Last month, one of my new clients and I called the administrator of her old 401(k) plan to rollover the balance to her IRA account at TD Ameritrade.  To her surprise, she had $36,000 in after-tax contributions (not the same as a Roth) with earnings of $70,000 from the after-tax contributions she made many years ago in addition to $700,000 pre-tax contributions and earnings.  She was able to request two checks - one for the $36,000 to a new Roth IRA account (a Roth conversion that is tax-free because there is no taxation on otherwise after-tax funds!) and one for the $770,000 to a traditional IRA account (which does not incur an income tax assessment by virtue of being a rollover).  The end result – now she has $770,000 of all pre-tax funds in an IRA, $36,000 in a Roth IRA, and her tax cost this year is zero!

When we are children and young adults, it can be easy for us to go about our lives without thinking about the true value of learning particular skills now, when we are young, rather than waiting until we’re older. When I look back at my life through those halcyon days of middle and high school, and even college, it makes me truly realize the significance and value of learning particular financial life skills when we’re young. These skills, I now realize, not only impact a young adult’s knowledge and understanding of finances at that age, but also evolve over time as they gain life experience and exposure to new and more complex financial concepts. As a Junior and Senior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, I served as a peer educator for two Financial Life Skills courses, one for freshman/sophomore students, and the other for upper classmen, with most of the students being seniors preparing for life after graduation. The courses covered topics ranging from our personal view of money based on our core values, beliefs, upbringing, etc., to preparing financially for unexpected life events by establishing a “rainy day fund”, to utilizing insurance to best fit our needs. My interactions with these college students and other students over the years related to personal finance have highlighted for me a few key financial life skills/concepts. Three concepts that consistently arose and that I wish I was exposed to in greater detail at a young age are:

It’s tax season again, and a question we get from a number of clients after receiving their year end statements is, “Are my investment advisory fees tax deductible?” And the answer is an equivocal, “It depends.”

Congress did grant a tax deduction for certain investment expenses, but with anything to do with the tax code, the devil’s is in the details. Not to worry though, we’ll use this opportunity to settle the issue no matter your situation.

With thankfulness and appreciation for my friends, family, team and clients, I am excited to celebrate the 2nd birthday of Echo Wealth Management today! It has been a satisfying journey over the past two years of building a strong foundation for the business that focuses on taking the complexity out of wealth management. We have been blessed with amazing client experiences and the supportive efforts from our centers of influence, including attorneys, CPAs, insurance agents, business operations and technology partners. 

The day of my engagement (just last month) was the best day of my life.  After a day of anxiety awaiting the proper moment, the time finally arrived. I got down on one knee and she said “Yes.”  The 48 hours following my proposal and her acceptance were a whirlwind of awesomeness – countless phone calls, texts, Facebook messages, Snapchats, Instagram posts, Twitter mentions, and even a couple handwritten “Congratulations” cards in the mail (by far the most memorable, by the way).  By the time a week had passed, I was finally getting used to seeing the ring on her left hand, and we decided it was time to really start planning our wedding.