Outlook For Equities

The general outlook for equities is positive toward the end of the year and into 2022. Stocks performed relatively well through the autumn earnings season and, as a general rule, the fourth quarter tends to be the best one for stock performance. While the coronavirus, labor shortages, supply chain issues and rising prices have presented headwinds for the economy, low interest rates and positive corporate earnings have kept equity performance in good shape.¹

According to Charles Schwab, investors looking for a higher stock allocation should consider high-quality, reasonably valued companies poised to benefit from worldwide economic recovery. As for individual stock picks, she emphasized company fundamentals and the ability to weather different market conditions over specific sectors.²

If you’ve recently harvested any losses or gains and are looking to rebalance your portfolio, we’d be happy to help you vet investment opportunities appropriate for your situation. Please contact us to get started today.

Merrill Lynch believes the market environment looks to be supportive of stock investments
through the first two quarters of 2022. Its analysts expect job growth to continue and believe the United States will head toward full employment, which will help eliminate the current issues related to labor and supply shortages. Merrill Lynch also sees China’s recovery as a catalyst to spur overall global economic growth. For investors, the wealth manager recommends adding long term investment themes related to innovation. Diversification remains important but key sectors expected to thrive include industrials, materials, energy, financials and large-cap technology.³

Now that factories are back up and running worldwide, Goldman Sachs sees inventories building back up, continued innovations in health care and a boost in consumer spending due to pent-up demand. By the middle of next year, the wealth manager sees a moderate slowdown in the current growth rate of developing markets. It predicts global GDP will increase to about 4½% and does not expect the Fed to begin raising interest rates until July 2022.⁴

Speaking of the Fed, in November it announced plans to begin tapering bond purchases over the next six months. By the middle of 2022, it anticipates no need to ease monetary policy any further. In response to these actions, Morgan Stanley analysts believe that real economic growth will continue to improve in the New Year. Both America’s response to COVID and the new infrastructure bill place the United States in a favorable position relative to the rest of the world. Investors will likely have the confidence to buy riskier assets, whereas inflation risk will continue to put upward pressure on real interest rates.⁵

One thing to note about inflation is that it doesn’t necessarily bode negatively for stocks. In fact, according to research by Fidelity Investments, the stock market has performed relatively well during past historically high inflation periods (except for the 1970s). Energy stocks tend to be positively correlated with high inflation, while consumer discretionary and financials are usually negatively correlated with rising prices.⁶

¹ Paulina Likos. U.S. News & World Report. Oct. 29, 2021. “Stock Market Outlook for Q4 2021.” https://money.usnews.com/investing/stock-market-news/articles/stock-market-outlook-for-q4-2021. Accessed Nov. 15, 2021.

² Ibid.

³ Bank of America, Merrill. November 2021. “Here Comes The Pivot.” https://olui2.fs.ml.com/Publish/Content/application/pdf/GWMOL/Viewpoint_November_2021_Merrill.pdf. Accessed Nov. 15, 2021.

⁴ Goldman Sachs. Nov. 8, 2021. “GS Macro Outlook 2022: The Long Road to Higher Rates.” https://www.goldmansachs.com/insights/pages/gs-research/gs-macro-outlook-2022/gs-macro-outlook-2022-the-long-road-to-higher-rates.pdf. Accessed Nov. 15, 2021.

⁵ Matt Hornbach. Morgan Stanley. Nov. 11, 2021. “What the Fed wants, the Fed gets.” https://www.morganstanley.com/ideas/thoughts-on-the-market-rates. Accessed Nov. 15, 2021.

⁶ Jurrien Timmer. Fidelity. Nov. 3, 2021. “Top sectors amid inflation.” https://www.fidelity.com/insights/markets-economy/inflation-sector-returns. Accessed Nov. 15, 2021.

 

We are an independent firm helping individuals create retirement strategies using a variety of insurance and investment products to custom suit their needs and objectives. This material is intended to provide general information to help you understand basic financial planning strategies and should not be construed as financial or investment advice. All investments are subject to risk including the potential loss of principal. No investment strategy can guarantee a profit or protect against loss in periods of declining values.

