Wealth Planning

The holidays are supposed to be just like the joyful, cozy pictures of fireside smiles and perfect cookies that we see in magazines… But we all know that in real life, they can turn awkward and hysterical faster than you can say “Oh Santa!”  Have you ever experienced a less-than-perfect holiday? The SYM team shares some of their most memorable mishaps.  Turkey Got Runover by a Grandma “A couple of days before Thanksgiving, Grandma was

The Difference between Marginal and Effective Tax Rate Do you know the difference between marginal and effective tax rates? This was a topic that didn’t get a lot of attention until 2007, when billionaire Warren Buffett expressed his frustration with the fact that he pays a lower tax rate than his secretary. Buffett learned this after he conducted a survey of his employees and discovered they were paying an average of 32.9% — compared to his

What’s the one thing that is trickier than tax law? That’s right. Tax law changes! Especially those that happen in the final quarter of the year, giving both tax preparers and tax planners sleepless nights pouring over the fine print and strategizing for their clients. This year may prove to be no exception, as the “American Families Plan” tax proposal is moving through the legislative process. At the time of this writing, the proposal is