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With the emergence of Spring, we have found ourselves with a new tenant. A robin decided the perfect place to build her nest was directly over our front door. After some initial friendly attempts to encourage her to build elsewhere, we've accepted her presence. Now we just have to figure out how to get her to pay her share of rent. | | |
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Columbus Business First – Columbus Business First recently ranked us as one of the largest Central Ohio Fee-Only Financial Planners.
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Annual Documents Notice – The required annual documents notice and fee reviews are being delivered via email. A read receipt is requested to confirm delivery. Please review the message and attachments. The information will be delivered by mail to clients opting out of electronic communications
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FYI – April is Financial Literacy Month. If you are looking for a speaker to discuss personal finance to an organization you are a part of or a school, (at no cost) let us know. We would be happy to do so.
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AFP June Financial Friday Webinar – Due to time constraints, we will not be hosting a webinar in April. Stay tuned for information on May's webinar.
- July: Mid-Year Investment Update
- August: Life/Disability Insurance
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Click below to read our April 2024 Blog edition.
Florida-or-Bust Retirement Prevails
We would enjoy receiving your feedback on our Blog. Please share any comments or suggestions for future topics with us via email.
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It’s starting to feel like Spring since my allergies have gone crazy, as I am sure they are for others as well. I’ve spent a lot more time giving my dogs Tucker & Rubi baths (Tucker has allergies too) and brushing Tucker to reduce his shedding. I have also become a professional sweeper, inside and out. Between the dog hair and storm debris there’s been a lot of sweeping activity going on. Do they have this as an Olympic sport yet?! Gene, my son, and I drove to Sidney, Ohio to see the eclipse. It was quite an amazing experience and we were all glad that we chose to make the trip to totality. Warmer weather has provided more incentive to get outside and run, walk the dogs, and start planting my community garden plot. I am hoping to visit a few nurseries this weekend! | | |
Eclipse views from Sidney, OH | | |
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This month we have attempted to take full advantage of every day of sunshine we could – even if that meant doing yardwork. Thankfully, one of the nice weather days was during the eclipse. We bought our glasses last year to make sure we were prepared. Watching the moon progress across the sun during the afternoon was really interesting. Also, I was able to teach Ainsley to toss a frisbee in between monitoring the eclipse, that was fun as well. Otherwise, it was a quiet month as we look forward to the end of the school year and a busier summer. | | | |
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Our quick trip to Cuyahoga Falls for the Solar Eclipse was amazing as the skies cleared in time for an unobstructed view. Experiencing the 360-degree sunset was surreal. The drop in temperature brought awareness of the power of our Sun and that the stars in our galaxy are more than simply beautiful. We had time for hiking at Cuyahoga Valley National Park and treasure was found during a quick stop in the Visitor Center. There was a special NP passport book stamp indicating the date and time of totality in the park. | | | |
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Earlier this month we attended the last Jackets game on our ticket plan for the season. It was a resounding 6-2 win over the Flyers. Despite how poorly the season went overall and all the mounting injuries down the stretch, we managed to see four straight wins. Mercifully, their season has finally come to an end with the start of the playoffs. Hopefully, they'll be fortunate enough to land the top pick in the upcoming draft lottery. | | |
Current Economic and Investment Information | |
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SOMETHING ABOUT APRIL – Of the six publicly traded US companies worth over $1 trillion, Microsoft (founded 1975) is the oldest while Meta Platforms (founded 2004) is the youngest. Interestingly, three of the trillion-dollar companies (Apple, Microsoft, and Nvidia) have founding dates within the first week of April. (source: Wikipedia)
WHERE THE AUDITS ARE – If your reported income is above $500K or under $25K, you are twice as likely to receive an IRS audit than people with incomes between $25K and $500K. Those with reported incomes of over $10 million were the most likely to be audited. (source: IRS)
STICK TO EMAIL – On April 9th, the US Postal Service filed a notice to increase the price of a first-class stamp from 68 to 73 cents. This would be the second increase this year and the fourth since the start of 2023. If approved, the price of a first-class stamp will have increased by 33% over the past four years. (source: USPS)
SMALL BUSINESS SOURS – In March, small business sentiment in the US hit its lowest level since December 2012 and is near its lowest since 1986. 25% of polled small businesses indicated that their #1 problem is inflation. (source: NFIB)
NEED MORE TIME? – According to the IRS, 19.4 million taxpayers will request an extension compared to 12.5 million in 2014, 10 years ago. Anyone with a tax liability who fails to pay by April 15 will face interest charges of 8% even if they get an extension. (source: Bloomberg)
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Happy Financial Literacy Month! | |
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Take MarketWatch's 2024 Financial Literacy Quiz.