The information contained in this material is believed to be reliable, but accuracy and completeness cannot be guaranteed; it is not intended to be used as the sole basis for financial decisions.

Investment Advisory Services are offered by Imber Financial Group, LLC., a Registered Investment Adviser. Insurance services are offered through Imber Wealth Advisors, Inc. Imber Financial Group, LLC. and Imber Wealth Advisors, Inc. are affiliated companies

 

Reshoring: What's the Future for Products & Services Made in America?

According to a recent survey of supply chain professionals, the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted 98% of global supply chains. Among the most disruptive supply challenges was the procurement of personal protective equipment, pharmaceuticals and semiconductors. Companies that had outsourced manufacturing to other countries experienced firsthand the types of risks associated with offshoring.

The previous administration placed a huge emphasis on reshoring U.S. manufacturing, and the current administration is reiterating that call. Within days of his inauguration, President Biden signed an executive order that increased the domestic threshold for companies to meet to win federal contracts. The order also is designed to limit Chinese clean-tech exports and encourage offshore manufacturers specializing in clean-tech supply chains to relocate to the U.S. The objective is to enable America to produce and scale its own solar, electric vehicle and battery production by bringing supply chains closer to U.S. customers, or at least to rely on countries considered allies. Tech experts consider data to be “the new oil” and therefore it is vital that the U.S. become more self-sufficient in developing and manufacturing semiconductor technology.1

The call for reshoring to generate domestic jobs, data and energy independence is popular, bipartisan and likely inevitable to some extent. Market sectors poised to benefit include construction engineering and machinery, factory automation and robotics, electrical and electronic equipment manufacturing, application software and other auxiliary services. Moreover, North American, European and South Asian banks should see enhanced economic activity associated with reshoring.2 If you’re interested in ways to incorporate reshoring growth potential into your portfolio, please give us a call.

With that said, the decision to bring operations back to the U.S. involves a lot of considerations. These include the risks of running out of inventory, potential labor strikes, tariffs, intellectual property rights, government incentives and the value of the Made in USA label — not to mention the impact of future pandemics. One of the biggest challenges is reskilling the U.S. labor force to manufacture things like semiconductor chips used in mobile phones. We do not currently possess that level of expertise on a mass scale, so it will take time and resources to train our labor pool to the level of Germany, Switzerland, Japan and other countries.3

Companies (and by extension, shareholders) also need to see a return on their reshoring investments. In addition to corporate management exploring ways to offset the higher operating costs associated with reshoring, policymakers are expected to facilitate this effort via tax breaks, low-cost loans and other subsidies.

The “State of North American Manufacturing 2021 Annual Report” found that manufacturers are more concerned with the higher costs associated with reshoring than they are with other risks, such as supply chain shortages, proximity to market, demand for U.S.-made products and potential shipping disruptions.4 In other words, the carrot for reshoring needs to be worth their effort from a strictly financial perspective. That will be much harder to achieve given the lack of skilled workers, higher cost of wages and potential labor shortages in the U.S.

The other factor is that Asia not only showed supply chain resiliency during the pandemic, but its growing population represents a tremendous market for U.S. companies. This means they are less inclined to move operations to the U.S. and subsequently incur higher shipping costs to get the goods back to the lucrative Asian consumer market.5

We take pride in assisting our clients with incorporating all aspects of their life into their Retirement Roadmap 360®. Take control of your financial future and give us a call at (734) 769-1719 today to see how we may be able to help you! 

1 Bank of America Merrill Lynch. 2021. “Made in America.” https://www.bofaml.com/en-us/content/reshoring/made-in-america.html. Accessed June 22, 2021.

2 Bank of America Merrill Lynch. July 23, 2020. “The USD 1 trillion cost of remaking supply chains: Significant but not prohibitive.” https://www.bofaml.com/content/dam/boamlimages/documents/articles/ID20_0734/cost_of_remaking_supply_chains.pdf. Accessed June 16, 2021.

