Gast Freeman Troyer Racen
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One of the biggest changes your business will inevitably experience is a transfer of responsibilities. Transferring important responsibilities to someone else can be exciting and nerve-wracking. Whether you’re transferring ownership to a family member, or…
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We love this question because the Medicare surcharge, also known as IRMAA, can be costly if someone isn’t aware of it. While IRMAA may sound like a nice lady that lives down the street from…
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As a successful business owner, the people closest to you likely rely heavily on you. They may also have expectations regarding your wealth. Your plans for how you’ll disperse your wealth, and the expectations others…
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Many successful business owners are successful because they think about things differently than most people. Others may recognize your personal brilliance and say to themselves, “I wish I could understand how she does it.” This…
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In this installment of Ask the CFP ®, our question is Why don’t wills avoid probate? We are frequently asked whether a will is subject to going through probate. There is a common misconception…
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The death of a co-owner is a tragedy for many reasons. For many co-owned businesses, co-owners are also close friends. What makes the suffering worse is when the death of a co-owner hurts the business in…
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Welcome to Ask the CFP®! In this episode, I’m addressing the question: should I use an Adjustable-Rate Mortgage? Unlike traditional fixed-rate mortgages, adjustable-rate mortgages – commonly referred to as ARMs – have an interest rate…
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Successful business owners do a lot of things well, and they make it look easy. This is often a sign of well-running processes and years of discipline. However, it can also be a trap for…
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Many successful business owners (and their families) look forward to retirement. After years of hard work, retirement lets business owners kick up their feet and live the dream. But what if everyone is ready for your retirement except…
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Hello! This month’s Ask the CFP ® question is “When should I begin taking Social Security?” This is a question we hear often, and the answer is…it depends. You can begin drawing Social Security benefits…
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This month’s Ask the CFP® question is What did Congress change in SECURE Act 2.0? Within the large appropriations bill passed by Congress in December of 2022 were multiple changes to retirement accounts and tax…
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Hello everyone and welcome to this month’s Ask the CFP segment. This month’s question is, “how should I handle a family member asking for money?” Money is a powerful force. It can empower charities…
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Hello everyone and welcome to this month’s Ask the CFP segment. This month’s question is, “how much risk should I take with my investments?” Imagine for a moment that you could play a game…
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Moneta Partner Peter Racen recently celebrated entrepreneurship and recognized the contributions of five outstanding individuals in the St. Louis area. The UMSL Accelerate Entrepreneur of the Year Award was established by Racen and his wife…
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Hello everyone and welcome to this month’s Ask the CFP segment. This month’s question is, “what should I teach my teenagers about money?” There are a few skills in life that can payoff greatly…
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Hello everyone and welcome to this month’s Ask the CFP segment. This month’s question is, “how do I avoid probate with real estate?” If you’re familiar with probate court, you may know it can take…
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Peter Racen moves practice from Northwestern Mutual to join Moneta as a Partner on the Gast Freeman Troyer Team ST. LOUIS — September 22, 2022 — Attracted by the firm’s national reputation, fee-only structure, and…
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Hello everyone and welcome to this month’s Ask the CFP segment. This month’s question is, “how do I avoid probate with real estate?” If you’re familiar with probate court, you may know it can take…
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Hello everyone and welcome to this month’s Ask the CFP segment. This month’s question is, “what is a stock split and why do companies do them?” Stock splits are a common strategy used by publicly…
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Hello everyone and welcome to this month’s Ask the CFP segment. This month’s question is, “how does the Federal Reserve Bank raising rates affect me?” It’s common knowledge today that interest rates are increasing to…
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Hello everyone and welcome to this month’s Ask the CFP segment. This month’s question is, “Can I borrow from my own portfolio?” People often associate debt with poor financial decisions. We’re usually taught in our…
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Hello everyone and welcome to this month’s Ask the CFP segment. This month’s question is, “How do 529 college plans affect financial aid?” While many of our clients aren’t focused on financial aid opportunities due…
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Hello everyone and welcome to this month’s Ask the CFP segment. This month’s question is, “How can I avoid the Net Investment Income Tax?” For those not familiar with this tax, the Net Investment Income…
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Hello everyone and welcome to this month’s Ask the CFP segment. This month’s question is, “What is tax loss harvesting?” Tax loss harvesting, which I’m going to call TLH at the risk of being tongue-tied…