If you fail to estimate your federal income tax withholding properly, it may cost you in a variety of ways. If you receive an income tax refund, it essentially means that you provided the IRS with an interest-free loan during…
The S&P 500 rose by 13.1% while the Dow increased 11.2% and the NASDAQ climbed higher by 16.5%. Now, raise your hand if you saw that coming. Just ninety days ago we were discussing a government shutdown, rising interest rates,…
Deciding when to retire may not be one decision but a series of decisions and calculations. For example, you'll need to estimate not only your anticipated expenses, but also what sources of retirement income you'll have and how long you'll…
You know how important it is to plan for your retirement, but where do you begin? One of your first steps should be to estimate how much income you'll need to fund your retirement. That's not as easy as it…
Few terms in personal finance are as important, or used as frequently, as "risk." Nevertheless, few terms are as imprecisely defined. Generally, when financial advisors or the media talk about investment risk, their focus is on the historical price volatility…
If you converted a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA in 2017 and your Roth IRA has sustained losses, you may want to consider whether it makes sense to undo (recharacterize) your conversion. You have until October 15, 2018, to…
Social Security was originally intended to provide older Americans with continuing income after retirement. Today, though the scope of Social Security has been widened to include survivor, disability, and other benefits, retirement benefits are still the cornerstone of the program.…
After starting the year where we left off in 2017 with the S&P 500 rising more than 7% in January, the market finally met some volatility that we haven’t seen in several quarters. Inflation fears, higher interest rates, tariffs, privacy…
When you change jobs, you need to decide what to do with the money in your 401(k) plan. Should you leave it where it is, or take it with you? Should you roll the money over into an IRA or…
HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY - to you and all of your loved ones from all of us at Chesapeake Financial Advisors. Celebrate and embrace your life; no one will care as much about your journey in life as you - so…