3 Deborah Abrams Kaplan. Supply Chain Dive. April 8, 2021. “Supply chains do the math on reshoring’s pros and cons.” https://www.supplychaindive.com/news/supply-chains-reshoring-decisions-sourcing-manufacturing-china/597596/. Accessed June 22, 2021.

4 Edwin Lopez. Supply Chain Dive. June 7, 2021. “Supply chain managers shift reshoring focus to total cost of ownership.” https://www.supplychaindive.com/news/inventory-supply-chain-managers-TCO-reshoring-Thomas/601148/. Accessed June 22, 2021.

5 Matt Leonard. Supply Chain Dive. June 17, 2021. “Tariffs, pandemic may not be enough to drive reshoring.” https://www.supplychaindive.com/news/reshoring-china-north-america-supply-chain-biden-forecast/601971/. Accessed June 22, 2021. 

We are an independent firm helping individuals create retirement strategies using a variety of insurance and investment products to custom suit their needs and objectives. This material is intended to provide general information to help you understand basic financial planning strategies and should not be construed as financial or investment advice. All investments are subject to risk including the potential loss of principal. No investment strategy can guarantee a profit or protect against loss in periods of declining values.

The information contained in this material is believed to be reliable, but accuracy and completeness cannot be guaranteed; it is not intended to be used as the sole basis for financial decisions.

Investment Advisory Services are offered by Imber Financial Group, LLC., a Registered Investment Adviser firm. Insurance services are offered through Imber Wealth Advisors, Inc. Imber Financial Group, LLC. and Imber Wealth Advisors, Inc. are affiliated companies

Retirement Withdrawal Strategies

As hard as retirement saving and investing may seem, that’s the easy part. The real challenge is figuring out how to make your accumulated savings last throughout your and your spouse’s retirements. You need a strategy, and it’s best to have that strategy developed before retirement begins.

Because life expectancy is longer these days, many retirees need to maintain a growth component in their investment portfolio during retirement. That adds an extra challenge to your distribution strategy. The goals for drawing down funds include minimizing market risk to an equity allocation, coping with variable income that may be impacted by market returns, minimizing taxes, and supporting an increase in income needs associated with late-stage medical and long term care. It’s important to understand how these goals and needs interact to customize a retirement distribution strategy, and we can help you with that. Contact us to learn more.

Given that an investment portfolio may need to keep growing even after you retire, it’s important to consider “sequence of returns” risk. This basically means that if you retire around the time of a significant market decline, you can greatly deplete the principal from which you draw retirement income throughout the long term, subsequently having to reduce your retirement lifestyle or risk running out of money. To combat this risk, retirees should remain flexible. For example, continue to work past your planned retirement date if the market has a setback, or even re-enter the workforce post-retirement to help supplement your income and give investments time recover.¹

Once you retire, you can set up a systematic withdrawal plan if you need to supplement your regular household income. If your retirement plan indicates you’ll need more money at different stages, consider the bucket strategy, wherein you allocate certain investments (“buckets”) for different stages so you have new assets to tap as you age. This strategy may also enable you to retain a more aggressive equity allocation in buckets you plan to tap later.²

To help minimize taxes in a retirement portfolio, alternatives could be to first withdraw from taxable assets (e.g., brokerage account), then tax-deferred plans (e.g., 401(k) and traditional IRA) and finally tax-free assets (e.g., Roth IRA). This approach gives your tax-advantaged accounts more time to grow tax-deferred. By planning to tap tax-free assets last, there’s a better chance of leaving tax-free income for your heirs.

