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Are These Bonds to Invest In? Is 9.62% Really the Rate for I Bonds? 07.01.2022

What if you could profit from inflation rather than suffer from it?

Inflation would only be Temporary

While interest rates on most traditional bond investments remain near historical lows, there currently are bonds to invest in that are AAA rated and yielding 9.62% (as of 7.1.2022)! They are called I Bonds, and they have gained in popularity and garnered significant attention over just the past year or so, paralleling inflation’s rapid ascent.

Series 1 saving bonds issued

While on the surface the government guarantee and high interest rate may seem too good to be true, like most things in life (investing certainly included), there is more to I Bonds than initially meets the eye, and while they may be bonds to invest in for some people, there is lots to consider, and they do not come without risks.

Offered by the US Treasury and guaranteed by the full faith and credit of the United States government, Federal Series I Savings Bonds, commonly known as “I Bonds,” have become an increasingly popular investment. The way I Bonds accrue interest is somewhat unique: the actual rate of interest, or yield, for I bonds is determined with an equation using the ”Fixed Rate” + the “Inflation Rate.” This total “Composite Rate” is then re-established every six months.

With inflation soaring this year, the rate for I Bonds is now 9.62% (as of 7.1.2022).

This high (yet potentially temporary, depending on what inflation does throughout 2022 and into next year) interest rate for I Bonds, and the security of the full faith and credit of the United States government, are two reasons people are focusing more of their attention on this place to invest their money.

Two additional reasons why I Bonds may be good bonds to invest in include:

1. The interest that I Bonds pay is federally taxable (but deferrable!), but not taxable on a state level.

While federal taxes are owed on I Bond interest, you have the choice to defer reporting the interest until you cash the bond in (or the bond stops earning interest because it has reached final maturity). You also can report the interest every year on your tax return, but we typically would advise against that.

Additionally, because no state taxes are owed on I Bond interest, this makes the rate for I Bonds even more attractive for residents of high tax states like California, New York, and Oregon.

individual income tax rates in state

2. They provide inflation protection for your cash.

Want to create a small but direct inflation-adjusted rainy-day fund that is virtually risk free? Owning I Bonds and leveraging the current 9.62% interest rate (as of 7.1.2022) may be worth considering.

The security of the US government guarantee, coupled with the attractiveness of the current 9.62% rate for I bonds, give them great “curb appeal.” However, the drawbacks and downsides of I Bonds may mean they are not the best bonds to invest in.

  • For instance, I Bonds have a 30-year maturity, and are not redeemable for at least 12 months.
bonds to invest in Series 1

Put differently, you will have no access to your funds for one full year. For some, that is not a big deal, but for others, it could be an important consideration.

  • Also, investors will forfeit the last three months of interest if they redeem an I Bond between one year and five years after issue.
  • In addition, I Bonds are not marketable securities, and the maximum investment amount for an I Bond is “only” $10,000 annually.

You cannot buy and sell I Bonds at will like you can with regular stocks, bonds, and most mutual funds.

At Towerpoint Wealth we believe that for some investors, the $10K investment ceiling limits the I Bond “payoff” and may make it not worth the time and energy required to open and fund an account directly with TreasuryDirect. Additionally, many investors are looking to streamline their financial situations and not complicate them, and the additional hassle of having another account custodian and 1099 come tax time may not be worthwhile.

We believe the I Bond $10K annual investment limitation makes it difficult for some investors to accumulate enough to truly move the needle. However, for smaller accounts focused on wealth preservation, I Bonds may make a lot of sense.

  • All of this to say, I Bonds are less-than-easy to purchase through TreasuryDirect’s antiquated website, and cannot be purchased through an independent financial advisor or broker.

Quoting a CNBC article from Wednesday, “It’s like going to the DMV online.”

Add extra account numbers to your list, as well as extra passwords TreasuryDirect also may require additional identity verifications and account authorization forms, not to mention signature guarantee requirements and additional paperwork for simple bank account changes.

  • Finally, the rate for I Bonds is variable, changes every six months, and could easily adjust downwards depending on the rate of inflation.

