Good Money

Your guide to profitable and socially responsible investing

GOOD MONEY: THE HEART OF THE MATTER -- GUN STOCKS AND DIVESTMENT

 

 

“Your guide to financial planning & socially responsible investing”

By Judith L. Seid, CFP ®, President, Blue Summit Wealth Management

 

March 2, 2018 (San Diego’s East County) -- The Socially Responsible Investing tenet of "knowing-what-you-own" is adding another layer of reflection to those affected by the recent gun violence in Parkland, Florida.  Educators in Florida may be surprised to learn they’ve been helping fund the firearms industry—including the company that made the gun used during the February 14th shooting.


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GOOD MONEY: WHAT THE TAX BILL MEANS TO YOU - THE TAX CUTS AND JOBS ACT OF 2017

 

“Your guide to financial planning & socially responsible investing”

By Judith L. Seid, CFP ®, President, Blue Summit Wealth Management

January 26, 2018 (San Diego’s East County) -- Despite the promise of tax “reform” or “simplification,” the bill actually adds hundreds of pages to our tax laws.  And the initial idea of reducing the number of tax brackets was apparently tossed aside in the final version; the new bill maintains seven different tax rates: 10%, 12%, 22%, 24%, 32%, 35% and 37%.  Most people will see their bracket go down by one to four percentage points, with the higher reductions going to people with higher income.  And the tax brackets, going forward, will be indexed to inflation, meaning that the “real” income brackets will remain approximately the same from year to year.


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GOOD MONEY: TAX LOWERING INVESTMENT IDEAS FOR 2013

“Your guide to financial planning & socially responsible investing”

By Judith L. Seid, CFP ®, President, Blue Summit Wealth Management

April 11, 2013 (San Diego’s East County) --The “American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012” has created a number of changes that may impact your taxes in 2013. Below are a few investment ideas that may help mitigate your tax liability and/or increase your net income for 2013.

Keep in mind that you should always consult with your tax professional for specific questions regarding your particular tax circumstances.


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GOOD MONEY: HAPPY 2013—TRUE MEANING OF WEALTH, PLUS“FISCAL CLIFF” DEAL HIGHLIGHTS

A column written for the East County Magazine
“Your guide to financial planning & socially responsible investing”
By: Judith L. Seid, CFP ®
President, Blue Summit Wealth Management

TRUE MEANING OF WEALTH FOR 2013

Happy New Year from all of us at Blue Summit Wealth Management. Our wish for 2013 is that this will be your best year ever!! We hope that you will consider recognizing what true wealth means to you. The true meaning of wealth is not the abundance of possessions and property as Merriam-Webster or modern society might lead us to believe. Let us and our children not be misled towards an illusory desire for personal consumption.


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GOOD MONEY: BUSINESS OWNERS’ SUCCESSION PLANNING—STEPS TO PREPARE FOR A SUCCESSFUL EXIT

 

A column written for the East County Magazine
“Your guide to financial planning & socially responsible investing” 

By: Judith L. Seid, CFP ®
President, Blue Summit Wealth Management
 
For a Successful Business Exit
 
May 30, 2012 (San Diego’s East County)--Most business owners are too busy working IN their business that they forget to work ON their business.  It is crucial to protect the asset that you likely have spent the majority of your life building and have a disproportionate share of your wealth tied up in. And yet, studies show that somewhere between 70 – 90% of business owners have not thoughtfully planned for their inevitable business exit and even those that do plan, oftentimes wait until the 11th hour.

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GOOD MONEY: UPDATE ON CLEAN ENERGY SECTOR

 

A column written for the East County Magazine
“Your guide to financial planning & socially responsible investing”
 
By Judith L. Seid, CFP ®
President, Blue Summit Wealth Management 
 
March 2, 2012 (San Diego’s East County)--Many of our clients own some stock in clean energy companies and so, given the significant negative performance of this sector over the last couple of years, we’ve had numerous conversations about where these companies are headed and whether or not they still make good investment sense.

 


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GOOD MONEY: SHAREHOLDER ACTIVISM – “NO FRACKING WAY”

A column written for the East County Magazine
“Your guide to financial planning & socially responsible investing”

By: Judith L. Seid, CFP ®
President, Blue Summit Wealth Management

November 4, 2011 (La Mesa) -- Last week, I attended the “No Fracking Way” fundraiser for non-profit shareholder advocacy organization “As You Sow” Foundation.
http://asyousow.org/ .
 
 

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GOOD MONEY: IDENTITY THEFT TIPS – “CATCH ME IF YOU CAN”

  

By Judith Seid

 
September 24, 2011 (La Mesa)--Frank Abagnale’s life of crime was depicted in a best-selling book and the Steven Spielberg film Catch Me If You Can. Since his imprisonment, Mr. Abagnale has worked for the FBI for 36 years as a specialist in fraud prevention. As the opening speaker at this year’s FPA conference, he told his own riveting story of forgery, identity theft, and embezzlement.


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GOOD MONEY: SHOULD YOU BE CONCERNED ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT DEFICIT?