However, it’s important to tailor your draw-down strategy for your personal circumstances, taking into account your retirement tax bracket. For example, a moderate-income household with multiple account types may want to draw a combination of tax-free, taxable and tax-deferred assets from the beginning to stay within a lower marginal tax bracket.³

It’s also important to consider the best time to start receiving Social Security benefits. Here, too, conventional wisdom recommends delaying as long as possible; preferably to age 70 for maximum accrual. Wayne Pfau, co-director of the New York Life Center for Retirement Income, would like to see the Social Security Administration extend the age to which additional delayed retirement credits (8% a year starting at full retirement age) accrue on benefits until age 72. This would be an effective way to encourage people to work longer and reward them for doing so. Even if they don’t work longer, investors can draw down income from their taxable accounts to reduce the value of their employer accounts and IRAs. Then, when they do begin drawing their larger Social Security benefit for life, they also benefit from lower required minimum distributions (RMD) to help them stay in a lower income tax bracket.⁴

The key is to customize a retirement distribution strategy for each household’s situation, taking into consideration factors such as health and life expectancy (of both spouses), retirement income needs, where assets are invested, tax bracket management and what assets are best positioned for an inheritance.

We take pride in assisting our clients with incorporating all aspects of their life into their Retirement Roadmap 360®. Take control of your financial future and give us a call at (734) 769-1719 today to see how we may be able to help you! 

 

¹ BlackRock. 2021. “Will my income last a lifetime?” https://www.blackrock.com/us/individual/insights/retirement-income. Accessed June 4, 2021.

² Curtis V. Cloke. Retirement InSight and Trends. May 4, 2021. “Advanced Annuity and Tax Strategies for Retirement Income.” https://www.retirement-insight.com/advanced-annuity-and-tax-strategies-for-retirement-income/. Accessed June 4, 2021.

³ T. Rowe Price. February 2021. “How to Get More Out of Your Retirement Account Withdrawals.” https://www.troweprice.com/content/dam/iinvestor/resources/insights/pdfs/how-to-get-more-out-your-retirement-account-withdrawals.pdf. Accessed June 4, 2021.

⁴ Ginger Szala. ThinkAdvisor. May 6, 2021. “Wade Pfau Makes Case for Raising Top Social Security Claiming Age to 72.” https://www.thinkadvisor.com/2021/05/06/wade-pfau-makes-case-for-raising-top-social-security-claiming-age-to-72/. Accessed July 7, 2021.

 

Neither the firm nor its agents or representatives may give tax or legal advice. Individuals should consult with a qualified professional for guidance before making any purchasing decisions. We are an independent firm helping individuals create retirement strategies using a variety of insurance and investment products to custom suit their needs and objectives. This material is intended to provide general information to help you understand basic financial planning strategies and should not be construed as financial or investment advice. All investments are subject to risk including the potential loss of principal. No investment strategy can guarantee a profit or protect against loss in periods of declining values.

 

The information contained in this material is believed to be reliable, but accuracy and completeness cannot be guaranteed; it is not intended to be used as the sole basis for financial decisions.

Investment Advisory Services are offered by Imber Financial Group, LLC., a Registered Investment Adviser firm. Insurance services are offered through Imber Wealth Advisors, Inc. Imber Financial Group, LLC. and Imber Wealth Advisors, Inc. are affiliated companies

 

 

Midyear Market Outlooks

In its midyear review, market analysts at Charles Schwab say that economic growth in the United States may have peaked in the second quarter of this year, and it believes China experienced its peak in the fourth quarter of 2020. However, Schwab is bullish on Europe’s prospects for the rest of this year. It notes that the rollout of Europe’s largest-ever stimulus plan should aid growth and the region still has some way to go before peaking — meaning eurozone stocks could deliver further gains.1

Consider that, because the overall stock market performed well in the first half of the year while bonds underperformed, it’s possible your asset allocation may be skewed. Feel free to contact us for advice on rebalancing your portfolio midyear. This will enable you to cash in on gains and reassess how to potentially position your equity allocation given market projections for the second half of 2021.

