Since it’s mid-January, the “new year, new you” posts on social media have started to taper off. But that doesn’t mean you have to give up on your physical or fiscal fitness goals!

Personally, I’m trying to be more active. It was much easier in college when I had more free time and had regularly scheduled swim practices, weight lifting sessions, and a built in support group from my teammates. Prior to having kids, I laced up my shoes on a regular basis, ran half marathons, and even ran one full marathon. When I was training for a half marathon, I had to stick to regularly scheduled runs to be sure I was ready for race day. Now that we have two little ones running around our house, it’s harder for me to stay motivated and work out.

Yes, I’m self-employed and have the ability to set my schedule (and therefore, workout schedule) but this sort of mindset shift after 9 years in the corporate world takes a little time to achieve. It takes time to develop new habits.

After reading Alexandra Franzen’s post about the six types of motivation, my motivation to stay active is linked to achievement, growth, and perhaps a sprinkle of social factors. I love tracking my progress and seeing improvement over time. And yes, sometimes I need an external push to get moving.

So I asked for a Fitbit for Christmas. I wanted a way to measure my current activity and then track my improvement over time. I also needed the friendly reminder to get off my butt and take a little walk if I’d been sitting at my computer for too long.

What the heck does this have to do with financial planning?

Tracking my fitness with a Fitbit reminds me what it was like when we first started tracking our finances with Mint years ago. I had a vague idea that I needed to get off my butt, but I had no idea how few steps I was taking some days. I knew I was tired, but I had no idea how little I slept some nights.

When it came to our finances, the account balances seemed to move in the right direction, but I had no idea how much I was spending on coffee or eating out for lunch. We were saving for a down payment on a house and needed help plugging some of the financial leaks. Now that we have about six years of financial data, we can see how much we’ve progressed by tracking changes in our net income and, more importantly, net worth.

Beyond monitoring physical activity or financial progress, it’s so important to set clear, SMART goals: specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely. Because if you don’t know where you’re going, how are you going to get there?

As a financial planner, I can help you create and prioritize multiple SMART goals aligned with your values. We’ll work together to figure out your motivation style so you can achieve these goals. And along the way, I’ll provide the accountability and assistance you may need through emails and regularly scheduled calls or meetings. I can help you with those adult responsibilities that you know you should do like creating a debt repayment plan, updating beneficiaries, creating an estate plan, or rebalancing asset allocations, but keep putting off

My goal as a financial planner is to help you feel more confident when it comes to your money.

If taking control of your finances is one of your goals for the year, I’d love to work with you. schedule a 30 minute strategy session to see if we’re a good fit:

CLICK TO GET IN TOUCH

The post Do You Have Fiscal Fitness Goals? appeared first on Brightwater Financial, LLC.

Are you looking to end your financial year on a high note? You’re in luck because there’s still time to make a few last minute financial moves before the ball drops on New Year’s Eve. And even a few that you can take advantage of in 2017 for the 2016 tax year. Some of these moves will save you some money on your 2016 tax bill while others will set you up for a more profitable new year.

Max out 401(k) contributions

There are still one or two paychecks left in the year to max out or contribute juuuust a little more to your employer’s 401(k) plan. So if your budget can swing it, log in to your 401(k) account and bump up your contribution through the end of the year. For 2016, you can contribute up to $18,000 or $24,000 if you’re 50 or older.

Entrepreneurs also have time to contribute to a retirement account

Solo business owners (or a business owner with a family member as their business partner) have until the end of the business tax year to establish a Solo 401(k). They then have until their tax filing deadline (plus extensions) to make any contributions:

• Elective deferrals of up to 100% of earned income up to a maximum annual contribution of $18,000 in 2016, or $24,000 in 2016 if age 50 or over; plus
• Employer non-elective contributions up to 25% of compensation, with total contributions not to exceed $53,000 for 2015 and 2016.

Note that these elective deferral limits apply per person, not per plan. So if you’re also participating in another employer’s 401(k), say if you’re starting your business while still employed at a corporate job and making 401(k) contributions to take advantage of an employer match, these will count against the limit for employee contributions to an individual 401(k) or SIMPLE IRA.

As for SEP IRA’s, business owners have until their tax filing to establish and make a contribution to that type of retirement account. A SEP IRA is like a traditional IRA, but it is funded solely by employer contributions. A business owner sets up an IRA for each qualifying employee and can contribute up to 25% of each employee’s pay (and 25% of net self-employment income). Annual contributions are limited to the smaller of $53,000 or 25% of compensation for 2015 and 2016. There are no “catch-up” contributions like the solo 401(k). The SEP IRA is a great option for those who do not qualify for a solo 401(k), or who have employees and are looking for a retirement plan for their company.

