#1: Agent of Wealth Episode 226 – Low-Cost and No-Cost Side Hustles to Start Today With Joan Posivy
In 2024, we released 38 episodes of The Agent of Wealth Podcast and over 100 blog posts. But the piece that resonated most with our audience was all about side hustles.
In this standout episode, Marc Bautis sat down with Joan Posivy, host of The Side Hustle Hero Podcast, to explore ways to generate extra income without breaking the bank. The conversation covered a wide range of opportunities and how to get started with little to no upfront investment.
If you’ve ever considered starting a side hustle, this episode is packed with actionable advice, success stories, and tips to help you turn your ideas into reality.
#2: 4 Ways to Decrease Required Minimum Distributions
While the SECURE Act 2.0 raised the RMD starting age to 73 (and to 75 beginning in 2033), retirees with large account balances may face significant RMDs – and substantial tax liabilities – if they don’t plan ahead. That’s exactly what this article is for!
This article highlights four actionable strategies that you can employ to lower RMDs and reduce your tax burden:
- Distribution Planning
- Serial Roth Conversions
- Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs)
- Qualified Longevity Annuity Contracts (QLACs)
With tax laws evolving, taking proactive steps to address your RMD strategy is crucial…
#3: How to Structure Gifts and Transfers to Adult Children
According to a May 2024 report by Savings.com, 47% of parents with a child over 18 provide them with at least some form of financial support (this does not include adult children with disabilities). On average, parents providing financial support give $1,384 to their children monthly. That’s more than twice what the average working parent in the same study contributed to their own retirement savings monthly ($609 on average).
Is parental help empowering or enabling?
This article seeks to put color around the topic of gifting and transferring money to adult children. If you find yourself in this boat, there are important factors to consider:
- Where is the money coming from?
- What will the impact be on other family members?
- Is the transfer a gift, loan or investment?
- What are the tax implications?
- And more…
#4: Agent of Wealth Episode 135 – How to Blast Away Debt in Record Time With Adam Carroll
With over $17 trillion in household debt reported in the United States in 2024 – a figure that has consistently risen year over year. In this episode, Marc Bautis sits down with Adam Carroll, Founder of the Shred Method™, to explore how to manage debt, optimize income, and build wealth.
Discover how you can use tools like a HELOC, innovative algorithms, and strategic financial habits to save on interest, build equity faster, and achieve financial independence.
#5: How to Build a Better List of Colleges Using Safety, Target and Reach Schools
Creating a balanced list of colleges is one of the most critical steps in the college admissions process. With acceptance rates at competitive schools continuing to decline – Stanford University, for instance, admitted just 3.9% of applicants in 2024 – students need a strategic approach to increase their odds.
To help students build a better list of colleges, this popular article breaks down the key categories:
- Safety Schools: Colleges where you have a greater than 75% chance of acceptance.
- Target Schools: Colleges where you have a 25-75% chance of acceptance.
- Reach Schools: Colleges where you have less than a 25% chance of acceptance.
For students and families navigating this high-stakes process, planning is key. That’s where this article comes in!
#6: The Power of Investing Young
The Power of Investing Young is one of our most shared articles. If you haven’t already, send this link to the youngins in your life!
While saving for retirement in your early twenties can be hard, the argument is compelling for one factor alone: Time. When you invest, you’re earning compound interest (interest on top of interest) so you’ll earn substantially more on your investments over longer periods of time than you would over shorter time periods.
In this article, the concept of compound interest is explained in a graphic, and examples help paint the picture even clearer.
#7: Trading in Your Phone vs. Selling It: What’s Better?
According to a 2024 report by Counterpoint Research, the average smartphone user upgrades their phone every 2.5 years. This rapid turnover leaves many of us grappling with what to do with our old devices. Leaving them to collect dust seems like a waste, right?
Here, we weigh the pros and cons of trading your phone in, or selling it. Trading in offers unmatched convenience and often includes environmentally friendly recycling options. On the other hand, selling your phone independently takes more effort but can yield a significantly higher monetary return. The right choice ultimately depends on your priorities regarding convenience, time, effort, and financial goals.
#8: The 10 Best Performing Stocks in the Last 25 Years
Investors are always eager to uncover the top-performing stocks, and this list of the 10 best performers over the last 25 years sparked significant conversation among our clients and financial advisors.
Everyone had their guesses – many of which included household names like Amazon, Tesla, or Meta. However, the real list surprised many, as it included companies like Monster Beverage and Deckers Outdoor, which don’t often dominate headlines but have quietly delivered extraordinary returns.
It underscores a key insight: the best-performing stocks aren’t always the flashiest. They often emerge from diverse sectors, niche markets, and unconventional business models.
#9: 30-Year and 15-Year Mortgage Rates Decreased in May
Every weekday we bring you a Daily Flash Briefing, which you can listen to via an Alexa device, or check out on our blog page (we post them to social media, too!). In 2024, the most popular Daily Flash Briefing was about mortgage rate decreases in May.
While May brought a small drop in mortgage rates, the broader picture of 2024 revealed a challenging year for the housing market. Inventory remained tight, and mortgage rates, although lower than their peaks in late 2023, stayed elevated compared to historical standards. These high rates put pressure on prospective buyers and homeowners alike, particularly those looking to refinance or enter the market for the first time.
Learn how to set up our Daily Flash Briefing
#10: Financial Planning Checklist: Documents to Collect For Filing 2023 Tax Returns
When it comes to your full, financial picture, there are a lot of moving parts. It’s natural for tasks to slip through the cracks, especially when you’re juggling many responsibilities. That’s one of the reasons why we created the Financial Planning Checklist series – a collection of videos accompanied by complimentary, downloadable checklists designed to solve specific financial topics.
This particular checklist, released during the 2023 tax reporting season, provided a streamlined way to organize essential documents, from proof of income to potential deductions and credits.
Bautis Financial LLC is a registered investment advisor. Information presented is for educational purposes only and does not intend to make an offer or solicitation for the sale or purchase of any specific securities, investments, or investment strategies. Investments involve risk and unless otherwise stated, are not guaranteed. Be sure to first consult with a qualified financial advisor and/or tax professional before implementing any strategy discussed herein. Past performance is not indicative of future performance.