Morgan Stanley is bullish on sustained growth in the U.S., citing three factors that appear to be driving the economy. The first is the high savings and consumer spending rate. Despite job losses throughout 2020, U.S. households were bolstered by stimulus payments and supplemental unemployment benefits. As a result, the average household income has already exceeded its pre-COVID level. Consumer demand fuels corporate prospects, so the money manager expects capital spending to continue here and in other developed countries throughout the globe. And finally, Morgan Stanley economists predict that the nation’s core inflation will rise above 2% by year’s end, but not enough to trigger the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates.2

At JP Morgan, economists believe that robust growth and rising inflation in the U.S. will prompt the Fed to taper bond purchases by the end of this year and begin to raise short-term rates as early as the fourth quarter of 2022. Investors should consider that rising rates will produce higher yields that will increase pressure equity valuations. Furthermore, the falling dollar will benefit international equities. The money manager recommends investors consider higher allocations to international equities and alternatives in the near-term.3

In the fixed income market, Raymond James emphasizes the importance of strategic asset allocation to maintain portfolio balance, regardless of the current interest rate environment. The firm’s fixed income experts believe the 10-year Treasury will end the year in the range of 1.25% to 1.80%. By diversifying assets with a balanced approach, investors can preserve principal and allocate for growth in assets expected in appreciate in price.4

In the stock market, given the reopening of the U.S. economy, Ameriprise Financial expects continued price growth among cyclical value stocks, improving business trends and strong year-over-year profit growth. While stock fundamentals remain strong, they suffer more from investor views that the market isn’t performing as strong as it could be, which can damper enthusiasm. Going forward, Ameriprise analysts caution that share prices may fluctuate due to changes in growth expectations. Given the uncertainties related to higher inflation and supply shortages, they recognize that short-term conditions may be volatile through the summer but, in the long term, the current environment favors stocks.5

We take pride in assisting our clients with incorporating all aspects of their life into their Retirement Roadmap 360®. Take control of your financial future and give us a call at (734) 769-1719 today to see how we may be able to help you! 

1 Charles Schwab. June 15, 2021. “2021 Mid-Year Market Outlook: Peak or Pause?” https://www.schwab.com/resource-center/insights/content/quarterly-market-outlook. Accessed June 16, 2021.

2 Morgan Stanley. June 9, 2021. “2021 Midyear Economic Outlook: A Business Investment Surge Ahead.” https://www.morganstanley.com/ideas/global-economy-midyear-outlook-2021. Accessed June 16, 2021.

3 JP Morgan. 2021. “The Investment Outlook for 2021: A Midyear Review.” https://am.jpmorgan.com/content/dam/jpm-am-aem/global/en/insights/market-insights/investment-outlook-2021-us.pdf. Accessed June 16, 2021.

4 Doug Drabik. Raymond James. June 14, 2021. “Midyear Rate Review: Markets and Investing.” https://www.raymondjames.com/commentary-and-insights/markets-investing/2021/06/14/bond-market-commentary. Accessed June 16, 2021.

5 Anthony Saglimbene. Ameriprise Financial. June 15, 2021. “Midyear market review: What’s ahead for stocks.” https://www.ameriprise.com/financial-news-research/insights/midyear-market-review. Accessed June 16, 2021. 

We are an independent firm helping individuals create retirement strategies using a variety of insurance and investment products to custom suit their needs and objectives. This material is intended to provide general information to help you understand basic financial planning strategies and should not be construed as financial or investment advice. All investments are subject to risk including the potential loss of principal. No investment strategy can guarantee a profit or protect against loss in periods of declining values.

The information contained in this material is believed to be reliable, but accuracy and completeness cannot be guaranteed; it is not intended to be used as the sole basis for financial decisions.

Investment Advisory Services are offered by Imber Financial Group, LLC., a Registered Investment Adviser firm. Insurance services are offered through Imber Wealth Advisors, Inc. Imber Financial Group, LLC. and Imber Wealth Advisors, Inc. are affiliated companies

How Infrastructure Spending Affects Municipal Bonds

 .