Max out Traditional or Roth IRA contributions

Another way an individual with earned income can start saving for retirement is by contributing to a Traditional or Roth IRA. You have until April 15, 2017 to make a contribution for the 2016 tax year. For 2016, individuals can contribute up to $5,500 ($6,500 if you’re age 50 or older) or their taxable compensation for the year, if their compensation was less than this dollar limit. However, a Roth IRA contribution might be limited based on tax filing status and income.

Roth IRAs are great because you can withdraw your money tax-free when you’re in retirement. Or you may want to contribute to a traditional IRA and get an income tax deduction. However, that deduction may be limited if you or your spouse is covered by a retirement plan at work and your income exceeds certain levels. Review the IRS guidelines for more details.

Convert a Traditional IRA to a Roth IRA

If you’re in a lower tax bracket now than what you expect in the future (i.e. you were unemployed for part of the year or started a business this year and expect income to grow next year), it might be a good time to convert an old 401(k) or traditional IRA into a Roth. That means you can capture lower taxes today and withdraw that money from your Roth tax-free when you’re in retirement. Make sure the amount you convert keeps you in a low tax bracket.

If it turns out that your income didn’t change the way you expected in the following year, you can reverse a Roth IRA conversion, also know as recharacterization. The recharacterization needs to be completed by the last date, including extensions, for filing or refiling your prior-year tax return, which is typically on or about October 15. You can generally recharacterize all or a portion of what you converted.

Take required minimum distributions

This isn’t usually an issue for my client base since required minimum distributions apply to folks over 70 1/2 with employer retirement plans (if you’re retired) and traditional IRA’s. But this may apply to you if you inherited a retirement plan as a non-spouse beneficiary. The annual deadline to take required minimum distributions is December 31. Make sure you get this done because the penalty is 50% of the required minimum distribution.

Sign up for a class from an accredited school

The lifetime learning credit can cut your tax bill by up to $2,000 a year (20% of tuition up to $10,000), depending on your income. This credit is available for all years of postsecondary education and for courses to acquire or improve job skills. To claim the credit for 2016, need to register and pay for the class by the end of the year and start the class by March 31, 2017.

And while continuing education by an accredited school to maintain a professional license is eligible, if you’re self-employed, you might be better off claiming your education expense as a business deduction.

Unfortunately, couples filing as married filing separate are not eligible to take the credit. Same for couples filing jointly with modified adjusted gross income of $130,000 or more or individuals filing as single, head of household, or qualifying widow(er) with modified adjusted gross income of $65,000 or more.

Take advantage of tax loss harvesting

If you sold some investments at a gain during the year, you can offset this by selling other poorly performing investments at a loss. As explained by the IRS, “Capital gains and losses are classified as long-term or short-term. If you hold the asset for more than one year before you dispose of it, your capital gain or loss is long-term. If you hold it one year or less, your capital gain or loss is short-term. To determine how long you held the asset, count from the day after the day you acquired the asset up to and including the day you disposed of the asset.”

If your capital losses exceed your capital gains, the amount of the excess loss that you can claim to lower your ordinary income is the lesser of $3,000, ($1,500 if you are married filing separately) or your total net loss shown on Schedule D. If your net capital loss is more than this limit, you can carry the loss forward to later years.

And while you’re reviewing your investments, take a moment to review your current asset allocation and rebalance them to match your target allocation.

Spend your FSA dollars

If you’ve contributed to a flexible spending account through your employer benefit, make sure you spend those dollars by the end of the year. While some plans have a grace period and may let you carry over some money into 2017, others are “use it or lose it.” Here’s a great listing of eligible healthcare FSA expenses.

Accelerate next year’s tax deductions

If you had unusually high income in 2016 (maybe you won the lottery, earned a large bonus, or sold a business), consider accelerating some of next year’s deductions: prepay your January mortgage payment for the mortgage interest deduction, property taxes, professional dues or subscriptions.

And while some business owners might make some last minute business purchases to offset income, it’s not a dollar for dollar benefit on their ending tax bill. So make wise decisions when it comes to these additional business expenses.

Donate to your favorite charity

Parts of the tax code are designed to encourage certain behaviors. Deducting charitable contributions on your tax returns is just one example. So if you’re feeling particularly generous (and yes, want to lower your taxable income), you have until December 31 to make a donation to your favorite eligible charity.

Contribute to a college savings fund

If you’ve maxed out your retirement savings for the year and want to save for your child’s college education, there’s still time to contribute to a 529 plan. You won’t get a benefit on your federal tax return, but there are tax benefits for some states. Individuals can contribute up to $14,000 ($28,000 for married couples) per student each year, or up to $70,000 ($140,000 for married couples) prorated over a five-year period to someone’s existing account, without incurring a federal gift tax.

