Mid-Year Financial Check

Almost three quarters of the year is now behind us and before you know it the holidays and New Year will be here. I am not trying to rush things, but at the same time, we want to make sure that you are prepared for what the year will bring in terms of your tax situation. It is important to take a look at your financial situation for the year thus far and make sure you are positioned properly for your 2019 tax filing. You do not want to wait until the last week of 2019 or even April to learn of potential issues you may encounter.

It would be a great idea to reach out to your financial team to discuss any financial events so far this year that were out of the norm. The financial events that have taken place may, or may not, have an impact on your tax standing, but it is easier to review, guide, plan, and protect if they are discussed well before the end of the year. Once your team is aware, of what has happened, they can advise you on your options and propose the best course of action. You are much better off planning for this on October 15th than March 15th when some of your available planning options may no longer exist

As a firm, Mitlin Financial makes it a habit to ask our clients on a regular basis, at least two times a year, if there has been anything in their financial life that would warrant us to make any changes or adjustments to their plan. You would be amazed at some of the  things we have been informed of at these meetings. Everything from, “I lost my job three months ago” to “I sold my house and we are moving across the country” have come out of this simple question. You would think these would be things they would be calling us right away to discuss and review the impact on their financial standing; but, unfortunately, life gets in the way sometimes. This simple question has allowed us to review, correct, and advise our clients to the best course of action knowing this new information.

Asking this simple question during our review meeting with clients has had a positive impact on our practice and our ability to help our clients. In many cases, it has allowed us to address potential issues that may have been unintended, but life just got in the way. This will also provide you with peace of mind knowing you have addressed the issues and will not need to wait until the last minute to come up with a solution. This would also be a good time to review year-to-date capital gains and interest income from your portfolio to make sure it is in line with previous years. Should there be a significant discrepancy from the prior year, this is something that should be addressed so you are not surprised with a larger than normal tax bill. This will save you significant time when it comes to the end of the year because you will be able to have a good idea of your current standing and then plan accordingly.

The last thing I want to leave you with, as we enter the end of the year, is to be careful purchasing mutual funds in non-qualified accounts. This has been something that has really caused many clients, and their accounting professionals, a lot of grief. As mutual funds begin to announce capital gains distributions for the year-end it is important to know what the distribution is and when it will be taking place. We have seen clients purchase mutual funds in late October, November, and December and receive huge capital gains distributions, which are taxable because they purchased a fund just prior to the distribution. Imagine owning a fund for a couple of weeks and getting a $10,000 capital gains distribution. This is not a surprise that you want to have, so just be cognizant of any mutual fund purchases before the end of the year that you are making in a non-qualified account. It may be ideal for you to hold off on investing new funds or use an ETF until the distribution has been completed.

The importance of having a review with your financial team is to make sure that you both are on the same page and no surprises will come at tax time. The year-end is crazy enough for most, you might as well make things as easy and problem-free as you can. It goes back to the old adage, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. 

I would highly suggest that you hold a mid-year check-in with your financial team. This could save you hours of grief towards the end of the year or at tax time next year. Be sure to contact us, Mitlin Financial, at (844) 4-MITLIN x12 to schedule a time if you are not having these reviews with your current financial team.

Be sure to share this article with friends, family and business acquaintances who might be experiencing this too.

We look forward to helping you, and them, get on the right path and stay there.

This article represents the opinion of Mitlin Financial Inc. It should not be construed as providing investment, legal and/or tax advice.

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