Stephen A. Schwartz

For many of us, December 31 is the day we resolve to do all the things we resolved to do exactly one year ago and never actually did. Since we are financial advisors, we won’t even touch the “lose weight and exercise” thing, but what we can help you do is effectively take advantage of […]

In June 2015, our firm published an article on how best to navigate an increasingly complex investment world. In it, we reiterated what has become a mantra in financial planning: Euphoria and panic are investors’ biggest enemies. Our recommendation: Work with an advisor you trust, and stick to your plan. In the debate over active […]

As advisors, we are often asked tax centric questions by clients, starting with, Can I deduct this? and, If I sell this security, how will I be taxed? Or, simply, How much can I contribute into a tax-deferred vehicle such as a 401(k) or IRA? While these are all wonderful questions that many individuals should […]

Life insurance can be an essential estate-planning tool for wealthy individuals and their families. In fact, for those who lack liquidity, a properly designed and funded life insurance policy can be an efficient way to generate enhanced cash flow to cover future estate-tax obligations. Illiquid assets come in a variety of forms. They include: real […]

Trusts can help pass along family values as well as wealth. They can also help you avoid future conflicts about how assets are distributed, protect your beneficiaries from creditors and preserve your assets by reducing your tax liabilities. Trusts also generally let you bypass probate, thus avoiding public attention and expediting the distribution of assets. […]

Over the years, our firm has seen considerable change in the financial services industry. We’ve seen banks and insurance companies merge, accountants begin to provide investment advice, an increased regulatory environment, a proliferation of independent advisory firms and the emergence of high frequency and automatic trading. A common inquiry we receive is…What’s an advisor’s value? […]

Many financial and legal practitioners have been advocating the usage of grantor retained annuity trusts (GRATs) for the past several years. This widely used estate-planning strategy has gained in popularity as the U.S. economy has embarked on a repressed interest-rate environment which has helped provide a boost to household net worth. The general overview of […]