Reflect on your finances

Now’s the perfect time to reflect on your finances. Also take a few moments to review your budget, insurance coverage, your estate plan, and account beneficiaries. This is also a great time to make personal and business goals for the upcoming year.

If you want to discuss any of these year end financial moves, there’s still time to schedule a 30 minute strategy session with me.

CLICK TO GET IN TOUCH

And if you’re looking for assistance with your taxes or small business accounting, Brightwater Accounting is currently taking new clients.

The post 12 Year End Money Moves appeared first on Brightwater Financial, LLC.

Whether you voted for Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, a third-party candidate, or wrote in a candidate like Santa Claus a la my three year old daughter, it looks like Donald Trump is going to be our president for the next four years.

What does that mean for you an American investor? Someone who has big goals? Right now, nobody really knows. There have always been times of turmoil and uncertainty. And yes, sometimes the market will dip. But as I shared on social media, the only thing you can control is yourself.

You can control your financial plan and whether you stick with it or not.

You can control how much you’re saving for those big and little financial goals.

You can control your spending and whether you’re getting in or out of debt.

You can control your investment choices and how much risk you want to take.

You can control whether you stick with a traditional employer or start your own business.

If you don’t like the results of yesterday’s election, you can control who you vote for over the next for years for state and local offices.

Are you a little overwhelmed by everything? That’s OK. That’s why I’m here.

As your trusted advisor, I want to give you a sense of comfort. Let’s work through those scary thoughts. Let’s capitalize on the things you can control and try to minimize the things you can’t.

As Carl Richards of Behavior Gap illustrates, an advisor stands between you and a big financial mistake. “We all get greedy when everyone else is greedy and fearful when everyone else is fearful,” Richards said. “And there’s good reasons for it. That type of behavior has kept us alive as a species but it’s terrible for us as investors.”

Nobody knows how the tax laws or economy will change, but we can work together to plan for what we do know and makes some educated assumptions (guesses, really) about how the future will look. When things (yes, including your goals) change, we’ll just adjust your strategy. I’m here to help you make decisions when your guess is wrong.

If you want to talk about your anxieties,

If you want to take control of your financial situation,

If you want to start planning for a brighter future, I’d love to talk with you.

Let’s hop on the phone for 30 minutes to get acquainted. We’ll talk about your most pressing financial question and then we’ll discuss ways we can work together:

CLICK TO GET IN TOUCH

Hang in there. Trump is only president for the next four years. When it comes to your strategy for financial independence and retirement, you probably have 20 or 30 years to make adjustments.

And if there are dips in the market, think of them as an opportunity to pick up some investments “on sale.”

The post Keep Calm and Stick to Your Strategy appeared first on Brightwater Financial, LLC.

It’s that time of year again! It’s open enrollment season for employees as well as health insurance consumers who buy coverage on state exchanges under Obamacare. Here are a few things to keep in mind before blindly choosing the cheapest option or just electing the same benefits as last year:

Health Insurance

Whether you’re covered by your employer’s health insurance or you’re buying it through the exchanges, it’s always a good idea to review your options and shop around. If you have a favorite doctor or hospital, it’s definitely a good idea to double check whether they’re still in-network.

As for specifics plans, you’ll want to balance your health care needs with out of pocket costs. How many times did your family see the doctor last year? Are you planning any major procedures for the upcoming year? Out of pocket costs include your monthly premiums, copays, and deductibles.

Two tax-advantaged ways to help pay for out of pocket medical expenses include health savings accounts (HSA) and flexible spending accounts (FSA). Keep in mind that you can only have one account or the other. But to keep things interesting, some employers offer Limited Purpose Flexible Spending Accounts which can be used for Vision and Dental medical expenses.  This type of Flexible Spending Account can be paired with an HSA.

This is an awesome calculator to help you decide between a traditional plan and a high deductible health plan (HDPH) with a health savings account.

Tip for new parents: While you’ll obviously want to add your children to your medical plan, what about vision and dental? A baby’s first tooth doesn’t come in until they’re 4 or 6 months old, so there won’t be much for the dentist to examine right away. We added our daughter to our dental plan once the next open enrollment season rolled around vs. when she was born. Her first dentist appointment was when she was about one year old. And even then, it was just about getting used to visit the dentist. She didn’t have a proper tooth cleaning at the dentist until she was three years old. As for the vision plan, some are tied to medical plans. In either case, get a recommendation on timing of first visits from your dentist or eye doctor.