While recency bias may lead us to believe that inflation will continue to surge, there are already signs that it may be moderating. The stock market strongly rebounded last week due in part to plunging commodity prices, a positive sign for potentially slowing inflation:

Spot Commodity Price Change Inflation

If, or more likely when inflation calms, the rate for I bonds are apt to decline.

Say What Inflation I bonds interest rate

Does the full faith and credit of the United States government, coupled with the 9.62% rate for I Bonds, make them attractive enough to explore further? After reading this newsletter, are you thinking about passing on them, or are you considering them as an investment? Click the thumbnail image below if you want to check out the official I Bond Treasury Direct website, and hopefully your experience won’t be as “DMV-ish” as mentioned above!

Series I Saving Bonds to invest in

Click the Wealth Management Philosophy thumbnail image below to learn more

about how we help our clients build and protect their net worth

Sacramento wealth management firm

What’s Happening at TPW?

Two excellent and long-time TPW clients, Kristi and Dan Spector, connected with our President, Joseph Eschleman, CIMA®, for a comprehensive financial review meeting at our downtown headquarters this past Friday.

From the looks of their smiles, it appears that Dan and Kristi appreciate our commitment to the TPW mission statement:

Kristi Dan Spector TPW Clients

At Towerpoint Wealth, we do everything we can to defend our clients against fraud and cybersecurity threats, have implemented a strong cybersecurity plan which we regularly update, and consistently conduct employee education efforts aimed at identifying and stopping fraud attempts.

It can be difficult to protect our clients from scams they may encounter through channels such as email, social media, and even dating apps, all of which have been used by criminals to steal data and assets. So just last month, the TPW team participated in an interactive presentation from Charles Schwab where we learned about different types of scams that may target our clients. We also absorbed a few tips for helping clients identify and avoid them, as well as how to respond in the event that they fall victim to a scam.

Towerpoint Wealth Family Meeting in Sacramento California

What else is happening with the Towerpoint Wealth family?

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TPW Taxes – Section 1031 Exchanges

Do you own appreciated investment real estate? Torn between doing a 1031 and deferring all of the taxes, or selling and paying all of the taxes now?

A global pandemic and swiftly increasing interest rates have not (yet?) hampered the positive outlook of the residential and commercial real estate markets. In 2021, there was more than $100 billion in tax-free 1031 exchange volume, and transactions have been strong in 2022 as well. If you are considering the sale of investment property, rather than pay a tax liability of up to 40%, you may utilize a 1031 exchange to defer the following taxes:

1. Capital Gains Tax – Your rate will vary based on your taxable income. For 2022, your long-term Federal capital gains rate may be as high as 20% if your taxable income exceeds $459,750 (filing single) or $517,200 (married filing jointly).

2. Net Investment Income Tax (NIIT) – If you have income from investments, including capital gains, you may be subject to an additional 8% net investment income tax on your adjusted gross income in excess of $200,000 ($250,000 if married filing jointly) in 2022.

3. State tax –You will probably also be subject to state and/or local income taxes. State tax rates are quite variable, from 0% in some states to as high as 3% in California.

4. Tax on unrecaptured section 1250 gains – An IRS tax provision where previously recognized depreciation is recaptured into income when a gain is realized on the sale of depreciable real estate property.

Click Here Capital Gain Estimator
Exchange Agreement 1031 Investor
Steve Pitchford, CPA, CFP® Director of Tax and Financial Planning

TPW News You Can Use

Useful and interesting content we read the past two weeks:

1. Could This Be an Antebellum Age? – The Wall Street Journal – 6.23.2022

Could This Be an Antebellum Age

In John Milton’s “Paradise Lost,” Lucifer—who only yesterday had been God’s favorite—consoles himself with this thought: “The mind is its own place and in itself / Can make a Heav’n of Hell, a Hell of Heav’n.” The United States of America, another of God’s erstwhile favorites, now and then performs the same trick of the mind.

At the moment, the country seems committed to the second option, as if united in a natural preference for hell.

2. A Turning Point in Cancer – Eric Topol / Substack – 6.10.2022

A-Turning-Point-in-Cancer

Scientists have released an unprecedented series of breakthroughs related to cancer treatment, covering a wide range of therapies and types of cancer which could have huge impacts on overall mortality and quality of life.

