Series

Tips and Tricks for Today and Tomorrow

Quick, practical tips on taxes, retirement accounts, and family finances you can put to work right away.

14 episodes

Every episode of Tips and Tricks for Today and Tomorrow

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#14: Advantages to Taxable Brokerage Accounts

This Tips and Tricks episode makes the case for the often-overlooked taxable brokerage account. It highlights the flexibility of unlimited contributions and a wide range of investment choices, along with tax planning advantages such as drawing income in early retirement to stay in a lower bracket and qualifying for long-term capital gains rates after a one-year holding period.

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#13: How Much Can I Safely Withdraw in Retirement

This Tips and Tricks episode traces William Bengen's 1994 research behind the 4% withdrawal rule and explains why a safe withdrawal rate today depends on personal factors like retirement age, Social Security timing, and portfolio mix. It uses an example of a client retiring at 62 who withdraws more before Social Security starts and less afterward.

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#12: How Can I Minimize Taxes in Retirement?

This Tips and Tricks episode explains why minimizing taxes in retirement depends on how and when income is taken, not just how much is earned. It covers how Social Security, pre-tax and Roth withdrawals, and required minimum distributions are taxed differently, and why tools like Roth conversions, donor-advised funds, and qualified charitable distributions work well as part of a lifetime plan.

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#11: What Should I Do With My Pension When I Retire?

This Tips and Tricks episode breaks down the payout options most pensions offer at retirement: a direct rollover to an IRA, a taxable lump sum, or monthly annuity payments with a survivor benefit choice. It explains why the right option depends on a household's income needs, spouse's needs, and legacy goals, and why the decision belongs inside a broader financial plan.

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#10: Should You Pay for College or Share the Responsibility

This Tips and Tricks episode looks at how families can think through college savings without losing sight of retirement and other goals. It walks through average in-state and out-of-state tuition costs and encourages parents to decide, based on their own values, how much of the cost their child should share through work, scholarships, or loans.

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#9: Don't Gift the House (Yet)

Gifting a family home to the next generation sounds generous, but it also transfers the original cost basis, which can create a large capital gains bill when the home is eventually sold. This video walks through a real-example comparison of gifting versus inheriting a $1 million home, including the IRS Section 121 exclusion and the step-up in basis, to show why timing can matter more than intentions.

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#8: Roth Contributions for High Earners

High earners are often phased out of contributing directly to a Roth IRA. This Presilium video explains workarounds, including the backdoor Roth IRA and mega backdoor Roth through a 401(k), that let high-income savers still build tax-free retirement assets, along with the tax rules to watch when using them.

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#7: Finance Tips for Young Parents

This episode shares foundational financial tips for young parents, covering priorities like building emergency savings, securing appropriate insurance, and starting early on long-term goals such as education funding so a growing family is on solid financial footing.

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#6: Sequence of Return Risk

This episode explains sequence of return risk, the danger that poor market returns early in retirement can permanently shrink a portfolio because you are withdrawing while values are down. It covers why the order of returns matters once you start spending and how planning can cushion against an unlucky early stretch.

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#5: Qualified Charitable Distributions

This episode explains qualified charitable distributions (QCDs), which let IRA owners aged 70½ or older give directly to charity tax-free. A QCD can satisfy required minimum distributions while keeping the donated amount out of taxable income, making it one of the most tax-efficient ways for retirees to give.

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#4: The Value of Starting Early

This episode shows the value of starting to invest early, demonstrating how compounding rewards time more than the amount contributed. A saver who begins earlier can end up ahead of one who starts later but contributes more, because each early dollar has more years to grow.

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#3: How to Find Tax Documents on Fidelity.com

This short tutorial walks Fidelity account holders through locating and downloading their tax documents on Fidelity.com. It shows where year-end tax forms live in the account portal so you can retrieve 1099s and related statements quickly when preparing your return or sharing them with your accountant.

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#2: How to Find Tax Documents in your Presilium Client Vault

This tutorial shows Presilium clients how to find and download tax documents stored in their secure client vault. It walks through where year-end forms are kept so clients can retrieve and share what they need at tax time without delay.

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#1: 2024 IRS Updates

The IRS updated contribution limits for 2024. In this short video, Brian walks through the figures Presilium considers most important to know, helping savers calibrate how much to contribute to retirement and tax-advantaged accounts for the year.

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