At Pacific Portfolio Trust Company, we believe one of the most powerful tools in estate planning is time. The earlier you begin, the more opportunities you have to grow, protect, and pass on what you’ve built. A thoughtful estate plan ensures your assets are transferred according to your wishes, efficiently, privately, and in a way that reflects your values. While a will provides the foundation, trusts offer additional benefits. They provide flexibility, privacy, and important advantages when it comes to managing Washington’s estate tax laws. Whether you are planning for children, supporting a blended family, giving to charity, or reducing your tax exposure, the right trust can help you achieve your goals and create lasting impact.

Your seat backs and tray tables aren’t the only things that are up at this point: economic growth expectations are on the rise as we speak. Already, the U.S. economy was cruising at a healthy altitude – unusually healthy for this stage of the economic expansion’s life cycle, in fact: real (i.e., after inflation) GDP growth for the U.S. came in at a surprisingly chipper +3.1% for the 3rd quarter, versus economists’ consensus expectations of +2.6%, and the NY Federal Reserve’s GDPNow forecast is currently anticipating that Q4 will come in at a +3.0% reading. This is well ahead of the +1.75%-+2.0% that an extremely large, developed economy like the U.S. should reasonably be expected to sustain over the long-term.

Life In Purgatory: Not As Bad As You’d Think?

Certainly not the most comforting analogy, but apt, nonetheless, as we sit here, essentially trapped between two realms.  On the one hand, stocks have been on a tear for nearly two years; now, seemingly-lofty valuations and historic highs in market concentration are causing some investors to anticipate a reversal of fortunes.  With strong corporate earnings and no sign of an impending recession, however, the path of least resistance from here remains higher, nonetheless. 

Financial planning is a crucial aspect of our lives that often gets overlooked or misunderstood. Here is a summary of what it is, who it’s for, why it's essential, and how to get your financial planning started.

May 29th is National 529 Day (5/29), a day created to highlight the importance of 529 savings plans in helping families pay for college or training expenses.

In light of recent events and heightened investor concerns with respect to the health and stability of the global financial system, we have prepared the following brief overview, with a specific emphasis on the provisions in place to provide for the safety of your assets. We continue to monitor the situation, which remains fluid day-to-day, and will provide updates as warranted. In the interim, we encourage you to give us a call if you have questions after reviewing the material herein.

Business succession planning is a vital aspect of running any successful company. It involves creating a strategy for the transfer of ownership and management of a business when the current owner or leaders retire, pass away, or otherwise exit the company. This planning can be crucial for the long-term stability and success of the business and can have a significant impact on the personal finances and well-being of the owner and their family.

Every year, the Internal Revenue Service announces new tax brackets among other crucial credits and deductions that determine your tax rate for the upcoming year. However, the changes do not account for increased wages, which means that if you got a raise to keep up with inflation, you'll likely face the same tax rate as the prior year, all else equal. If your salary rose by more than the rate of inflation, you may fall under a higher tax bracket. But if your wages didn't keep up with inflation, you could end up in a lower tax bracket compared to 2021. The following tables present various tax facts adjusted for 2023 that you might be subject to.

Hear ye, hear ye: Twenty Twenty-Three hereby demands a blood oath of undying loyalty! After all, that’s how it’s supposed to work, isn’t it? The people must throw their full, unquestioning support behind the new monarch before the body of the prior ruler is even cold. So, too, are we, as investors, expected to banish all of last year’s heartburn and frustration entirely from our memories into the disturbingly full dustbin of market history and pin all of our hopes and dreams to the prospects of the year ahead...as if this were our first time being led down this particular garden path!

As distinct as we each are, we all appear the same to cyber security thieves: as fair game. To them, it’s about our Social Security numbers, birth dates, account login credentials, and other personal information. But by following a few simple, yet key steps, we can fight back against identity & data theft.

As you progress through life, there will be many decisions to make, like whether you want to get married, start a family, or relocate to a new job. Life is full of trials and tribulations, and you want to be financially prepared for anything that may come your way.

When markets turn volatile, taking losses to offset capital gains can prove to be a relatively low risk way to improve your investment portfolio’s outcome. We’re talking about tax loss harvesting and another way we are committed to Increasing your Value of Time®.

The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act of 2019 revised existing rules around retirement saving, including raising the age of required minimum distributions (RMDs) and eliminating age limits for traditional IRA contributions. There is now a new bill dubbed “SECURE Act 2.0”, that builds on the first to improve retirement savings opportunities for workers. If it has broad bipartisan support, there is a significant likelihood that it will pass this year, either as a standalone or as part of broader legislation.

With all the variations of trusts out there, how can you decide which option to choose?

I bonds have been trending as rates reached their highest levels since their debut. Here’s what you need to know if you are considering adding them to your investment portfolio.

The Tuesday after Thanksgiving marks Giving Tuesday when many people choose to make charitable donations. People making charitable donations for Giving Tuesday, or at any time during the year, should review whether their gift is tax-deductible.