3. The Vanishing Moderate Democrat – The NY Times – 6.29.2022

The Vanishing Moderate Democrat

Is there an existential crisis among moderate Democrats? While some of them remain reluctant to publicly concede the reality that the Democratic Party has indeed shifted left — either out of fear of angering their fellow Democrats or validating Republican attacks — they will readily acknowledge that voters perceive the party as having drifted out of the mainstream. And they are convinced that this is threatening their political survival.

TPW Chart of the Week

Shark attack!

The chart below from Charles Schwab shows what stock market *shark attacks* look like, using the relative performance of 1.) U.S. stocks vs. 2.) international stocks.

The two lines are just the ratio of one index divided by the other.

  • When the blue line is rising, international stocks are outperforming U.S. stocks.
  • When the orange line is rising, U.S. stocks are outperforming international stocks.

Do you think U.S. stocks appear to be overvalued vs. international stocks right now?

Shark Attack US vs International

What does this U.S. vs. international stock dichotomy mean? 

Should you should care?

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TPW Educational Video : Feeling Naive About Your Social Security Benefits?

Do you feel naïve about your Social Security benefits?

  • Are you confused about when to take Social Security?
  • Is it best to take your Social Security early or wait?
  • Are you concerned about the solvency of the Social Security system, and how that might affect your benefit?
  • Have you heard about Social Security spousal benefits but not sure you understand how they work?

Click the thumbnail image below to watch our President, Joseph Eschleman, answer each of these questions, and more! And if you enjoy the video, please subscribe to our YouTube channel, give us a thumbs up, and click on the bell if you want to be notified when we release our next one!

Social Security Benefits Explained

Have questions about how exactly to optimize your Social Security benefit?

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Quote of the Week

Consistent with Towerpoint Wealth’s theme of evaluating and managing risk, but not avoiding it altogether, is William Shedd’s quote below.

William Shedd Quote

Its meaning is clear, and its applicability to building and protecting wealth, and to investing in general, cannot be ignored: It’s better to get out, take intelligent risks, and act, than to sit and do nothing.

Trending Today

As the 24/7 news cycle churns, twists, and turns, a number of trending and notable events have occurred over the past few weeks:

As always, we sincerely value our relationships and partnerships with each of you, as well as your trust and confidence in us here at Towerpoint Wealth. We encourage you to reach out to us at any time (916-405-9140,info@towerpointwealth.com) with any questions, concerns, or needs you may have. The world continues to be an extremely unsettled and complicated place, and we are here to help you properly plan for and make sense of it.

Download Newsletter Towerpoint Wealth

– Joseph, Jonathan, Steve, Lori, Nathan, Michelle, and Luis

Towerpoint Wealth, Sacramento - Financial Planning Services

We enjoy social media, and are actively growing our online community!

Follow us on any of these platforms, message us there and let us know your favorite charity.
We will happily donate $10 to it!

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What’s the Point? How is it SMART to Be Investing During Inflation? 6.17.2022

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Right now, there are many people saying to themselves “What’s the point?” when thinking about investing during inflation. Does the below photo conjure up familiar feelings right now when checking your accounts?

What’s the Point? How is it SMART to Be Investing During Inflation?

There is no question that today’s market, economic, and political environment is scary, volatile, disconcerting, and our favorite adjective to use, unsettling. Saving and investing during inflation seems to hold no basis in logic, and can feel like throwing good money after bad. And no matter how old you are, there are at least five things going on right now that are affecting how you are thinking about what to do (or not do) with your money, including:

stock market cartoon

Add to this consumer prices rising more than they have in the past 40 years, and these events start to sound like reasons to run. Investing during inflation is emotionally difficult, but extremely important! Don’t use these events as excuses or rationalizations to withdraw, unless you have a magic crystal ball that will accurately predict these two important things.

1. When, exactly, to get out of the stock market, before it assumedly drops more, and

2. When, exactly, to get back in to the stock market, when circumstances are even scarier and prices are lower than they are today

We’ve seen people get #1 right, or #2 right, but rarely does anyone consistently and accurately get both right.

What to do to ensure we are investing during inflation, and not turning our backs?

