Together With

Hey Future Funders family,

Did you know that an eclipse is a catalyst to a new beginning?

Be sure to check your inbox tomorrow if (finally) learning how to invest on your own is a box your are ready to check.

Ok, let’s get to it.

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Headlines That Matter

🧾 Get ready for an audit. In January the IRS announced its plan to hire 20,000 additional agents to close loopholes and intensely focus on wealthy individuals and corporations. And despite offering $125k salaries, turns out no one wants to work for the IRS. Unless you enjoy going after middle class households making under $200k annually (its more profitable because there are much more of them). You heard that right— 63% of new tax audits have targeted this group and it doesn’t look like things are slowing down anytime soon.

Our take: It’s not surprising that something the government proposes doesn’t turn out as promised. But an audit is no fun (we’ve had one 🙄) and it’s unfair it’s now is affecting so many families. Claiming what may appear as excessive deductions, a home office or vehicle deduction, or even just submitting crypto currency gains are some typical red flags that will trigger one (more likely triggers found here). A good rule of thumb to help protect yourself is to keep records (bank statements, brokerage statements, big receipts) either in a safety deposit box or a secure place in your home so you have them readily available to get an audit over with quickly.

📈 More upside? The S&P 500 returned 10% in the first quarter of 2024 (it’s best start since 2019) on the back of the AI boom. But now more companies are participating in the rally, which may be a good sign for things to come. The Magnificent 7 stocks are no longer the only one’s driving most of the bounce back, with 118 companies recently hitting annual stock price highs showing that investors are seeing positive trends in multiple sectors of the economy.

Our take: Tomorrow we’re going to get you started on your DIY investing journey (so make sure to check your inbox), but when investors see the market go up, it tends to be viewed as “healthier” when more stocks are participating. When it’s just a few stocks, investors typically perceive this as more risky (what happens if something happens to these few stocks?), so overall we take this news as a positive sign. This is not to say though that risks don’t remain and overall we would look for a pullback to 5,000 as a better opportunity for fresh investments, but we did like seeing this news as a positive indicator of overall market health.

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Behind On Retirement Savings?

🚀 What’s happening: Feeling behind on your retirement savings? You’re not the only one.

With the average expenses for Americans 65+ topping $52,000*, catching up may seem next to impossible.

Ready for the good news? Whether you’re just hitting your stride in your 50s or looking ahead in your 60s, it’s never too late to start saving for retirement.

We’ve rounded up our best advice to ensure that your money is working as hard as you are for the big day.

Because it's never too late to stage an epic financial comeback.

Dinner Discussion ❓

See last week’s poll results below.

Deals, Reads, and Other Finds…

👓 Homemade eclipse glasses. Have you heard there is a solar eclipse today?…If you don’t want to spurge on glasses here is how to make something at home and protect your eyes.

💸 April deals. If you’re like my wife and are on a first name basis with your Amazon driver, then at least check out which products typically go on sale in the month of April.

📜 Quote Of The Week

“Wake up extra early so that you and your kids can still be 20 minutes late where ever you go.”

-Unknown

Dinner Discussion ❓

Last week’s question: Is it important to you to avoid taxes (as legally possible) when you plan investments?

Results: This one wasn’t close. 78% of you want to avoid taxes while investing because Uncle Sam already takes enough of our money! As we noted last week, here are 8 ways to do just that if you missed. Check our IG stories to see what people had to say.

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