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Stephen H Akin
- Oct 3, 2019
- 3 min
Eye of the Storm
Those of you have read and followed this blog for years know that I've been writing and speaking about for a very long, long time... The race to the bottom of commission rates, no more customers man and more https://www.akininvestment.com/post/2018/08/21/disruptive-price-free https://www.akininvestment.com/post/2019/03/08/fintech-embrace-the-future https://www.akininvestment.com/post/2018/08/01/no-more-customers-man Advice in a Stormy Financial Sea Some of Stephen Akin’s jarg
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Stephen H Akin
- Mar 25, 2019
- 1 min
Is your retirement plan on course?
There's still time to fund your 2018 IRA contribution and receive the Tax Benefit if you've not yet filed your 2018 return. Longer life spans and potentially lower investment returns mean you need to save more to cover your retirement needs. The exact amount you should be saving depends on your age and spending needs, but a good rule of thumb is to save at least 10% to 15% of your pre-tax income each year. As a Registered Investment Advisor my only interest is my clients succ
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Stephen H Akin
- Feb 22, 2019
- 1 min
Good News!
If you did not fund an Individual Retirement Account in 2018 there's still time. For 2019, your total contributions to all of your traditional and Roth IRAs cannot be more than: $6,000 ($7,000 if you’re age 50 or older), or your taxable compensation for the year, if your compensation was less than this dollar limit. For 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018, your total contributions to all of your traditional and Roth IRAs cannot be more than: $5,500 ($6,500 if you’re age 50 or older), o
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Stephen H Akin
- Jan 19, 2019
- 1 min
2019 Financial Checkup
Four must do items for a healthy financial life in this new year! 1) Review your investment plan. The beginning of each year is an excellent opportunity to closely evaluate performance. Rebalancing is important to maintain proper asset allocation. Risk tolerance is also very important. Investors tend to take on uncomfortable levels of risk in rising markets. When market volatility returns they realize that the hard way. 2) Review Retirement Account Contributions. Be sure that
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Stephen H Akin
- Jan 1, 2019
- 1 min
Moving forward in 2019
The recent market activity has opened up some unique investment opportunities. I've been investing in financial markets since the early 1980's We always hear "It's different this time". As we move forward though time, experience new innovation and geopolitical change it really is different. Technical analysis and the study of the aerodynamics of markets provide navigational tools and insights as to when and where investment opportunities are. Markets always tend to go too
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Stephen H Akin
- Dec 10, 2018
- 3 min
Year-end tax tips to boost your refund
Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Now, an individual will need total itemized deductions to exceed $12,000, the new standard deduction for individual taxpayers, up from $6,350. Married couples would need deductions exceeding $24,000, up from $12,700. Here are some of the best ways to lower your tax bill for 2018: Unload losers After the recent market downturn chances are you have some investments that lost value this year. You can use those losses to zero out capital gains, an
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Stephen H Akin
- Oct 22, 2018
- 2 min
Registered Investment Advisor Vs Stockbroker
If you are like many people you may not be confident in making financial and investment decisions on your own. Enter the investment professional. There are two main categories of professionals who can help you: the Stockbroker and the Registered Investment Advisor. They differ in two ways, A) their level of responsibility to you and B) how they get paid. A stockbroker is an employee at a financial firm who is paid a commission based on what you invest. He/she is basically a s
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Stephen H Akin
- Oct 10, 2018
- 1 min
Market per·spec·tive
NO WAY! TODAY IS NOT October 19, 1987. I was there, working for PaineWebber in the trenches, talking with Art Cashin on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on our company squawk box! That was a 22% drop! If you look at todays 831 point drop thats only a little over 3% A 22% drop in todays numbers would be around 5,720 points in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. If you have questions about your Investments, the financial markets or want to learn how to get started in inv
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Stephen H Akin
- Oct 8, 2018
- 3 min
Expert: Take caution before choosing financial adviser
It’s one of the most significant decisions a person can make: Who can I trust to monitor my investments? A five-letter acronym known as FINRA can be a good place to start. Known as the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, FINRA offers a tool called BrokerCheck that offers free background checks of investment professionals. In the case of Lee Wimmer, the disgraced head of now-bankrupt Cornerstone Enterprises of Greenwood, a run of his name through the database reveals that
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Stephen H Akin
- Sep 21, 2018
- 3 min
Changing Retirement Plan Rules
President Trump recently signed an executive order to make it easier for small employers to offer 401(k)s through multiple-employer plans and to review the rules on required minimum distributions (RMDs). Expanding access to multiple employer plans is a good idea and a central component of the Retirement Enhancement and Savings Act of 2018, which is winding its way through Congress. The recommendation regarding RMDs, however, seemed to come from left field. Left-field proposal
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Stephen H Akin
- Aug 21, 2018
- 1 min
Disruptive Price: Free
It was just the other day I wrote about Fidelity cutting fees. This morning JP Morgan another Wall Street Powerhouse followed. The trend in the fast moving evolution of the Artificial Intelligence automated financial services platform is continuing. As my friends and clients know this is why I started my Firm. To offer a way through the nuanced world of investing, a/k/a the personal touch. You may have the fastest split second trading system in the world, but if you don't kno
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Stephen H Akin
- Mar 7, 2018
- 4 min
Reduce Your 2017 Tax Bill With an IRA Contribution
There's still time to reduce your 2017 tax bill. You can make a tax-deferred individual retirement account contribution that can be applied to your 2017 tax return any time before April 17, 2018. Here's how to take advantage of this tax break for IRA participants. Max out your IRA. You can defer paying income tax on up to $5,500 that you contribute to an IRA. A worker in the 25 percent tax bracket who maxes out his IRA could reduce his tax bill by $1,375. But you don't need t
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Stephen H Akin
- Sep 1, 2017
- 1 min
Visit our Uptown Greenwood Office
Akin Investment Advisory 104 Maxwell Avenue, Suite 333 P.O. Box 57 Greenwood, S.C. 29648 864 344 4438 shakin@akininvestmentadvisory.com www.akininvestmentadvisory.com #registeredinvestmentadvisor #FinancialPlan #wealthmanagement #taxadvice #portfoliomanagement #stocksandbonds
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Stephen H Akin
- Aug 25, 2017
- 3 min
Advice in a Stormy Financial Sea
Some of Stephen Akin’s jargon stems from his days spent on waters. He grew up in Houston, Texas, boating and fishing, and became certified as a Merchant Marine Master. So when he uses terms like “stormy” and “coasting” when referring to his multi-decade career in the securities business, it is often because of his lifelong affection with the sea. “When helping clients with their financial lives, you must monitor their position and the progress toward their goals,” says Akin.
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Stephen H Akin
- Aug 24, 2017
- 2 min
Fee Only Financial Planner: What's the Difference?
September 23, 2016 Fee-only financial planners are registered investment advisors with a fiduciary responsibility to act in their clients’ best interest. They do not accept any fees or compensation based on product sales. Fee-only advisors have fewer inherent conflicts of interest, and they generally provide more comprehensive advice. Commission-based agents and brokers often take offense at this distinction. Blurring the difference, they created the category dubbed “fee base
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