1. Recognize this is an emotional time, and give yourself space – it’s normal to feel worried, desperate, fearful, anxious, and even angry.

Emotions you cannot control your money Warren Buffet

We are human beings, and we are hard-wired to be emotional. However, at Towerpoint Wealth, we understand that allowing emotions to dictate financial decision-making is the most common and problematic mistake made by many investors. And we also understand that it is immensely detrimental to growing and protecting one’s net worth and assets.

As investors (and humans), we all harbor cognitive biases, and having the fortitude to recognize and not give into our biases is essential.

Wall Street Market Cycle Graph

2. Be humble about your ability to predict the future, and disciplined in systematically rebalancing your portfolio.

Trying to sell right at the top, and buy right at the bottom, is an exercise in futility, and is an expectation that no reasonable investor should harbor. We believe the sooner you recognize that accurately predicting the future is something human beings are not very good at, the better off you will be.

Instead of repeatedly flailing with attempts to time the market and accurately predict the future, have a plan to systematically rebalance your portfolio (we advise semi-annually). This forces you to sell high and buy low, add to areas that are undervalued, and reduce areas that are overvalued. The chart below provides empirical evidence of the benefits of rebalancing.

Benefits of Portfolio Rebalancing Chart

Click the Wealth Management Philosophy thumbnail image below to learn more about exactly how we help our clients build and protect their net worth.

Wealth Management Philosophy

3. If you are working, be disciplined in dollar-cost averaging (DCAing) funds into your portfolio and nest egg while the markets are temporarily weak.

Investing during inflation does not have to be any more complicated or sophisticated than investing during more “normal” times, and this certainly includes being systematic in investing during inflation.

It is important to understand that the key to dollar-cost averaging is NOT timing the market, a concept that can be difficult to internalize! The emotional temptation to terminate a DCA program becomes greater when the value of your accounts are declining, as it feels like you are throwing good money after bad, as we mentioned previously. However, the opposite is actually true, as you are adding more capital to your portfolio when prices are low, therefore building a stronger overall base to your nest egg – it just doesn’t feel very good at the time!

Dollar Averaging

You can also consider value averaging if you and/or your advisor have the time and the expertise.

4. If you are retired, be mindful about where in your portfolio you are withdrawing funds from while the markets are temporarily weak.

Having a plan to derive sustainable retirement income, during both good economic environments and bad, is essential. Follow a systematic retirement income plan like this basic example:

  • Establish a cash and emergency fund (your “feeder” fund) that holds enough cash to cover approximately two years of general lifestyle expenses
  • Regularly backfill your feeder fund with investment income from your investment accounts, i.e. interest and dividends, as well as guaranteed pension and Social Security income
  • Backfill your feeder fund by selling investments that have appreciated when the financial markets are doing well; pause and avoid selling investments at a loss when the markets are temporarily weak and in decline
Cash Emergency Fund Investment Accounts Invest Money

Would you like to discuss specific ideas on where to invest your money during an inflationary environment?

Click here and message Towerpoint Wealth

What’s Happening at TPW?

Today we are excited to welcome Luis Barrera to the Towerpoint Wealth family as our new Marketing Specialist.

We look forward to having Luis apply his marketing skills and experience to help Towerpoint Wealth connect in new ways with new and existing clients.

Click the photo below to learn more about Luis and his background, and be sure to ask him about his two Australian Shepherds, Bella and Blue, in reaching out to him with a warm “welcome aboard!”

Luis apply his marketing skills and experience to help Towerpoint Wealth
Click here and message Luis Barrera Marketing Specialist

A big congratulations to our Director of Research and Analytics, Nathan Billigmeier, for earning his Certificate in Blockchain and Digital Assets from the Digital Assets Council of Financial Professionals just last week!

Certificate in Blockchain and Digital Assets from the Digital Assets Council of Financial Professionals

What else is happening with the Towerpoint Wealth family?

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TPW Taxes – 2022

While the IRS has historically provided significant tax breaks to real estate investors, the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Actcreated another avenue of advantage for these investors through the creation of the Opportunity Zone program. By investing in an Opportunity Zone (OZ) through an investment vehicle called a Qualified Opportunity Fund (QOF), investors are provided with a unique opportunity to potentially defer, reduce, and eliminate capital gains taxes!

