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Retirement Rob

What Does Fiduciary Mean and Why is it Important?

Leading Edge Financial Planning is growing!  Thanks to you for spreading the word about Leading Edge, we're adding new advisors to increase our capacity and continue to improve the quality of our service for current and future clients.   

We've been tremendously fortunate to have added three new advisors over the last few months.  Many of you already know Ben Dickinson as he's been with us for almost two years now.  However, he's moving into more of an advisory role as he's increased his knowledge base, experience and met the SEC's requirements to become an Investment Advisor Representative (IAR).   

We've also added Mark Covell as an IAR.  Mark is a soon-to-be-retired Marine fighter pilot as well aan American Airlines pilot And yeshe's brilliant and talented in addition to being a Marine warrior for our country!   

For many of you, this article may be your first introduction to Rob Eklund.  He's one of our latest additions to the team.  We're very excited to add Rob to our team of advisors because of his passion and excitement for helping people with their personal finances.  Mguess is his enthusiasm will come through in this article. He tells his story of searching for a trusted, fiduciary financial advisor to help him and his family with their personal financebefore becoming an IAR himself.  Click here tlearn more about Rob's background and experience, and please check out his article below... 

What Does Fiduciary Mean and Why is it Important

The first time I heard the term "fiduciary," I said to myself, "fidu…what? Sounds fancy." Then I fell asleep. Admittedly, this topic appears boring and could put my 16-year-old boy all hopped up on Mountain Dew to sleep! But here is a wake-up callknowing who is and who is not a fiduciary is the first step in finding someone to help you with your retirement and investment planning.   

I have been interested in investing ever since I was knee-high to a grasshopper. However, I acquired this fiduciary knowledge several years ago when I was a newly minted first officer for a major airline, before becoming an investment advisor myself.  At that time, I began a journey to find a trustworthy financial advisor for myself and my family. As a military officer, money had not been a primary concern, and to be honest, I didn't have enough of it to matter. But as I began my major airline career in 2013, I realized I would soon have enough money that I had better start thinking about how to manage it. I knew I needed help. Furthermore, my focus was on learning how to be a first officer while still juggling my Air Force Reserve career.  

Many questions ran through my head. The biggest and most important was, "How can I protect my money?" The money I had worked so hard to accumulate. What I found surprised me.  Many financial advisors wanting my business were not fiduciaries. Some of these advisors were very intelligent and could sell with the best. One problem, they only had a "suitable" duty of care to me versus a fiduciary standard.   

The Suitability Standard 

The suitability standard means an advisor or broker only had to put my money into investments they deemed adequate. They did not need to give me advice that put my interests ahead of their own.    

The Fiduciary Standard 

A fiduciary is someone who acts on behalf of another person and has a legal and ethical obligation to put their clients' interests ahead of their own.  SEC Chairman Jay Clayton defined the fiduciary responsibility this way, "This duty - comprised of both a duty of care and a duty of loyalty - is principles-based and applies to the entire relationship between the investment adviser and the client." When someone is a fiduciary, it applies to the "entire relationship," not parts of it. It is the highest standard in the financial world.  

You may be saying, "Okay. Great! Aren't all financial advisors' fiduciaries?" Unfortunately, the term financial advisor is very nebulous and can apply talmost anyone.  In fact, most financial advisors are not fiduciaries.  Furthermore, more than half of respondents (53 percent) to a 2017 Financial Engines survey mistakenly believe that all financial advisorare already legally required to put their clients' best interests first.    

Regulation Best Interest, aka "Reg BI"? 

Reg BI, effective January 1st, 2020, attempted to improve upon the suitability standard and move the ethical bar higher for anyone who calls themselves a financial advisor.  Instead of only having a suitable duty, they are now supposed to have a "best interest" duty. The regulation takes several steps to raise the bar (like having to disclose conflicts of interest); however, it does not change the dynamics of how a non-fiduciary advisor operates or receives compensation  

"It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it.~Upton Sinclair  

I believe this is what Reg BI attempts to do. It tries to get brokers to act in the client's best interest, but their salary often depends on him not doing so. I fear that many advisors will continue finding ways to put clients in funds that pay them a commission. Even in the regulation itself, the term "best interest" is ill-defined and very open to interpretation.  