Health Savings Account

If you participate in an HDHP, you’re eligible to contribute to an HSA. An HSA allows account owners to pay for current eligible medical expenses, deductibles, and co-insurance while also saving for those in the future. To qualify as a HDHP, the following requirements must be met:

• Minimum deductible: $1,250 individual; $2,500 family
• Out-of-pocket maximum (includes deductible): $5,000 individual; $10,000 family
• No services paid for prior to meeting deductible (except for preventive care)
• No deductible required for preventive care
• For family coverage: family deductible must be met before any reimbursement can be made
• No prescription drug copayments
• Higher limits allowed for non-participating provider services

HSA account owners enrolled in an HDHP can save pre-tax dollars in the amount of $3,400 for an individual and $6,750 for a family in 2017.  One of the benefits of a Health Savings Account is if you don’t use the money during the year for qualified medical expenses, the money is rolled over indefinitely and can even be invested within the HSA.

Which leads me to the three awesome tax benefits of an HSA:

1. As I mentioned, contributions are tax-deductible, or if made through a payroll deduction, they are pretax.
2. The interest earned is tax-free.
3. Account owners may make tax-free withdrawals for qualified medical expenses.

Flexible Spending Accounts

If you don’t have a HDHP + HSA, your employer benefits may include an FSA for healthcare costs. An FSA allows an employee who is enrolled in a traditional health care plan, not a high-deductible plan, to put away pre-tax dollars in the amount of $2,600 in 2017.  The catch with the FSA is if you don’t use the funds in the given plan year – you lose them.  However, most employers offer a grace period of about 2.5 months to spend any unused funds, or the ability to roll over $500 to the next plan year.

Parents with children in daycare or after school programs (for children up to their 13th birthday) should also remember to re-enroll in the dependent care FSA account. These accounts can also be used to reimburse you for services provided to other family or household members who meet certain dependent eligibility requirements (i.e. the household member is physically or mentally incapable of self-care and live with you for more than half the year). Contributions are also made with pre-tax dollar up to $5,000 in 2017. Please note that if you are married and filing a joint tax return, this is the combined contribution total between you and your spouse.  If you’re married and file separately, an individual spouse can contribute $2,500.

Tip for expectant parents: If you expect to have child care expenses in the upcoming year, it’s a good idea to start contributing to a dependent care FSA account as of the beginning of the year to spread out the payroll deductions. But even if you forget to enroll or find out you’re expecting after open enrollment, you can always enroll once the baby is born.

Life and Disability Insurance

Your employer might also offer group and supplemental life and disability insurance. Unfortunately, life insurance purchased through your job doesn’t come with you. Plus, that group policy might not provide enough coverage. So you’re better off buying an individual policy and think of your group policy through work as an added layer of financial protection.

Other Benefits

If you need to put together simple estate documents, an employer group legal plan is a great place to start. The premiums are generally $20/month. But if you need something a little more complicated, plan on reaching out to an attorney who specializes in estate planning.

Your employer may also allow you to deduct pre-tax dollars from your paycheck for qualified transportation benefits. The monthly dollar limits for tax-excludable transit and parking benefits, for tax years beginning in 2017 are $255.

Finally, employers may also provide adoption assistance programs. Per the Society for Human Resource Management, for qualified adoption assistance programs, the maximum amount excludable from federal income tax withholding in 2017 for reimbursements related to the adoption of a child, limited to necessary and reasonable expenses, is shown below. The excludable amount phases out for taxpayers with modified adjusted gross income that exceeds certain levels:

Check on your retirement accounts

While open enrollment doesn’t apply to retirement accounts, it’s a great time of year to check on your progress. Are you getting the full employer match in your 401(k)? Can you afford to increase your contribution percentage? Do your investments need to be rebalanced?

What if life changes after open enrollment?

Finally, change happens. If you have a qualifying life event that lead to a loss or change in coverage during the middle of the year (think marriage, divorce, job change, new baby, adoption, death of spouse), you have a 30 day window to update your benefits.

The post Benefits Open Enrollment Tips appeared first on Brightwater Financial, LLC.

Friday October 21, 2016 was my last day working at my comfortable corporate job. After 9 years, the last 5 being with the same company, it was time for a change. When I started that last job in corporate accounting and financial reporting, I wasn’t exactly sure if it was the right fit. At the time, I was running away from my job as an auditor at a public accounting firm.

This time around, I’m running towards my own journey as an entrepreneur. While leaving the office for the last time on October 21 and on my way to meet a friend for lunch, I felt a sense of peace. It just felt right.