Click the image below to open and review a well-assembled white paper we recently published on the specifics of Opportunity Zones and Qualified Opportunity Funds, the tax advantages of investing in Qualified Opportunity Funds, as well as other considerations for an investor contemplating a QOF.

Opportunity Zone (OZ) - Qualified Opportunity Fund (QOF)

Curious if you might benefit from an OZ or a QOF in 2022?

Click here and message Towerpoint Wealth Steve Pitchford

TPW News You Can Use

Useful and interesting content we read the past two weeks:

1. The Markets and Households Lose Faith that the Fed Can Handle Inflation – The Washington Post – 6.14.2022

Fed Can Handle Inflation

The Federal Reserve’s missteps in waiting too long to tackle the greatest run-up in prices in four decades has shaken trust across the markets and the American public that it is up to the task of curbing inflation.

2. For Families Deeply Divided, A Summer of Hot Buttons Begins – AP News – 6.16.2022

For families fractured along red house-blue house lines, summer’s slate of reunions, trips and weddings poses another exhausting round of tension at a time of heavy fatigue. Pandemic restrictions have melted away but gun control, the fight for reproductive rights, the Jan. 6 insurrection hearings, who’s to blame for soaring inflation and a range of other issues continue to simmer.

Keep Abortion Legal

For families fractured along red house-blue house lines, summer’s slate of reunions, trips and weddings poses another exhausting round of tension at a time of heavy fatigue. Pandemic restrictions have melted away but gun control, the fight for reproductive rights, the Jan. 6 insurrection hearings, who’s to blame for soaring inflation and a range of other issues continue to simmer.

3. From Great Resignation to Forced Resignation – Tech Companies Shift to Layoffs After a Huge Ramp Up in Hiring – Marketwatch – 6.15.2022

Tech Companies Shift to Layoffs

Thousands of layoffs in the tech sector, compounded by hiring freezes and a slowdown in hiring, highlight the abrupt shift in fortunes over the past several months as a result of rampant inflation, fear of stagflation and recession, supply-chain interruptions, the war in Ukraine, an ailing stock market and other red-alert economic factors.

Chart / Infographics of the Week

The Fed raised rates 75 basis points (3/4 of a point) on Wednesday. This is the biggest rate hike since 1994!

One of the main reasons for the Fed’s hike was the massive increase in consumer inflation projections in the next year.

Fed’s hike was the massive increase in consumer inflation projections
What might this big rate increase mean for you?
Why should you should care?
Click here and message Towerpoint Wealth

TPW Educational Video : Are You Really a Long Term Investor?

An essential, yet frankly sometimes annoying, question to ask in today’s current difficult market environment:

✅ Are you *really* a long-term investor?

Click the thumbnail below to learn what you may be doing wrong

Are you *really* a long-term investor?

Quote of the Week

An excellent quote below from author, entrepreneur, and photographer James Clear. Famous for his #1 NY Times best seller Atomic Habits, Clear focuses on habits, decision-making, and continuous improvement in his work.

James Clear Quote

As the 24/7 news cycle churns, twists, and turns, a number of trending and notable events have occurred over the past few weeks:

As always, we sincerely value our relationships and partnerships with each of you, as well as your trust and confidence in us here at Towerpoint Wealth. We encourage you to reach out to us at any time (916-405-9140, info@towerpointwealth.com) with any questions, concerns, or needs you may have. The world continues to be an extremely unsettled and complicated place, and we are here to help you properly plan for and make sense of it.

Download Newsletter Towerpoint Wealth

 Joseph, Jonathan, Steve, Lori, Nathan, and Michelle

Towerpoint Wealth Sacramento Independent Financial Advisor

We enjoy social media, and are actively growing our online community!

Follow us on any of these platforms, message us there and let us know your favorite charity.
We will happily donate $10 to it!

Click HERE to follow TPW on LinkedIn
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Click HERE to follow TPW on Instagram
Click HERE to follow TPW on Twitter

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The Stock Market: A Safe Place to Invest Money?? 5.20.2022

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Right now, do you trust your investing instincts?

