While following a solid tax planning strategy throughout the year is integral to your overall financial plan, some special considerations may maximize your refund or reduce overall tax liability.

Let’s look at some of the tax-saving strategies you could be taking advantage of.

While winning the lottery is well outside mainstream reality for most people, it’s not uncommon to suddenly receive a large inheritance, a settlement, or perhaps a stroke of good luck. There are several stories of the major failings of people who’ve come into money only to see it disappear.

In the story of Alice in Wonderland, Alice arrives at a fork in the road and wonders aloud which road to take. A smiling Cheshire Cat appears and asks her what her destination is, to which she replies, “I don’t know.” The toothy cat then proffers the only possible response, “Well, then it doesn’t matter.”

Over the past few years, municipal bonds may have fallen out of favor due to the fact that, until recently, the returns in the stock and bond markets were generating steady returns.

After several years of wallowing in financial upheaval caused by a severe recession and financial crisis, Americans are, once again, looking to the future. A renewed confidence has many people setting their sights on long term goals that, just a few years ago, may have seemed out of reach.

Most people would argue that living in a digital world, with instant access to an endless stream of information has made us smarter and more self-empowered than past generations. Investors believe that it has “leveled the playing field”, enabling them to make investment decisions based on the same information once only available to the investment pros.

Chances are good that if you turn on the prime time news on any given day or pull up your favorite newspaper on your iPad one of the top stories will relate to emerging risks around the world.

While our extended longevity should be greeted with gratitude for the possibility of enjoying a longer life with our grandchildren, many retirees are approaching it with trepidation, wondering if their hard earned assets will be sufficient to fulfill their vision of a good life for the rest of their life – however long it should last.

As a firm we have been invested heavily in California Municipal bonds over the past couple years. As I regularly speak with the managers we utilize, and attend conferences, this is one area that has had a lot of controversy given the problems California is facing. I have just completed another round of conferences about the California Muni Bond market and what follows is a brief summa

There is so much uncertainty revolving around the estate tax and taxes on capital gains and dividends lately I thought it would be helpful to go over what is happening so far.