Back to the Beginning

I’ve always wanted to pursue self-employment. As a kid, I sold friendship bracelets and held lemonade stands. My favorite board game is Monopoly. More recently, I opened an Etsy shop and started a personal finance/lifestyle blog all while plugging along in the corporate world. But those didn’t seem like the best use of my talents until I heard a couple of podcast episodes with Mary Beth Storjohann explaining being a self-employed fee-only financial planner for 20- and 30-somethings. Finally! Here’s a way I could help people by putting my CPA and financial skills to work!

That was over two years ago and I launched Brightwater Financial in mid-2015. Of course, life has a funny way of mixing things up and throwing you for a loop. A few months after launching this business, we welcomed our second child into the world. I thought I could grow Brightwater Financial while still working a normal 9-to-5 job and raising two kids. Boy, was I wrong! Maybe it would have been possible if we didn’t have kids or if they were older, but trying to do it all with two little ones is TOUGH! Especially two kids who tend to think sleep is optional. Even though my husband is supportive and super helpful around the house, mommy is usually the default parent and I was running out of bandwidth. I was doing a little better than survival mode, but not by much.

The Turning Point

In the beginning of 2016, I was asked to be a part of a mastermind group with four other fee-only financial planners. Over the weeks, it became apparent that if I wanted to take this financial planning business seriously, some changes would need to be made. The scariest would be to quit my comfortable corporate job. Or scale back to a part-time position.

At the same time, there were changes being made at my day job. Four or five years ago I would have been all about them. But two kids later, I was burning out. This quote by Thomas Merton was me:

People may spend their whole lives climbing the ladder of success only to find, once they reach the top, that the ladder is leaning against the wrong wall.

The event that brought the greatest clarity was our son being diagnosed with a blood platelet disorder. So far, it just seems to be a one time thing, but a middle of the night trip to the ER, an IV treatment, and countless blood draws have reset my priorities. There’s never a perfect time to go solo, but this was as good as any other time. It was time to stop overthinking things and take the leap.

A Fresh Start

Over the past few weeks, I’ve felt a mixture of excitement, fear, and self-doubt. We checked and double checked our personal financial situation. Ultimately, we knew if this business didn’t work out, I could always go back and get a normal 9-to-5 job. We are also comfortable making the change because we have a healthy emergency fund and I lined up part-time job that I can do from home. One, to help bridge the income gap. And two, to help fill the time, because I know I won’t be swamped with client work straight out of the gate. (Fill my schedule here!) I also launched Brightwater Accounting as another way to utilize my CPA skills by offering tax prep and accounting services.

As you can imagine, this move towards self-employment is also about finding more balance. Instead of waking up excited and ready to go on my first day, I was groggy from a long night of taking care of a 1 year old. So instead of forcing myself to work, I embraced my new flexibility and treated myself to a celebratory pumpkin spice latte and then went to the gym. After a fairly productive day, I stopped early to get dinner ready before picking up the kids. I’m liking Arianna Huffington’s new path to success:

Don’t just climb the ladder of success – a ladder that leads, after all, to higher and higher levels of stress and burnout – but chart a new path to success, remaking it in a way that includes not just the conventional metrics of money and power, but a third metric that includes well-being, wisdom, wonder and giving, so that the goal is not just to succeed but to thrive.

Looking back, this part of my journey is important when it comes to relating to financial planning clients (like you!). I have more life experiences when it comes to changing jobs, negotiating salaries, starting businesses, buying a home, starting a family, updating budgets, and saving for those big goals. I can also relate to business owners on a more personal level because I understand the motivation to be self-employed.

If you think it’s time to make a change to your current financial situation and start planning for a brighter future, I’d love to talk with you. Here’s where you can schedule a complementary 30-minute strategy session:

CLICK TO GET IN TOUCH

The post A Fresh Start appeared first on Brightwater Financial, LLC.

As a kid, I loved going back to school. There were new things to learn. New supplies. New teachers. New beginnings.

As an adult, this time of year is also my mini “New Year’s Day.” While I don’t write New Year’s September resolutions, I have a track record of starting new things around this time of year: getting married, moving to Chicago, and starting businesses.

While I inadvertently took the summer off from updating this blog and my newsletter (oops), I figured most of you were out enjoying the summer sun as well. Perhaps you put some of your travel fund to good use.

Now that you’re getting back to a regular routine, it’s the perfect time to check on your finances and do a little tax planning. It’s far enough along in the year to have a decent forecast of your income, expenses, and saving for the rest of the year. At the same time, you still have a little room to make some changes before the end of the year.