Fee-Only versus Fee-Based 

The critical distinction is that an advisor operating under Reg BI castilbe paid by a 3rd party tpuclient's money in certain investments or insurance products.  In other words, if an advisor gets paid by a third party (mutual fund company or insurance/annuity company) to put your money in certain investments or insurance products, then there is a conflict of interest.  And athat moment, the advisor needto disclose that they arNOT acting in a fiduciary capacity.      

Most fiduciaries operate in a "fee-only" manner.  This means the client's fees are the onlsource of income for the advisor, and they are not paid commissions from third parties or outside sources that could bring into question the objectivity of the advice given.  Be sure to understand thdistinction between a "fee-based" financial advisor who may earn a commission and a fee versus a fee-only advisor.  The languagis very nebulous and confusing for a reason.   

Back to my personal journey in search of a trustworthy financial advisor; During one conversation, I asked, "Do you have a fiduciary duty to me?" What should have been a simple yes or no, was instead a bunch of hemming and hawing, but no real answer. Not to be deterred, I asked again. This time I received another vague response, so I asked once more. Finally, thiadvisor told me he only had a suitable responsibility (today, he would have told me he had a best interest responsibility).  Case closed! He may have been a great advisor, but he had no legal obligation to dwhat was best for my family and me 

 I wanted my financial advisor to do what was in my highest interest. Furthermore, I wanted someone whose advice was objective and had no incentive to put me in a particular mutual fund. For me, the fiduciary advisor is the answer.  

"How do you find out if someone has a fiduciary responsibility to you?" This one is easy, ask.  

Ask the following question, "If I hire you as my advisordo you always have a fiduciary duty to me?If the answer is not a fairly quick, "Yes" I advise looking elsewhere. If it is, follow it uwith this question“To be clear, you never put on a broker hat and always have a fiduciary responsibility tme? The answer should again be, yes. 

Beyond asking, you should also be able to find out by looking at the disclosures on their website or looking at their Form ADV Part 2A/Firm Brochure or the new Client Relationship Statement (CRS) mandated by Reg BI. 

When I became an advisor, I knew I wanted to do it the right way and act as a fiduciary for my clients.  Thankfully, Leading Edge Financial Planning (LEFP) shares this belief. Our Form ADV Part 2A says this: 

Item 10: Other Financial Industry Activities and Affiliations "No LEFP employee is registered or has an application pendinto register as a broker-dealer or a registered representative of a broker-dealer. LEFP only receives compensation directly from our clients. We do not receive compensation from any outside source, nor do we pay referral fees to outside sources for client referrals." 

 If you have gotten this far and not fallen asleep, I thank you. As you now know, I am a fiduciary and vow to protect my clients' hard-earned money with the highest devotion to their goals. Until next time, I hope you have only tailwinds and blue skies! 

 

Robert E. Eklund, CRD # 7317768 
Investment Advisor Representative  
www.leadingedgeplanning.com 

Robert Eklund - Financial Planner

Rob is a Southwest Pilot and soon to be retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel. He grew up working on his family’s ranch in Colorado and went to high school in Alaska.  In 2000, he graduated from the United States Air Force Academy, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Legal Studies.  Rob has served over twenty years in the Air Force, ten years on active duty, and over ten in the Reserves. During his military career he flew the C-130 while stationed in Germany and the KC-10 in California. Rob has accumulated over 700 hours of combat flying hours and participated in multiple Operations.  He was hired by Southwest Airlines in 2013 and became a staff officer at USNORTHCOM’s Domestic Operations Division in 2016. While holding this position as an Air Planner, Rob helped areas recover from Hurricane disasters; specifically, he was called to active duty to aid in recovery efforts following Hurricane Maria.