Or, as Jerry said to George in one of the highest rated episodes of the iconic Seinfeld series, “If every instinct you have is wrong, then the opposite would have to be right!”

Do you think the stock market is a safe place to invest money right now? Is now a good time to channel your inner George Costanza?

Yes, we are currently in an extremely unsettled and unpredictable investment climate, and yes, it stinks when economic and investment “visibility” is poor, account balances are declining, and the daily headlines are less than sanguine.

The Stock Market: A Safe Place to Invest Money??

On the flip side, the labor market is extremely tight – so described when there are more job openings and fewer unemployed people. Indeed, the unemployment rate is extremely low. Consumer activity continues to pick up on the back of the “global reopening,” and China has resumed both monetary and fiscal stimulus. And in a true contrarian sense, we believe the financial markets have fully “priced in” today’s extremely high oil and gas prices, and an ongoing war in Ukraine- if either shows signs of abating, it could be an unexpected source of positive stimulus.

Putting aside the negatives and positives of the current investment and economic climate, we will go out on a very small limb and make the assumption that many of you have some level of internal temptation right now to “stop the bleeding” or “take a breather” from what seems like anything but a safe place to invest money right now: today’s stock market.

It is not only understandable, it is natural to feel this way. It’s human nature to fix an injury, to stanch bleeding, and lately, most investors are feeling punctured. In this environment, the temptation to sell when prices are low can manifest quickly, begging the question – do you have the intestinal fortitude to:

1. Not give in to the compulsion to sell (read: capitulate)

Point of maximum financial risk.

2. Go against the herd, making yourself feel even more uncomfortable, and a la George Costanza, do the opposite of what feels right (read: buy when prices are low)

To be clear, everyone has a unique set of personal and financial circumstances, and everyone has different sensitivities to market gyrations and investment risk. This message to “do the opposite” is not intended to be prescriptive. We are not making blanket recommendations to thousands of different people, nor are we specifically directing anyone to head out for a pre-weekend stock market shopping spree. We are simply attempting to convey the importance of the idea of contrarianism, and how going against the herd, while quite difficult, can pay large dividends over time.

While buying low is simple, it certainly is not easy. It definitely falls into the easier said than done category. Yet doing so has proven to pay the largest dividends over time, supporting two timeless quotes from two extremely successful investors:

Warren Buffet Simply Attempt Fearful

Is the stock market a safe place to invest money? While safe is a binary word, and while there is no exact, correct binary answer to that question, we strongly encourage you to remind yourself that the stock market is always a safer place to invest when prices are lower.

Baron Rothschild Quote

What’s Happening at TPW?

Our President, Joseph F. Eschleman, CIMA® , spent an intensive three days last week at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), learning (and practicing) how to be a better leader and CEO as an invitee and participant in Dynasty Financial Partners’ Advisor-to-CEO program.

Advisor to CEO program MIT
  • Click the link and scroll to see the full MIT Advisor-to-CEO event agenda.
  • Visit the Towerpoint Wealth YouTube page (don’t forget to click the SUBSCRIBE button!) to see a video “short” containing a full panoramic recap of another incredible visual white board from the course curriculum, similar to the one seen below!
Advisor-to-CEO program | MIT Sloan School of Management

Administered through the MIT Sloan School of Management, the Advisor-to-CEO program contained a spectacular curriculum of experiential executive coursework on a variety of topics, including diversity & inclusivity (D&I), leadership, entrepreneurship, and strategic design thinking, as well as:

✅ Collective ambition
✅ Leadership and culture
✅ The longevity economy
✅ Adaptability quotient (AQ)
✅ Client experience and innovation

Our firm, and ultimately and most importantly, our TPW clients, will undoubtedly benefit from Joe’s continued growth as the President of Towerpoint Wealth, as we are already beginning to integrate a number of ideas that Joe brought back with him from Boston!

Click the image below to watch a short YouTube video and learn about the visual work management and visual project design (a.k.a. Post-It Note project planning!) that Towerpoint Wealth is implementing.

visual work management project design

What else is happening with the Towerpoint Wealth family?