According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, the 10-year tab to meet the country’s basic infrastructure needs is about $6 trillion. The report, published in March, includes $125 billion needed for bridge repairs, $435 billion for roads and $176 billion for the nation’s transportation systems.¹

For more than 200 years, municipal bonds have been used as public financing instruments in the U.S. Today, two-thirds of infrastructure projects such as schools, hospitals, highways and airports are financed by municipal bonds.²

In addition to providing revenue for infrastructure projects, muni bonds offer an attractive investment opportunity. They provide tax-advantaged yields for current income, stable credit quality and a risk-averse allocation for an investment portfolio. One way to diversify municipal bond investments is through a municipal bond fund or ETF. Given the potential for increased interest and investment in infrastructure in the foreseeable future, we’re happy to discuss opportunities suitable for your portfolio. Give us a call if you’d like to learn more.

President Joe Biden recently proposed a $2.3 trillion plan to invest in the nation’s infrastructure. One funding option Congress may consider is the Build America Bonds (BAB) program, which was introduced during the Great Recession as a means to fund recovery efforts through infrastructure repairs and development. BABs were originally structured for states, cities, schools, airports, mass transit agencies and other public entities to sell for a limited time. They were particularly attractive because the federal government kicked in 35% of interest costs.³

Stimulus packages over the past year have benefited the municipal market by making funds available to state and local governments to make up for lost sales tax revenues due to lockdowns and the beleaguered economy.⁵ Now, with more revenue available, local public agencies may be inclined to issue debt for capital purposes.

Bonds backed by states and cities tend to have high credit ratings and low default risk, and the federal government underwriting municipal debt makes them even more attractive. Historically, muni bonds have offered rates as high as 7% or more.⁶ Furthermore, given the potential that an expensive infrastructure bill may be supported by an increase in income tax rates, municipal bonds offer an opportunity for investors to shield income from taxation.⁷

 

We take pride in assisting our clients with incorporating all aspects of their life into their Retirement Roadmap 360®. Take control of your financial future and give us a call at (734) 769-1719 today to see how we may be able to help you! 

 

¹ Thomas Franck. CNBC. March 26, 2021. “Build America Bonds may be key to financing Biden’s infrastructure plans.” https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/26/build-america-bonds-may-be-key-to-financing-bidens-infrastructure-plans.html. Accessed May 5, 2021.

² Jenna Ross. Visual Capitalist. Nov. 4, 2019. “From Coast to Coast: How U.S. Muni Bonds Help Build the Nation.” https://www.visualcapitalist.com/municipal-bonds-build-nation/. May 5, 2021.

³ Karen Pierog. Reuters. March 31, 2021. “Build America Bonds may stage a comeback in Biden’s infrastructure plan.” https://www.reuters.com/article/usa-biden-infrastructure-bonds/build-america-bonds-may-stage-a-comeback-in-bidens-infrastructure-plan-idUSL1N2LR1UZ. Accessed May 5, 2021.

⁵ Sanghamitra Saha. Nasdaq. April 7, 2021. “4 Factors Why Muni Bond ETFs Could Rally.” https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/4-factors-why-muni-bond-etfs-could-rally-2021-04-07. Accessed May 5, 2021.

⁶ Ibid.

⁷ Franklin Templeton. March 18, 2021. “Stimulus and Infrastructure: Boon for Muni Bonds?” https://www.franklintempleton.com/investor/tools-and-resources/investor-education/talking-markets-podcast/stimulus-and-infrastructure-boon-for-muni-bonds. Accessed May 5, 2021.

We are an independent firm helping individuals create retirement strategies using a variety of insurance products to custom suit their needs and objectives. This material is intended to provide general information to help you understand basic retirement income strategies and should not be construed as financial advice.

The information contained in this material is believed to be reliable, but accuracy and completeness cannot be guaranteed; it is not intended to be used as the sole basis for financial decisions.

Investment Advisory Services are offered by Imber Financial Group, LLC., a Registered Investment Adviser firm. Insurance services are offered through Imber Wealth Advisors, Inc. Imber Financial Group, LLC. and Imber Wealth Advisors, Inc. are affiliated companies

 

 

2021 Tax Strategies

 

  

In an effort to pay for new legislation, the Biden administration has proposed higher taxes for the nation’s highest earners. The president advocates returning the top tax rate to 39.6% for individuals earning $452,700 or more, and married couples with more than $509,300 in combined taxable income.