Will you get a 100% score?
By Quentin Fottrell
Source: Morningstar
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Financial literacy helps us to plan for the future, and makes the often obtuse world of investing and retirement more accessible
April is National Financial Literacy Month. To mark the occasion, MarketWatch will publish a series of "Financial Fitness" articles to help readers improve their fiscal health, and offer advice on how to save, invest and spend their money wisely. Read more here.
Do you know the difference between a stock and a bond?
MarketWatch put together a quiz for our readers. Some questions may seem easy, while others are a little trickier. We've stuck to some familiar topics - taxes, stocks, interest rates and inflation. There are 10 questions - with three bonus questions thrown in for good measure.
You don't know what you don't know, until now. Some of the questions may seem tricky, but they are designed to tackle topics that can trip people up. Financial literacy helps us to plan for the future, and make the often obtuse world of investing and retirement more accessible.
Click here to take the quiz.
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Let's Answer Your Ohio 529 Questions
For Financial Literacy Month
Source: CollegeAdvantage
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Based on the events of the past few years, there has been a renewed call to increase our country’s financial education. To support this growing emphasis on knowing monetary basics, April has been designated as Financial Literacy Month for 2024.
A 529 plan is one financial tool where increased awareness is needed. According to the 2023 How America Pays For College Report by Sallie Mae, only 30 percent of families saving for college are using a 529 plan. Ohio’s 529 Plan, CollegeAdvantage, would like to highlight all the benefits of saving for an education after high school or career training in a 529 plan, as well as answer some of the most frequently asked questions.
Click here to continue reading this article.
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Heirs Get More Time to Keep Their Money
in Inherited Retirement Accounts
IRS postpones required withdrawals from many inherited IRA accounts through 2024
Source: CollegeAdvantage
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Many Americans who inherited retirement accounts since 2020 won’t be required to start pulling money out this year after the Internal Revenue Service said it was further postponing enforcement of a law passed in 2019.
Part of the law required most inheritors other than spouses to empty IRAs within 10 years, not over their lifetimes, as was previously allowed. Many heirs interpreted this to mean that they could hold off pulling money out until year 10, allowing them to time their withdrawals to lower their taxes while the balances continued to grow.
Then, in February 2022, the IRS proposed rules mandating annual withdrawals for these inheritors during that 10-year period, if the original account owner had already been taking distributions.
Click here to continue reading this article.
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“And the birds sang their songs of love. And the flowers serenaded with their sublime fragrances. And the whole world fell in love in spring.”
- Avijeet Das
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Alexander Financial Planning | |
3600 Olentangy River Rd, Ste. C2
Columbus, OH 43214
614-538-1600
Office Hours: Monday - Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Registered Investment Advisor
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This material is distributed by Alexander Financial Planning, Inc., (AFPI) and is for information purposes only. Although information has been obtained from sources we believe to be reliable, we do not guarantee its accuracy. It is provided with the understanding that no fiduciary relationship exists because of this report. Opinions expressed in this report are not necessarily the opinions of AFPI and are subject to change without notice. AFPI assumes no liability for the interpretation or use of this report. Financial planning, investment conclusions, and strategies suggested in this report may not be suitable for all investors and consultation with a qualified advisor is recommended prior to executing any investment strategy. No portion of this writing should be construed as legal or accounting advice. All rights reserved. | | |
© Alexander Financial Planning, Inc. | |
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