The Flyer:

Most of our clients who read this blogpost title are thinking, “Where is Danielle, and what have you done with her?” Before I answer that question, let’s go over a few terms you need to keep in mind while reading this blogpost: Pre Tax Savings: Retirement accounts like Traditional 401ks and IRAs where contributions (deposits) were not taxed by the IRS. Instead, taxes are assessed on future withdrawals. SS: Short hand for Social Security Income Roth IRAs: Retirement accounts where the contributions are taxed before they are deposited. Those deposits and their earnings, if all rules are followed, are tax free upon withdrawal. Taxable Brokerage Accounts: Nonretirement accounts like bank checking, savings, and brokerage accounts that allow post-tax deposits and are taxed only on the earnings in the year in which they are received.

In our Ask an Expert Series, the Financial Advisors of Propel address common misconceptions, mistakes, and missing information we see in media stories. As part of our continuing effort to dispel some myths or half-truths you might read on the internet, this blogpost directly responds to an article published by Forbes online titled “Rolling Over a 401(k) to an IRA Can Cost You Thousands of Dollars” by Bob Carlson and published on July 21, 2022.

In our Ask an Expert Series, the Financial Advisors of Propel address common misconceptions, mistakes, and missing information we in media stories. Recently, the New York Times ran an article about the difficult decisions that retirees are struggling with when forced to make a withdrawal from their IRA accounts: “When You’re Forced to Cash Out in a Bearlike Market”.

We often see bad financial advice on the internet and social media. Sometimes the advice is just plain wrong. Let’s walk through an example. A recent financial advice column in The Cut, “I’m Getting Married and Having a Baby. How Should I Plan?”, illustrates some of the dangers of relying on free advice. The column does offer some decent information about joint finances for those engaged to be married. When it comes to her take on 529 accounts, however, we see some questionable advice mixed in with clearly incorrect information.

As financial advisors we spend a lot of time talking about retirement planning, but we can also help you navigate a college savings plan that’s best for your family’s situation. Those who make a plan save, on average, twice as much as those who don’t. First, I want to stress that your priority should always be your own retirement savings. There are no loans available for retirement like there are for college. Being a financial burden on your future children is not a legacy you want to leave.

Some may be eager to sound the death knell for ESG investing, but for now, they are jumping the gun. There are many critics of ESG investing. Take, for example, the below Twitter post. The author posts a chart comparing recent stock performance of fossil fuel companies to the broader large cap ESG index.