness / Tea & Taxes  tagged book reviews / cash flow / financial literacy / Self-employed / taxes by (updated 644 days ago)

A friend mentioned that I ought to read something by Bogle so I trotted down to the library to fetch one the other day.   Our library didn’t have any in stock so I ordered it through inter-library loan, but in the meantime I picked up a few books from the same section of the library shelves. So I just finished reading “The Money Book for Freelancers, Part-Timers, and the Self-Employed: the only personal finance system for people […]

In case of death…

 in ProsperiTea Planning / Tea & Taxes  tagged ACP / business / disability / emergency preparedness / estate planning / succession planning by (updated 763 days ago)

Ever wonder what happens to you, as a retainer, when your financial advisor dies? Even though I am barely 50 as I write this, I actually have given this a lot of thought. Here are the things I’ve done to make sure my people are taken care of in case I am suddenly unable to. (I used to say “hit by a bus”, but a bus driver once vented to me about how much he […]

In Case of Death

Upcoming conferences I’ll be at in 2016

 in ProsperiTea Planning / Tea & Taxes  tagged calendar by (updated 763 days ago)

Do you have any financial planning or investment advising questions bugging you? I’ve got two different conferences coming up and want to make sure I use that time wisely by paying attention to what my people want me to learn. Related to this, heads up that I’m going to be out of town. The National Association of Personal Financial Advisors conference is in Phoenix May 17th through May 20th. NAPFA is the association of fee-only […]

Scheduling Notes for 2016

 in ProsperiTea Planning / Tea & Taxes  tagged calendar by (updated 2985 days ago)

August 3, 2016   I’m on the road a lot when it’s not tax season for two reasons: continuing education and family vacations.  In 2016 I’m scheduled to go to: National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) Conference in Phoenix May 17th to 20th (completed) Alliance of Comprehensive Planners training in Denver June 6th to 9th (completed) Dimensional Fund Advisors training in Charlotte Sept 27 and 28 Alliance of Comprehensive Planners Annual Conference in Seattle […]

ProsperiTea Planning

Did you know that I am more than just a CPA doing a tax prep service?

 in CFP / ProsperiTea Planning / Tea & Taxes  tagged business / financial advising / financial planning by (updated 763 days ago)

April 25, 2016 As a Certified Financial Planner™professional, and as someone registered in Massachusetts as an Investment Advisor, I work as a fiduciary comprehensive financial planner for a group of people who have me on an annual flat-fee retainer as their “financial concierge”. This service includes: retirement planning, estate planning, strategizing for financial aid, investment advising and management, setting up (or rebalancing) your overall asset allocation for your investments, tax planning and preparation, and advising […]

Thanksgiving Family Money Letter – 2015

 in CFP / Financial wellness / Our business / ProsperiTea Planning / Tax Updates / Tea & Taxes / Thanksgiving Family Money Letter  tagged book reviews / business / financial planning / taxes / Thanksgiving Family Money Letter by (updated 188 days ago)

  Happy Thanksgiving! The biggest payoff comes from being good at things that are absolutely under our control. That’s the lesson I’ve learned studying economics, finance, and investment theory. That includes saving for goals, being a judicious consumer, and maintaining your relationships, your health, and your emotional wellness. One of my new gurus, Bert Whitehead, wrote a book called Why Smart People Do Stupid Things with Money: Overcoming Financial Dysfunction. He says not to put too […]

Thanksgiving Money Letter
River the Tea & Taxes dog

Needed to finish your return?

 in Tea & Taxes  tagged taxes by (updated 763 days ago)

We do a really good job of leaving ourselves notes in our practice.  If you don’t remember what it is we were waiting for to finish your return during tax season you can call the office at (413) 829-4832 and ask the seasonal tax assistant to go read to you what’s on the routing sheet: it’s where we leave open issues. But we also usually, almost always, write up the open issues and send them in an […]

What to bring to your first appointment with Wendy Marsden, CPA, CFP®

 in ProsperiTea Planning / Tea & Taxes  tagged financial advising / financial planning / tax planning by (updated 2988 days ago)

You’ve just signed up for a consultation with a financial professional.  What do you need to bring? It depends a bit on what you’re hoping to get out of the meeting.  Let’s break it into three cases and you can skip to the section you think fits your situation: Financial planning Tax planning Investment advising Financial planning (which may include investment advising, but see that below) The first thing you need to bring is your problem. What is […]

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