Here are a few items to consider:

1. Think about your financial goals from the beginning of the year. Are you beating them or falling short? There’s still time to change withholdings and contributions to retirement, investment, or savings accounts. Or if you haven’t opened a retirement account, why not do it now? I can help.
2. If you’re falling short on your income goals, do you need to pick up a side hustle to make it through the end of the year?
3. Have your priorities or values changed during the year? How does your spending align with your priorities?
4. Does a change in priorities motivate you to start a business? Or perhaps stay home with your kids? Do you have an emergency fund in place to make the change?
5. Have you reviewed your bills lately? Our cable and Internet bill ballooned once the promotional period ended and a quick call to our provider lowered our bill by $66 per month.
6. Do you need to update beneficiaries if you have a new child? How does this affect your life insurance coverage? Have you updated your estate plan?
7. If you have kids, it’s the start of a new school year. That may mean new tuition costs or activity fees. Or maybe your kids are going to daycare or preschool for the first time. Have you updated your budget for the change in cash flows?
8. If you’re self-employed, it’s a great time to evaluate your pricing, packages, and product or service offerings. It may be time to phase out underperforming products or increase pricing on others.
9. With Christmas approximately three months away, are you saving enough for holiday spending? This includes gifts as well as travel and parties.
10. Finally, it’s a good idea to review your credit report annually. You can also monitor your credit score and credit report through Credit Karma.

And in the spirit of sharing new beginnings, I wanted to keep you in the loop of my most recent endeavor: Brightwater Accounting, the tax and accounting sister business of Brightwater Financial. While not everyone thinks they need a comprehensive financial plan, everyone needs to file their taxes. And if you run a business, there’s no hiding from the numbers.

As a CPA, I love working with numbers and I’m uniquely qualified to provide accounting, tax planning, and tax preparation services to you and your business. Let me take care of the books so you can focus on your business.

And as your CPA and trusted advisor, I’m in the unique position to understand the details of your financial situation. At the same time, I can help you see the big picture and provide objective recommendations so you can make informed decisions. Managing your finances becomes simpler, clearer, and more effective.

If you’re interested in learning more or working through any of the items listed above, let’s hop on a call!

CLICK TO GET IN TOUCH

Your complementary 30-minute strategy session includes: A quick assessment of your current financial situation and goals, a discussion of your most pressing financial question, and a discussion of options available.

I’ll also share an action step you can take immediately to improve your current situation.

The post Back to School Financial Tips appeared first on Brightwater Financial, LLC.

One of the biggest struggles I hear from freelancers and entrepreneurs is how to budget with variable income. Some expenses like rent are fixed, yet their monthly business income is not. Sure, you can always sign an additional client, but there are only so many working hours in the day. And slow months happen, whether intentionally or unintentionally. On top of that, business owners are dealing with two budgets: their personal and business budgets.

Before you start thinking about income goals and pricing, it’s important to determine the bare bones budgets for your personal finances and business. Or as Kim Vargo of Yellow Brick Home calls it, your “spaghetti number.” On the personal side, these are your nonnegotiable expenses: rent/mortgage, utilities, insurance, groceries, etc. On the business side, this might include website hosting and registration fees, service fees when invoicing a client, computer software, or legal and professional fees. We’ll add savings, retirement, and taxes later.

If you’re not sure about your spending, I recommend creating an account with mint.com. Mint is a free and secure online money management and budgeting tool. You can even create separate personal and business accounts using two different email addresses. Simply link up your checking, savings, credit card, retirement, and debt accounts to see your financial picture all in one place.

Once you’ve calculated your minimum personal and business expenses, you have your bare minimum income goal for each month. From here, it’s time to layer on savings, retirement, and taxes.

While there are as many spending/savings plans as there are diets, the “50/20/30 Plan” keeps things fairly simple: 50% Needs, 20% Savings, and 30% Wants. Your bare bones personal and business budgets are the 50% Needs. The 20% includes saving, retirement, and investing goals. The last 30% for Wants includes hobbies, eating out, and other lifestyle choices. If you have debt payments, include those in the “Savings” bucket.

But what about taxes?

Saving for Taxes

If you’re an entrepreneur, your income is mostly likely pre-tax dollars. That means when tax time rolls around, you are responsible for your personal income taxes and self-employment taxes (Social Security and Medicare taxes). Therefore, it’s extremely important to set aside your tax dollars with each paycheck.

Depending on your personal situation (whether you’re married or single) and which state you live in, you’ll pay somewhere between 20% to 30% of your total income in taxes. Here’s how it breaks down:

• Social Security tax – 12.4%
• Medicare tax – 2.9%
• Marginal tax rate – 10%
  • Note: The marginal tax rate usually starts at 10% and increases as taxable income increases.
• BASE TOTAL = 25.3%

Therefore, I recommend saving at least 20% for taxes. Save 25 to 30% of your pre-tax business income to be safe.