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TPW Taxes – 2022

The word audit can strike immediate fear into a person, even if they are on the “up-and-up” and haven’t fudged their income taxes. And although the chances of being audited are rare (the IRS audit rate has dropped from 0.93% in 2010 to 0.39% in 2019, to a low of 0.20% in 2020 due to a number of COVID-19 concerns), and half of all audits happen to those people making over $1,000,000, it is certainly still useful to know what triggers the IRS.

Click the image below to read an excellent article from Bloomberg Tax that itemizes some of the more common characteristics of a return that may make it more likely to be selected for audit, including some features highlighted in the IRS’s 2022 Annual Audit Plan.

IRS’s 2022 Annual Audit Plan

TPW News You Can Use

Useful and interesting content we read the past two weeks:

1. The Crazy Housing Market Is Finally Slowing Down – Axios – 5.16.2022

The red-hot housing market is starting to cool this spring, after nearly two years of soaring prices and shrinking inventories. Homebuyers and renters should begin to have more choices and fewer bidding wars, if only just a little.

2. Twisted Diary of Alleged Buffalo Shooter Reveals His Online Radicalization – NY Post – 5.17.2022

The avowed white supremacist who killed 10 people at a Buffalo supermarket first became radicalized during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic by scouring extremist internet messaging boards, according to his twisted online diary.

The 18-year-old spent months reflecting on his plans to conduct a mass shooting in the digital journal and said his exposure to 4Chan, an online message board known as a hotbed for extremism, kept him motivated to stick to his plans.

3. How a Trash-Talking Crypto Bro Caused a $40 Billion Crash – NY Times – 5.18.2022

Do Kwon, a South Korean entrepreneur, hyped the Luna and TerraUSD cryptocurrencies. Their failures have devastated some traders, though not the investment firms that cashed out early.

TPW Chart of the Week

Year-to-date returns on US bonds (as measured by the Bloomberg US Agg) through May 6 have been worse than any calendar year on record since 1976.

U.S. Bond Market Endures Challenging 2022

Over time, inflation hurts purchasing power – A LOT.

U.S Dollar inflation

An excellent graph below from our friends at Bespoke Investment Group, reflecting the forward one-year price return of the S&P 500, subsequent to a five-month decline of greater than 15% (i.e. what has happened so far in 2022):

Stock Market a Safe Place to Invest Money

Quote of the Week

No caption needed…

Bob Marley Positively | The Greatness of a Man

Trending Today

As the 24/7 news cycle churns, twists, and turns, a number of trending and notable events have occurred over the past few weeks:

As always, we sincerely value our relationships and partnerships with each of you, as well as your trust and confidence in us here at Towerpoint Wealth. We encourage you to reach out to us at any time (916-405-9140, info@towerpointwealth.com) with any questions, concerns, or needs you may have. The world continues to be an extremely unsettled and complicated place, and we are here to help you properly plan for and make sense of it.

Download Newsletter Towerpoint Wealth

 Joseph, Jonathan, Steve, Lori, Nathan, and Michelle

Towerpoint Wealth Sacramento Independent Financial Advisor

We enjoy social media, and are actively growing our online community!

Follow us on any of these platforms, message us there and let us know your favorite charity.
We will happily donate $10 to it!

Click HERE to follow TPW on LinkedIn
Click HERE to follow TPW on Facebook
Click HERE to follow TPW on Instagram
Click HERE to follow TPW on Twitter

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The Russia/Ukraine Crisis – An Important Message 03.04.2022

Just over two months ago, markets were at a record high, as healthy data on the US economy signaled continued economic growth on the horizon.

Then, as Vladimir Putin and his Russian military first threatened, and then began, an outright invasion of Ukraine on February 24, world financial markets began a correction and decline. The events of the past week and a half have again reminded us – we live in extremely unsettled and uncertain times.

Click the image below to watch a well-articulated and important message from our President, Joseph Eschleman, as he addresses not only the major implications of the Russia/Ukraine crisis for the financial markets and our economy, but perhaps most importantly, for your portfolio.

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President Joseph Eschleman Featured in Financial Advisor IQ Magazine 02.25.2022

Our President, Joseph F. Eschleman, CIMA®, was recently profiled in Financial Advisor IQ’s February 25 article discussing what clients need to know about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the impact these developments may have on investments, and how clients can respond.

Click here to read what he had to say!

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