While studying at the Academy, Rob discovered his enthusiasm for the study of personal finance and investing.  As his military service comes to a close, he is excited to combine his passion for helping and protecting others with his enthusiasm for personal finance.  This culminated in 2020 with Rob passing the Series 65 Uniform Investment Advisor Law Exam and joining the Leading Edge team as a fiduciary advisor.  A fiduciary’s role comes naturally to him as he enjoys helping people whether that benefits him or not.  Rob knows the tremendous trust clients place in their financial advisors, and it is his goal to grow that trust through the highest level of transparency and integrity.  In his personal life, Rob married up to the love of his life and has been married for 18 years. He is overwhelmingly proud of his son, whom he recently donated a kidney.

 

Please remember that past performance may not be indicative of future results. Different types of investments involve varying degrees of risk and there can be no assurance that the future performance of any specific investment, investment strategy, or product made reference to directly or indirectly in this post will be profitable, equal any corresponding indicated historical performance level(s), or be suitable for your portfolio. Moreover, you should not assume that any information or any corresponding discussions serves as the receipt of, or as a substitute for, personalized investment advice from Leading Edge Financial Planning personnel. The opinions expressed are those of Leading Edge Financial Planning as of 02/10/2021 and are subject to change at any time due to the changes in market or economic conditions.

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Charlie Retirement

Don’t spend a lot, to save a little on taxes!

Tax Aversion Bias

By Charlie Mattingly

We often talk about behavioral biases, and we are constantly trying to better understand behavioral finance and behavioral economics to make better decisions. We think it’s fascinating because it can have a huge impact on our investment returns, saving habits and therefore our success in retirement.

Another one of the things that it affects tremendously, believe it or not, is taxes. So how does paying taxes drive our behavior?

First, let me talk about behavioral biases. What do we mean by behavioral biases? Certain parts of our brains are wired to make snap decisions to help save our lives, and sometimes this quick thinking really does save your life. What I’m referring to is the limbic system. This system is the emotional center of the brain that takes over under stress. The limbic system is the part of the brain involved in our behavioral and emotional responses, especially as it pertains to behaviors we need for survival, feeding, reproduction, caring for our young, and fight or flight responses.

This system has no doubt led to our advancement and survival as a species, however it often fails when tasked with evaluating certain complex scenarios we face in modern society, especially those that are highly emotional such as our finances.

So, what I wanted to do is address some of the weird things we do as taxpayers to avoid paying taxes.

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with minimizing your taxes. We don’t want to pay one cent more than we’re legally required to, on the other hand, we don’t want to reduce our net worth just to minimize taxes. Unfortunately, that’s what happens a lot of the time.

My father-in-law owns a lake house here in the Knoxville, Tennessee area. The house is paid off and it has appreciated significantly in value over the years. It’s a beautiful place, but they don’t want it anymore. It’s a lot of work for them to properly maintain. So, maybe selling the property would bring them more peace of mind and less stress in retirement. However, he won’t sell it. The primary reason is because he’ll have to pay taxes.

What other ways has the tax aversion bias changed our behavior? Taxfoundation.org has a great article on some of these examples of tax aversion bias.

Have you been to Charleston, South Carolina and noticed that the buildings are narrow and close together? That design started in Amsterdam and was copied around the world. The buildings were intentionally built to be narrow because… you guessed it, taxes. In the 16th century, buildings in Amsterdam were taxed by the width of the property’s façade and how much street frontage they took up.

Real Estate Investing
Another fascinating example from Paris, is the design of the Mansard-style roofs. Architects actually created rooms above the roof line because taxes were levied on the number of floors below the roof line.
Mansard Roof
One of these behaviors that I struggle with and think about a lot is farm equipment. I’d like to buy a new tractor and I know a lot of you probably would too. Tractors are fun! That’s why towards the end of the year I hear folks say, “Hey, I need to reduce my taxes, so I’m going to go buy a tractor. Maybe even a bigger tractor!”
Again, if you need the tractor or farm equipment, that’s a different story, but don’t do things simply because it’s a tax savings. As my business partner, Kevin Gormley will tell you that’s the “tax tail wagging the dog”.