As for where to save your money, I recommend opening a separate bank account just for your taxes. FDIC-insured online banks like CapitalOne 360 or Ally Bank have no minimums or fees. Additionally, they offer a higher yield than traditional savings accounts.

As a business owner, you are also responsible for paying quarterly estimated taxes. If you don’t, you’ll be responsible for a failure to pay penalty (and likely interest and fees) when you file your tax return. You can estimate your quarterly taxes using an accounting program like QuickBooks Self-Employed, this online self-employment tax calculator, or by working with your accountant, like me!.

You’ll need to know your gross income and total business expenses for each month. Take your gross monthly income, less your total business expenses, and multiply this figure (your net business income) by 20% to 30% or whatever you think is the closest to your tax rate.

Since every financial situation is different, consult with and create a personalized tax plan with your accountant, like me!

The post Budgeting with Variable Income appeared first on Brightwater Financial, LLC.

I may have started Brightwater Financial to help families and young couples plan for their future through financial planning, but I can’t ignore the fact that my background is in accounting. So I started Brightwater Accounting. And I geeked out at a recent IRS Tax Tip email about National Small Business Week. They have a great video series called “Small Business Taxes: The Virtual Workshop.”

These days, all sorts of people have side hustles in addition to their full-time job to bring in a little extra income for fun money, to pay off student loans, or to get out of consumer debt faster. Things like blogging, running an Etsy shop, freelance writing, driving for Uber, or owning a rental property. In the eyes of the IRS, a side hustle could be a business or just a hobby depending on how you treat it. First, the IRS “presumes that an activity is carried on for profit (i.e., it’s a business) if it makes a profit during at least three of the last five tax years, including the current year.” Here are a few more considerations by the IRS:

• Does the time and effort put into your side hustle indicate an intention to make a profit? Do you treat your side hustle like a business?
  • Tracking your income and expenses, creating a separate bank account, and registering as a business are all ways to show your intention of treating your side hustle as a business.
• Do you depend on income from your side hustle?
• If there are losses, are they due to circumstances beyond the your control or did they occur in the start-up phase of your side hustle?
  • Think about initial registration fees, paying a designer to create your branding and website, domain name registration, buying a new computer and software, etc.
• Have you changed methods of operation to improve profitability?
  • For example, have you increased prices? Or offered additional products or services?
• Do you or your advisors have the knowledge needed to carry on your side hustle as a successful business?
  • If not, how will you obtain and maintain this knowledge? For example, I have to get 120 hours of continuing professional education every 3 years to maintain my CPA license.
• Have you made a profit in similar activities in the past?
• Does your side hustle make a profit in some years?
• Can you expect to make a profit in the future from the appreciation of assets used in the activity?
  • For example, if you rent your condo on Airbnb, you would expect (hope) the value of your condo to increase over time and eventually sell it at a gain.

The post Is Your Side Hustle a Business or Hobby? appeared first on Brightwater Financial, LLC.

The overall goal of a financial plan is to use your money in a way that supports your values and your unique vision of a happy life. Saving money gives you the freedom to decide how you want to spend your time and money. In the short-term, an emergency fund helps cover unexpected expenses or income gaps. At the other end of the spectrum, life insurance provides peace of mind to your family in the event the unspeakable happens.

How do you know if buying life insurance is the right decision for you?

Obviously everyone’s financial situation is a little different, but in general, you should have life insurance once someone else is financially dependent on you. For most people, this is when they’re starting or thinking about starting a family. Even if you’re married with no kids, you may want to buy a life insurance policy if you have a mortgage or significant student loans. I’m talking about significant loans from medical, dental, or law school. Same goes for if you’re single and a parent co-signed on a mortgage or student loan. If your parents would be burdened by paying off that debt, it might be a good idea to get a small life insurance policy.

How much coverage do you need?

There are roughly 125 million households in the United States and approximately 35 million don’t have any life insurance. Another 58 million households feel like they don’t have enough life insurance. It’s also important to note that stay at home parents should also consider a life insurance policy since the surviving parent would have to pay for child care.

One quick rule of thumb is to purchase a life insurance policy to cover 7 to 10 times your annual salary. But that might not be enough. More specifically, your life insurance policy should cover the following:

Total debt + financial support you want to provide + burial costs – current savings and assets – other life insurance policies

Total debt includes your mortgage, student loans, and any outstanding consumer debt.

Financial support runs the gamut of the costs of child care, schooling for your children (which might also include college), and regular living expenses. This is particularly important if you and your spouse were depending on two incomes to cover these expenses. And if the surviving spouse doesn’t have insurance coverage through an employer, the policy should also cover the premiums for medical, dental, auto, home, disability, life, and other insurance needs. Financial support may also include a portion of retirement.