 

This top tax rate was just reduced in 2017 (to the current 37%), which emphasizes a very important point: Tax rates are going to rise and fall. While it may be prudent to make adjustments to income, investments, deductions and other tax strategies in response to changes, it’s always important to do what’s best for your circumstances. Making adjustments every few years could end up derailing your long-term goals. Before making any changes based on proposed or even enacted tax laws, be sure to consult with experienced financial and tax professionals to develop a sound strategy that works for the long haul. Feel free to call us if you’d like to discuss tax strategies.

With that in mind, there are tactics you can use to help minimize your tax obligations and still remain aligned with your goals. For example, if you are currently retired and regularly make charitable contributions, you can use your required minimum distributions (RMD) to donate directly from your IRA account. Those assets would no longer be reported as income, so you would not have to pay taxes on them. It’s a way to continue your charitable goals but minimize your taxes.²

 

Another asset that could be targeted for higher taxes is an inherited home. Today, heirs enjoy a step-up in basis, which means the home’s cost basis is adjusted to market value at the time of the owner’s death. If the heir sells the home immediately, he or she will owe no capital gains tax. Also, heirs can defer paying taxes on that value until they actually sell the home. However, Biden’s proposed inheritance tax would remove the step-up and tax capital gains upon the death of the parent, as if the home was sold. The current proposal includes tax exemptions up to $1 million for single heirs and up to $2.5 million for couples.

That may sound like a lot, but the heirs may have to sell the property if they don’t have ready cash to pay the gains tax. For example, say a son inherits his parents’ home. It was originally purchased for $300,000 and is valued at $1.5 million when he inherits it. Under the Biden proposal, he can subtract both the original cost ($300,000) and the exclusion rate ($1 million), but that still leaves $200,000 on which he would owe capital gains taxes.³

 

Another tax strategy being pursued by this administration is to collect taxes legally owed that are not currently being collected. According to the IRS, that’s about $1 trillion a year based on analysis from 2011 to 2013. However, between the proliferation of virtual currencies and the impressive growth in billionaire wealth just over the past year, the amount of uncollected tax revenues could be a lot higher than that now. In fact, IRS analysis has found that illegal and foreign-sourced income that is not currently being reported would yield an additional $175 billion in tax revenues from America’s wealthiest households. In an effort to avoid raising taxes on middle and lower-income households, Biden has proposed a 10.4% increase in IRS funding to help enforce tax laws already on the books.⁴

^{We take pride in assisting our clients with incorporating all aspects of their life into their Retirement Roadmap 360®. Take control of your financial future and give us a call at (734) 769-1719 today to see how we may be able to help you!} 

 

¹ Kate Duffy. Business Insider. April 29, 2021. “Biden’s tax hike will hit married couples earning more than $510,000 combined, report says.” https://www.businessinsider.com/joe-biden-tax-rise-hits-married-couples-earn-less-400000-2021-4. Accessed May 3, 2021.

² Steven A. Morelli. Insurance News Net. April 9, 2021. “Advisors Dealing With A Flood Of Tax Anxiety.” https://insurancenewsnet.com/innarticle/advisors-dealing-with-a-flood-of-tax-anxiety. Accessed May 3, 2021.

³ Kate Dore. CNBC. April 29, 2021. “Biden’s plan for inherited real estate may impact more people than just the wealthy.” https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/29/bidens-tax-plan-for-inherited-homes-may-impact-more-than-the-wealthy.html?recirc=taboolainternal. Accessed May 3, 2021.

⁴ Aaron Lorenzo. Politico. April 13, 2021. “IRS chief says some $1T in taxes going uncollected annually.” https://www.politico.com/news/2021/04/13/irs-one-trillion-taxes-uncollected-annually-481128. Accessed May 3, 2021.

We are an independent firm helping individuals create retirement strategies using a variety of insurance products to custom suit their needs and objectives. This material is intended to provide general information to help you understand basic retirement income strategies and should not be construed as financial advice.