In summary, taxes are a very emotional issue, and this can affect our behaviors. Sometimes we let our emotions make decisions for us, such as the example where I’m not going to pay taxes no matter what or as little as possible no matter what. Just be aware that even though its painful, sometimes it might be smarter to just pay that tax.
Thank you for reading. Please reach out to us anytime. Leadingedgeplanning.com, My email is Charli@leadingedgeplanning.com. We’d love to hear from you!

Please remember that past performance may not be indicative of future results. Different types of investments involve varying degrees of risk and there can be no assurance that the future performance of any specific investment, investment strategy, or product made reference to directly or indirectly in this video will be profitable, equal any corresponding indicated historical performance level(s), or be suitable for your portfolio. Moreover, you should not assume that any information or any corresponding discussions serves as the receipt of, or as a substitute for, personalized investment advice from Leading Edge Financial Planning personnel. The opinions expressed are those of Leading Edge Financial Planning as of 09/06/2019 and are subject to change at any time due to the changes in market or economic conditions.

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Education Retirement

End of Year Checklist 2020!

As we near the end of another year it is always wise to review your financial situation – especially after a year like 2020! Leading Edge has created a checklist to help you evaluate your progress, maximize opportunities, and set goals for 2021. Take this opportunity to do a quick financial self-assessment. Did you meet your financial goals? Did you pay off the debts that you hoped to? Did you keep within your budget?  If not, commit to making those changes for the upcoming year.

As always, we are here to help. Please reach out if we can help answer any questions or concerns. Schedule your free consultation today, 865-240-2292 

Download your copy of the checklist here:  LEFP Year End Checklist 2020

 


Please remember that past performance may not be indicative of future results. Different types of investments involve varying degrees of risk and there can be no assurance that the future performance of any specific investment, investment strategy, or product made reference to directly or indirectly in this document will be profitable, equal any corresponding indicated historical performance level(s), or be suitable for your portfolio. Moreover, you should not assume that any information or any corresponding discussions serves as the receipt of, or as a substitute for, personalized investment advice from Leading Edge Financial Planning personnel. The opinions expressed are those of Leading Edge Financial Planning as of 12/23/2020 and are subject to change at any time due to the changes in market or economic conditions.

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Charlie Education Kevin Retirement

Major Changes Coming to Retirement Savings Laws (SECURE Act 2019)

This past Friday the SECURE Act of 2019 passed. The act was a bipartisan effort to help Americans be better prepared for retirement. The title is an acronym: Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement and the act puts the responsibility on individuals to make plans to finance their retirement. The act contains 29 separate provisions, but we are going to share the most notable changes as outlined by a recent Surgent article.

Most of these changes will increase opportunities to save for retirement. Not sure how this will affect you directly? Give us a call, we can walk you through it and see if this opens a new path for your retirement plan.

Stretch IRA

● Current Law: Non-spouse beneficiaries of IRAs can “stretch” minimum distributions over their own lifetime, which allows funds to grow tax-free for an extended period of time.

● SECURE Act: Funds from inherited IRAs would be required to be distributed within 10 years of the IRA owner’s death.

Raised Age Limit

● Current Law: At age 70 ½, individuals are required to withdraw a required minimum distribution (“RMD”) each year. After age 70 ½, individuals can no longer contribute to traditional IRAs (Roth IRAs have no age limit).

● SECURE Act: Individuals could wait until age 72 to begin taking RMDs, which would defer the tax impact of withdrawals and allow savings to accumulate longer. In addition, there would be no age limitation on Roth or Traditional IRA contributions.

Coverage for Part-Time Employees

● Current Law: Employers may exclude part-time employees from 401(k) savings plans.