 

By Judith Seid, president, Blue Summit Wealth Management

 

“Your guide to socially responsible investing”
 

July 22, 2011 (La Mesa)--According to Financial Planning, on Friday TNS released a new study which revealed that 87% of Americans with $500,000 or more in investable assets feel that the size of the US government's deficit is a major concern for them.


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GOOD MONEY: GAS PRICES—HOW TO COPE!

 

a column written for the East County Magazine

“Your guide to financial planning & socially responsible investing”

 

By Judith L. Seid, CFP ®, President, Blue Summit Wealth Management


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GOOD MONEY: MARKET SHRUGS OFF BUDGET BAND-AID

 

a column written for the East County Magazine

 

“Your guide to financial planning & socially responsible investing”

 

By Judith L. Seid, CFP ®
President, Blue Summit Wealth Management

April 16, 2011 (San Diego’s East County)--The market has not reacted much to the budget agreement that finally came late Friday night. This void of impact is due largely to the fact that the “budget fight is not over” but also because several other factors threaten to have an even greater impact on the overall market. We’ll brief you on them in chronological order…


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GOOD MONEY: TAX & ESTATE PLANNING CHANGES FOR 2011 & BEYIOND

 

“Your guide to financial planning & socially responsible investing”

 

By Judith L. Seid, CFP ®
President, Blue Summit Wealth Management

 

 

February 17, 2011 (San Diego’s East County) -- We had been updating you throughout 2010 on Congress’ inaction in addressing the estate tax debacle. It seems as though this inaction and deaths of four billionaires alone last year cost the federal government roughly $6.5 billion in taxes. Yikes!

 

So the debate is over, for now, with the 11th hour passing of “The Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010″ on December 16th. This fix is temporary for only two years, therefore the debate now begins on what to do after 2012.

 


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GOOD MONEY: CREDIT CARD REFORM—HOW WILL THE NEW REGULATIONS BENEFIT YOU?

 


“Your guide to financial planning & socially responsible investing”

 

By: Judith L. Seid, CFP ®
President, Blue Summit Wealth Management

October 5, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) -- We all know that credit cards are useful parts of our technology filled lives. They add flexibility and simplicity to our consumerism driven world, but they can also be dangerous. With the average American now holding four credit cards and one out of every seven people in possession of more than 10 cards it is important to stay current on the laws and regulations that govern their use and affect you.


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GOOD MONEY: INTERNET USE, GREENPEACE & YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT

 

In short, Google U.S. alone is emitting the same quantity of CO2 every year as 28,823 average U.S. homes.

“Your guide to financial planning & socially responsible investing”

By: Judith L. Seid, CFP ®
President, Blue Summit Wealth Management
 

 


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GOOD MONEY: LONG TERM CARE INSURANCE RATE INCREASE LOOMING; TAX DEDUCTION UPDATE

 

Your guide to financial planning & socially responsible investing

By: Judith L. Seid, CFP ®
 

President, Blue Summit Wealth Management

 

July 9, 2010 (La Mesa) -- We have just received notification that two of our top-rated carriers, John Hancock & Metlife, will be raising rates for new policies. If you have already secured your long term care policy, CONGRATULATIONS…you made a great decision! If you have been considering taking out a long term care insurance policy, please contact an independent Long Term Care Insurance (LTCI) agent right away for quotes. (See below for tips on what to look for.)

 

Update on Tax Deductible Premiums:


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GOOD MONEY: INVESTING -- SHAREHOLDER ACTIVISM

 

 

“Your guide to financial planning & socially responsible investing”


By Judith L. Seid, CFP ®
President, Blue Summit Financial Group

 


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GOOD MONEY: SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE FUNDS OUTPERFORM BENCHMARKS

 


“Your guide to financial planning & socially responsible investing”

 

By: Judith L. Seid, CFP ®
President, Blue Summit Financial Group

 


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GOOD MONEY: RETIREMENT PLANNING OPPORTUNITIES & CHANGES FOR 2009-2010

Good Money: Your guide to financial planning & socially responsible investing

Judy BommerRETIREMENT PLANNING OPPORTUNITIES & CHANGES for 2009-2010

By: Judith L. Seid, CFP ®
President, Blue Summit Financial Group

December 2009 (La Mesa) -- Below is a brief discussion of some of the major opportunities available for you now and in 2010.  A check-up with your tax professional, and/or financial advisor is wise to ensure that you are taking advantage of all great tax and retirement planning strategies given your individual situation.


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GOOD MONEY: ESTATE TAXES--WHICH WAY WILL THEY GO?

Good Money: Your guide to financial planning & socially responsible investing
 

ESTATE TAXES – WHICH WAY WILL THEY GO?

By Judith L. Seid, CFP ®
President, Blue Summit Financial Group

 

Estate Tax Reform

 

President George W. Bush's 10-year, $1.35 trillion across-the-board tax cut, passed in 2001, included a slow-but-steady reduction of the amount of wealth that is subject to "the death tax." Under the law, the value of an inheritance exempt from estate taxation increased from $1 million in 2001 to $3.5 million in 2009. In addition, the tax rate on inheritances larger than that decreased from 55% to 45%. And currently with a $3.5m exemption amount, this allows a couple who have done proper estate planning to leave a $7m estate completely free of federal estate taxes to their heirs.
 