The information contained in this material is believed to be reliable, but accuracy and completeness cannot be guaranteed; it is not intended to be used as the sole basis for financial decisions. 

Investment Advisory Services are offered by Imber Financial Group, LLC., a Registered Investment Adviser firm. Insurance services are offered through Imber Wealth Advisors, Inc. Imber Financial Group, LLC. and Imber Wealth Advisors, Inc. are affiliated companies

Ranking the World's Nations

 

What’s the best country? After several years at No. 2, Canada leads the globe, according to U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Countries” rankings for 2021. It’s followed by Japan, Germany, Switzerland, Australia and the United States.¹

 

The criteria used to make Best Country determinations included quality of life, agility, entrepreneurship, an “open for business” climate, a strong job market and commitment to social justice and human rights. At No. 6, the United States received high marks in power and cultural influence, and scored highest in agility, which represents traits such as adaptability and responsiveness.²

 

Agility is an important trait for individuals and families, too, because it means you can pivot, adapt and respond to life’s challenges and move forward. Please call us if you’d like us to help make sure your financial picture remains agile no matter what challenges you may encounter.

 

Over the past year, the global perception of “best countries” has in many ways been shaped by responses to the pandemic. According to the Global Health Security Index, the U.S. has traditionally ranked highest in preparedness in terms of its ability to prevent, detect and respond to infectious disease threats. Unfortunately, that preparedness apparently wasn’t an advantage with COVID-19, as the U.S. ranked worst globally in terms of case numbers and deaths since the onset of the pandemic.³

 

Fortunately, the U.S. has picked up in more positive perceptions as it rolled out vaccinations this spring. In April, it advanced to No. 17 in Bloomberg’s Covid Resilience Ranking. Singapore, New Zealand and Australia top that list as the best places to live during the pandemic. By tracking recovery rates in the 53 major economies across the globe, the Bloomberg index is designed to help predict how they may grow in the future.⁴

 

For now, global travel remains tenuous. Countries still struggling with outbreaks and low vaccine rates are largely off limits, while countries doing well in these areas are restricting citizens from traveling places where they might return with a new strain of the virus. In April, the U.S. State Department updated its travel advisory guidelines, warning Americas not to travel to about 80% of the world.⁵

 

All in all, 2020 was not a great year anywhere on the globe. Even countries that had success containing the virus suffered economically due to lockdowns, while the opposite was true for economies that stayed open. Still, the World Economic Forum published its annual World Competitiveness Ranking in December 2020, albeit without country competitiveness rankings due to incomplete data. Based on the indicators of reviving and transforming the enabling environment, human capital, markets and the innovation ecosystem, the U.S. led in areas such as digital legal framework and new business creation.⁶

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¹ Knowledge@Wharton. April 20, 2021. “Why Canada Took the Top Spot on This Year’s ‘Best Countries’ List.” https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/canada-took-top-spot-on-this-years-best-countries-list/. Accessed April 26, 2021.

² Ibid.

³ National Center for Biotechnology Information. Oct. 7, 2020. “The Global Health Security Index is not predictive of coronavirus pandemic responses among Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7540886/. Accessed April 26, 2021.

⁴ Jinshan Hong, Rachel Chang and Kevin Varley. Bloomberg. April 26, 2021. “The Best and Worst Places to Be as Variants Outrace Vaccinations.” https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/covid-resilience-ranking/. Accessed April 26, 2021.

⁵ Kenneth Kiesnoski. U.S. News & World Report. April 24, 2021. “State Department has warned against travel to 80% of the world. Here’s what you need to know.” https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/24/covid-80-percent-of-world-is-unsafe-for-travel-amid-pandemic-state-dept-warns.html. Accessed May 14, 2021.

⁶ Klaus Schwab and Saadia Zahidi. World Economic Forum. 2020. “The Global Competitiveness Report. Special Edition 2020.” http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_TheGlobalCompetitivenessReport2020.pdf. Accessed April 26, 2021.

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