● SECURE Act: Employees who work 1,000 hours throughout the year or have three consecutive years of at least 500 hours of service would be eligible to participate in a 401(k) savings plan.

Small Business Tax Credit

● Current Law: Employers are eligible for up to a $500 credit for implementing new retirement plans.

● SECURE Act: Employers could receive up to a $5,000 credit for creating new retirement plans. Additionally, a new $500 tax credit would be available to small businesses to encourage automatic enrollment in retirement plans.

Multi-Employer 401(k) Plans

● Current Law: It is costly and burdensome for many small businesses to offer 401(k) plans.

● SECURE Act: Small business employers could join multiple-employer plans or “open MEPS,” which have reduced costs and reduced regulatory barriers, expanding access for their employees to participate in retirement savings plans.

Access to Annuity Options

● Current Law: Many 401(k) plans do not offer annuities due to liability concerns.

● SECURE Act: Plan providers will have decreased liability concerns when offering annuities to participants of 401(k) plans.

Automatic Enrollment Safe Harbor

● Current Law: Employers may set a contribution rate for employees who participate in an auto-enrollment 401(k) plan. Currently, this contribution rate may not exceed 10%.

● SECURE Act: Employers can raise the contribution rate to 15% for employees.

Birth and Adoption Expenses

● Current Law: There is a 10% early withdrawal penalty on 401(k) distributions.

● SECURE Act: Following the birth or adoption of a child, married individuals could withdraw up to $5,000 from their 401(k) accounts without paying the 10% early withdrawal penalty.

Expansion of 529 Plans

● Current Law: Student loan repayments are not considered qualified education expenses.

● SECURE Act: Funds in 529 College Savings Plans could be used to repay qualified student loan repayments, up to $10,000.

Kiddie Tax

● Current Law: The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (“TCJA”) implemented “Kiddie Tax” measures that tax unearned income of children above $2,200 at the top marginal tax rates for trusts and estates.

● SECURE Act: The “Kiddie Tax” rules would revert to pre-TCJA law, in which a child’s unearned income above the threshold would be taxed at the parent’s marginal tax rate.

Please remember that past performance may not be indicative of future results. Different types of investments involve varying degrees of risk and there can be no assurance that the future performance of any specific investment, investment strategy, or product made reference to directly or indirectly in this video and article will be profitable, equal any corresponding indicated historical performance level(s), or be suitable for your portfolio. Moreover, you should not assume that any information or any corresponding discussions serves as the receipt of, or as a substitute for, personalized investment advice from Leading Edge Financial Planning personnel. The opinions expressed are those of Leading Edge Financial Planning as of 12/20/2019 and are subject to change at any time due to the changes in market or economic conditions.

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Charlie Clint Education Kevin Quarterly Reviews Retirement

The Strategy Is In the Long Game – 2019 3rd Quarter Financial Review

Investing is not golf. You don’t win with your short game. The 3rd quarter of 2019 reminded us that investing requires a long game approach. Short term investors didn’t see great returns in the 3rd quarter; it was an unexciting period of time.

In his quarterly review, Kevin goes over the numbers, touches on some unexpected outcomes and explains why you should invest your money for at least 10 years to ensure the highest probability of success.

Further information referenced in Kevin’s video:

MYTH or Fact: An Inverted Yield Curve Predicts a Recession

Click below to view the charts and data presented in this video.

Please remember that past performance may not be indicative of future results. Different types of investments involve varying degrees of risk and there can be no assurance that the future performance of any specific investment, investment strategy, or product made reference to directly or indirectly in this video will be profitable, equal any corresponding indicated historical performance level(s), or be suitable for your portfolio. Moreover, you should not assume that any information or any corresponding discussions serves as the receipt of, or as a substitute for, personalized investment advice from Leading Edge Financial Planning personnel. The opinions expressed are those of Leading Edge Financial Planning as of 11/07/2019 and are subject to change at any time due to the changes in market or economic conditions.