But this tax is scheduled to revert to the 2001 pre-Bush levels (55% rate on estates over $1 million); unless Congress takes action this year and passes new legislation.

 


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GOOD MONEY: SEIZE THE OPPORTUNITY! UNDERSTAND THE INCENTIVES FOR FIRST-TIME HOME PURCHASERS


Editor's  Note:  Our columnist, Judith Seid, has been a featured guest on NBC and San Diego News Network recently, for those who want more of her "Good Money" advice.


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GOOD MONEY: WHAT IS A CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER?


Your Guide to Socially Responsible Investing

 

What Is a Certified Financial Planner™?

 

By Judith L. Seid, CFP ®
President, Blue Summit Financial Group

 


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Good Money - Environmental risk in mutual funds

Your guide to profitable and socially responsible investing
By Judith L. Seid, CFP ®

Groundbreaking Report Released
Environmental risk in mutual funds

TruCost, an environmental research firm, just released a groundbreaking report that ranks mutual funds by their carbon footprint.  The report assesses 75 of the largest US equity funds and 16 socially responsible / SRI funds identifying the greenhouse gas emissions associated with their combined almost 3,000 stock holdings.


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Good Money - How to Survive a Bear Market, “Armchair Quarterback” Analysis

Your guide to profitable and socially responsible investing
By Judith L. Seid, CFP ®

April 1, 2009 (La Mesa)--I thought you would all appreciate this “armchair quarterback" analysis, done by a colleague in Cincinnati, OH, charting the mood swings during the 4th quarter of 2008 and its remarkably awful, three-month market run, which has continued into the first quarter of 2009.


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Good Money - Is it a good time to convert to Roth IRAs?

Your guide to profitable and socially responsible investing
By Judith L. Seid, CFP ®

If your retirement assets took a beating in the recent stock market decline, converting an IRA to a Roth IRA may be one of the best tax strategies this year and could save you a fortune in taxes. But you need to understand the rules and play the game right.


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Good Money - What You Need to Know if You've Been Laid Off

Your guide to profitable and socially responsible investing
By Judith L. Seid, CFP ®

It's
your worst nightmare. You come into work thinking it's just like any other
day and you leave with your stomach in knots. Fears of how you will take care
of yourself and your family's spin your head around. Here are some tips
to help calm your anxiety and start you on the path to recovery from such a
blow.


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Good Money--Retirement Plan Limits, Reminders & Required Minimum Distribution Changes for 2009

Your guide to profitable and socially responsible investing
By Judith L. Seid, CFP ®

This is the time to make sure you are contributing the maximum amount the
IRS allows to your retirement plans.

For those of you who automatically contribute to your retirement accounts
every month, you may need to increase your monthly amounts to meet the 2009
limits going forward, as this will not happen automatically.


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Good Money - Madoff''s Ponzi Scheme: How you can protect yourself and your investments

Your guide to profitable and socially responsible investing

By Judith L. Seid, CFP ®

By now you've probably heard about the $50 billion Ponzi scheme perpetrated by Bernard Madoff, a New York City broker, former head of the NASDAQ stock exchange. 

 

What did he do?  He allegedly collected money to invest from clients, made up false statements to show that they were doing well, and used new clients' money to pay interest and withdrawals to existing clients.  This is known as a Ponzi scheme and is estimated to involve more than a $50 billion loss for his investors.  This is one of several recent high-profile cases of advisors and/or managers absconding with funds entrusted to them by their clients.  Maddof held his clients' assets, managed them, and priced them, too.  See the conflicts of interest?  Investment performance can look better if the prices reported to clients are manipulated, which is allegedly how Madoff showed winning year after winning year despite market turmoil. 


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GOOD MONEY - Market Crisis Highlights Sustainable Investing

Your guide to profitable and socially responsible investing

By Judith L. Seid, CFP ®

Light BulbThis
financial crisis has its own unique characteristics unlike any in our history.
For twenty-five years individual Americans, and their government, have been
on a binge of borrowing and excess spending.  That could not continue
forever. 

The first down-payment on a retrenchment was the crash of the tech boom in
2000.  The next down-payments are the current crashes in the value of
our stock investments and our homes, occurring right now.  As the financial
markets restructure, we’re seeing some positive shifts toward a more
sustainable economy.


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GOOD MONEY: MARKET CRISIS? 10 THINGS YOU SHOULD DO NOW!

GOOD MONEY:

Your guide to profitable and socially responsible investing

By Judith L. Seid,
CFP ®

October 1, 2008 (La Mesa) -- The
crisis on Wall Street caused by the bursting of the real-estate bubble has
now lasted 13 months and has caused far more damage than analysts initially
forecast.


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Good Money - Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) is becoming main-stream

By Judith L. Seid, CFP ®

SRI is becoming mainstreamSeptember 1, 2008 (San Diego's East County) -- When you invest, your money works towards achieving two objectives. By aligning your investments with your values, your money can work to create a secure future for yourself and your family, while also encouraging the development of a better future for our world.


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