Current savings includes anything in your savings, checking, retirement, and investment accounts. It also includes assets like your home or automobile.

What type of life insurance should you buy?

In general, a 20 to 30-year term life insurance policy is all that most people need. As long as you pay your premiums, a term life policy locks in your coverage for those 20 to 30 years. Plus, term life is more affordable than whole or permanent life insurance. A life insurance salesman will try to tell you life insurance (of the whole or permanent variety) is a great investment, but they make huge commissions on selling you that policy.

What if your employee benefits include a group life insurance policy?

Unfortunately, life insurance purchased through your job doesn’t come with you. Plus, that group policy might not provide enough coverage. So you’re better off buying an individual policy and think of your group policy through work as an added layer of financial protection.

Finally, it’s important to review your life insurance policy as your needs change. For example, you may need more coverage if your family becomes larger than you initially thought. Or maybe you need less coverage if you paid off your mortgage early or have plenty saved for retirement.

And remember to update your beneficiaries as your family grows!

The post Do You Need Life Insurance? appeared first on Brightwater Financial, LLC.

I previously shared that it’s more important for parents to have an emergency fund in place, pay off debt, and save for their own retirement before thinking about saving for college. It’s the same advice when flight attendants tell you to put on your own oxygen mask before taking care of others.

An emergency fund is money set aside to cover the unexpected: the cost of trips to the emergency room, vet bills, major car or house repairs, or living expenses while looking for a new job. If you’re a freelancer or entrepreneur, your emergency fund may also cover slow periods when you’re working less and therefore earning less. Or if you’re starting a new business, an ample emergency fund can cover the income gap while getting your business off the ground.

A December 2015 survey by Bankrate.com found that about 63 percent of Americans say they’re unable to handle an unexpected expense like a major car repair or emergency room bill of around $1,000. Do you have enough in savings in case a you’re surprised by a big bill? And even if you have the appropriate health, renter’s or homeowner’s, car, and disability insurance to cover certain unexpected expenses, you still want to have enough in savings to cover any deductibles.

One rule of thumb is to save 3 to 6 months of living expenses, but several factors impact the amount you may need in your emergency fund:

• How many people depend on your income? The more people relying on your income, the more you’ll want to save, particularly if you’re in a single-income household.
• How variable is your income? If you’re a freelancer, you may want to save 6 to 12 months of living expenses to cover slow periods, as well as the unexpected.
• How stable is your job? Do you work in an industry or city where it’s easy to find a new one?
• If you were to be laid off, are you eligible to receive severance pay?
• Do you have other revenue streams, like a side business, you can rely on?
• What’s your risk tolerance? In other words, how much money do you need to have set aside to feel comfortable?

Where to Keep Your Emergency Fund

As for where to keep your emergency fund, you want the money to be somewhere liquid, accessible, and safe. It’s good to keep at least a portion of it in a checking or savings account so you can access the funds immediately. Then, I like to keep a portion in an online savings account like Ally Bank or CapitalOne 360. The returns are slightly better than a traditional brick-and-mortar savings account, but you usually have to wait a few days for the money to transfer to your external checking account. To minimize the risk, make sure your checking or savings account (up to $250,000 per depositor) is insured by the FDIC.

For a safety net to cover longer term situations like a job loss or medical condition, you can keep a portion in an online savings account and then invest a portion in a low- to moderate-risk brokerage account. While a savings account is safe, they’re not truly risk-free since current interest rates are below 1% and you’ll most likely be losing money over time to inflation. Investing in an online brokerage account like Betterment or Vanguard will offer better returns while still being fairly accessible. Electronic withdrawals to your bank generally take 4-5 business days due to the required sale and settlement of securities. And fingers crossed you won’t need to tap into your longer term safety net!

Get Started!

If saving 3 to 6 months of living expenses seems daunting, work towards saving one month of expenses. Then create monthly automatic transfers to your emergency fund until you reach 3 to 6 months of living expenses. If your income varies, allocate your savings based on percentages instead of dollar amounts. For example, make it a goal to set aside 5% of every client payment for your emergency fund. This will automatically help you save more dollars when your income is higher and keep you from overextending yourself during leaner months. Or if you can super charge your savings by depositing a portion of your tax refund or annual bonus into your emergency fund.

Once your emergency fund is in place, then you can start thinking about eliminating debt, saving for retirement, and saving for other personal goals (i.e. buying a house or traveling).

The post How to Build an Emergency Fund appeared first on Brightwater Financial, LLC.