Austin Frye Featured In Ch. 10 Interview
"Divorce Dangers" | |
|
| LPL Financial Research | 
 |
| Honors | |
Austin Frye named as one of the top
150 Financial Advisors
in the Nation
Click magazine for
award details
|
|
Sign up for Money Wise
| |
|
|
|
Historic Estate Planning Opportunities
Time Is Running Out
| |  With 2013 approaching and the prospect of a last minute estate tax compromise in Washington highly doubtful, now is the time to take advantage of soon to expire, historic estate preservation and tax savings opportunities. In A Nutshell:
Currently an individual can devise or gift to heirs $5.12 million free of gift or estate taxes. As of January 1, 2013 this amount is set to revert back to $1 million. It behooves anyone with an estate valued over $1 Million ($2 million for a couple) to consider estate planning strategies now that will likely be unavailable next year.
One of the key strategies we are recommending is to make gifts during 2012, when the ability to transfer up to $5.12 million tax free is still in effect. While these gifts can be made outright to heirs, in order to protect the giftor, the heirs and the assets, we advise clients, in most cases, to make the gifts to irrevocable trusts.
The 2012 window of opportunity on such gifting strategies is quickly closing as there are planning steps involved in valuating assets, implementing trusts, etc. that can take a while to complete.
Read More: A Golden Age Of Gift Giving
|
401(k)s Are Getting Their Groove Back!
| |  According to new data released by Charles Schwab Corp, more companies are offering 401(k) plan matching contributions to employees than had been prior to the 2008 financial meltdown.
Schwab found that 73 percent of the 1,000 companies they looked at provided a 401(k) matching contribution in 2011. That was up from 67 percent in 2009 and 68 percent in 2010 and more than the 72 percent of 2008.
This is a very encouraging indicator that employers are, indeed, bouncing back from the darkest days of the "Great Recession" and that employees can once again count on this important retirement savings benefit.
|
Well Worth Re-Posting:
Accessing Your Social Security
Information Online
| |  |
Finally, one of the most challenging and confusing aspects of projecting your future retirement income has just become accessible and manageable. You can now go online to check your social security statements and to estimate the future benefits you will receive based upon the age at which you elect to retire and other factors.
Read More: 7 Tips for Using Social Security Online
|
|
Buy Or Rent?
The answer, not surprisingly, is that it depends on where you live. Zillow crunched the numbers to figure out the "breakeven horizon," the point at which total rental costs would exceed the total cost of home ownership in top American cities.
| |
Results For Miami? 
Time To Buy!
Per the study, "Few markets got hit as hard as Miami did in the housing bust. Home prices are still off by nearly 50% from their 2006 highs.
In many communities, owning a home for a year is all it takes for an investment to pay off, according to Zillow. Even in some of the most expensive areas like Fisher Island and Key Biscayne, the breakeven point is only about six years.
Buyers may want to strike while the iron is hot, however. Prices have been on the upswing lately, rising about 7% between last November and June -- about twice the gain for the average city."
Read More: Buy Or Rent? 10 Major Cities
|
|
| | |
As I bid adieu to summer, I would like to pay homage to a critter I came upon during one of my last invigorating mountain hikes. The sighting of a transparent, tangerine colored salamander on a moist bed of forest leaves never fails to bring me back to the halcyon summer days of my youth.
Northeasterners, I know you can relate!
|
|
More Award Winning Clients:
Kudos To Mack Cycle and Fitness
 Long-time client, Mack Cycle and Fitness of Miami has been recognized by their industry as a 5 Star Top 100 Bike Store in the country. They were voted among the best out of 5,000 specialty bicycle retailers for five years in a row.
Equally admirable is owner Mary Jane Mark's community leadership as evidenced by Mack Cycle's commitment to the MS Bike Ride, sponsorships, advocacy and education. Their sponsorships include the annual Key Biscayne Triathlon Trilogy, the oldest triathlon series in South Florida.
To check out upcoming cycling events click here:
Keep up the great work!
|
|
CAREERXCHANGE� Makes Top 100 Best Companies List
Long-time client, CAREERXCHANGE,� a full service professional staffing firm, was recently named by Florida Trend Magazine, one of Florida's Top 100 Best Companies To Work For.
One-hundred companies were recognized in small, medium and large company categories in the magazine's August issue.
Congrats to Nick Alonso, Jr., Sue Romanos and Suzanne Hodes on your outstanding achievement.
|
|
|
