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Insights
Practical guidance on tax, estate, retirement, and investment planning — written by Garth Vickers and the VFG team.
Tax
Your CPA files the return. Tax planning decides what the return will say next year. Here's the difference — and why most affluent families only have one of the two.
Tax
A coordinated checklist of the tax moves that actually move the needle for $500K+ Maryland households — from bracket management to charitable bunching to state-specific traps.
Retirement
Roth conversions are not always the right answer for affluent households. Here is the decision framework we use to size, time, and stage conversions between retirement and RMDs.
Business Owner
Picking the wrong entity in Maryland, DC, or Virginia can cost you six figures over a decade. Here's how to think about it before your next filing.
Estate
Maryland is one of the few states with both an estate tax and an inheritance tax. If your household is north of $5M, this is the planning conversation you can't postpone.
Tax
DC's combined state-and-federal marginal rate quietly tops 47% for high earners. Here are the strategies VFG uses to bring effective rates back down.
Estate
Every affluent family eventually meets the alphabet soup of trusts. Here's a plain-English guide to what each vehicle actually does — and who needs which.
Tax
Most Roth conversion calculators ignore state tax. In Maryland, that omission can cost six figures over a retirement.
Tax Planning
By December, most tax-saving moves are gone. Here is what to review before year-end so you do not leave money on the table when April arrives.
Retirement
Most retirement plans focus on the number. The harder work is turning that number into reliable income that survives taxes, inflation, and a 30-year horizon.
Whether you're planning your retirement or coordinating an estate, the first 30 minutes is on us.
