The Eagle’s Eye August 2024 Client Letter
I hope this month’s Eagle’s Eye finds you doing well. For your information, I have attached Concurrent’s recent market commentary in the PDF above. You
Will you be paying more in taxes next year? Let’s ask the question in another way. Since politicians have taken aim at high earners: Are taxes going to rise for the wealthiest taxpayers?
Clients usually ask, “How will this affect me?” Or, “Will I be ensnared by Congress’ definition of wealthy?”
If proposed changes in the tax code that passed a House committee are enacted into law, those that are wealthy, as defined by lawmakers, will likely see their taxes rise.
The major provisions include:
These proposals are a long way from becoming law but are winding their way through Congress. The Senate may have its own set of proposals, which would require both legislative bodies to forge a compromise before a tax bill lands on the President’s desk.
Moreover, a sharply divided Senate seems likely to pare $3.5 trillion in proposed spending, assuming legislators in the House compromise on new outlays. If new spending is reduced, smaller tax hikes could follow.
While a wait-and-see approach may serve some folks well, we understand that planning for any changes reduces the odds of an unwanted surprise.
We are providing general guidelines. We understand that your situation is unique, and we would be happy to entertain any questions and tailor our recommendations to your needs. As always, feel free to consult with your tax advisor regarding any tax-related questions.
The proposed increase in the top tax rate and the surcharge on income over $5 million. A couple filing jointly that has $600,000 of taxable income will see their top rate rise from 35% to 39.6% next year, if proposed changes are enacted (4.6 percentage points, or a $6,900 increase in taxes on $150,000 of income).
However, there are ways to minimize the tax sting next year.
Consider shifting 2022 income into tax year 2021, which would be subject to today’s lower rate. And look for ways to defer expenses and deductions that you might normally incur in 2021 and push them into 2022.
Maximize contributions to tax-deferred savings and retirement accounts. If you itemize deductions, charitable contributions will reduce your taxable income.
In addition, municipal bonds, which are exempt from federal income tax, will become more attractive if a higher marginal tax rate is enacted.
The proposed 3% surtax on individuals earning over $5 million would effectively raise the top tax rate to 42.6%. This would hit very few taxpayers—but be aware that the sale of a business or large asset could push you above the threshold.
Please note that the surcharge is separate from today’s 3.8% tax on net investment income.
A higher rate on dividends and long-term capital gains tax rate is being considered. As proposed, if a capital gain is realized on or after September 14, 2021, individuals earning more than $400,000 and couples earning over $450,000 will pay a top rate of 25%. The same would hold true with dividends.
With very narrow exceptions, it would be too late to incur a long-term capital gain at 2021’s lower rate.
You may consider deferring gains, as an unrealized capital gain would not be subject to taxes. Or, rates may decline again in the future. As we commented up top, much depends on your individual circumstances.
There will be new RMD requirements for individuals who have high income and large retirement accounts, regardless of age. If you exceed $400,000 and $450,000 in income for single and joint filers, respectively, AND retirement accounts total over $10 million, you will be subject to RMDs beginning in 2022. You will also be prohibited from making IRA contributions.
However, the restriction on contributions does not apply to employer-sponsored plans such as 401ks, SEP IRAs, or SIMPLE IRAs.
If your income is above the $400,000 and $450,000 limits and retirement accounts exceed $20 million (including a Roth IRA), you would be required to distribute funds from your Roth IRA.
New limits on QBI deduction. If you are self-employed, the House proposal limits the deduction to $500,000 for joint returns and $400,000 for individual returns. Once you have exceeded the cap, additional amounts will be disregarded.
Left on the cutting room floor
Lawmakers in the House have not proposed taxing unrealized capital gains at death, as had initially been proposed by the President. Also, the step-up in basis for inherited assets is NOT in the current House proposal.
But one proposal being floated is to reduce the estate and gift tax exemption to $5 million. Tax reform in 2017 raised the limit to $11.7 million of individuals and $23.4 million for couples.
Bottom line
These are some of the major provisions. They may or may not be enacted into law.
We understand that taxes play a role in overall returns, but so do many variables. Your financial plan should ultimately drive investment decisions, not tax laws. Don’t let the tail wag the dog. In other words, be careful not to let taxes solely dictate your investment decisions.
Sources and further reading
[[https://www.wsj.com/articles/capital-gains-and-capital-pains-in-the-house-tax-proposal-11633080602 Capital Gains and Capital Pains in the House Tax Proposal]]
[[https://www.schwab.com/resource-center/insights/content/will-taxes-rise-wealthy-what-you-should-know Will Taxes Rise for the Wealthy?]]
[[https://www.wsj.com/articles/democrats-want-to-raise-taxes-heres-your-to-do-list-11631871008 Democrats Want to Raise Taxes. Here’s Your To-Do List]]
[[https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/13/house-democrats-plan-drops-repeal-of-a-tax-provision-for-inheritances.html House Democrats’ Plan Drops Repeal of a Tax Provision for Inheritances]]
What is it about September?
September has historically been the worst month for stocks, according to St. Louis Federal Reserve data measuring monthly S&P 500 performance over the last 50 years. If you are wondering whether the trend has abated in recent years, the answer is no, it hasn’t. Over the last 10 years, September performance has been substandard.
While analysts have offered various explanations, no one has pinpointed the reason we sometimes see seasonal weakness as summer concludes.
Look no further than the table of Key Index Returns. The S&P 500 Index fell 4.8% in September. It was the first monthly decline since January and the worst decline since March 2020 when the lockdowns began.
Key Index Returns
MTD % | YTD% | |
Dow Jones Industrial Average | -4.3 | 10.6 |
NASDAQ Composite | -5.3 | 12.1 |
S&P 500 Index | -4.8 | 14.7 |
Russell 2000 Index | -3.1 | 11.6 |
MSCI World ex-USA* | -3.2 | 7.1 |
MSCI Emerging Markets* | -4.3 | -3.0 |
Bloomberg Barclays US Aggregate Bond Total Return | -0.9 | -1.6 |
Source: MSCI.com, Bloomberg, MarketWatch
MTD: returns: August 31, 2021—September 30, 2021
YTD returns: December 31, 2020—September 30, 2021
*in US dollars
Peaking at a new record on September 2, the broad-based S&P 500 Index began a pullback that can be tied to a number of factors.
Before we continue, a 4.8% drop is modest by market standards. In fact, we’ve yet to shed 10% since the bull market began in late March 2020, which would be considered a “correction” by analysts.
So, what’s behind the sell-off last month?
The economy is not contracting, and a moderation was expected after Q2’s 6.7% annualized growth rate (U.S. BEA), but the slowdown has been more pronounced than expected.
The Atlanta Fed’s GDPNow model, which incorporates economic data that impacts GDP, suggests that Q3 growth is tracking at just 2.3%. This would include Q3 data released through October 1. That means all of July, most of August and none of September’s data have been inputted into the model.
While profit growth has soared coming out of the lockdowns, per Refinitiv, a more pronounced moderation in profit growth may be on tap.
Next question, why is Q3 disappointing on the economic front? Well, the spike in Covid cases is causing some hesitation in industries that are dependent on face-to-face transactions. But there is good news on this front. The CDC says cases have slowed recently. We’ll see how this continues to play out later in the fall. While bank deposit data from the St. Louis Federal Reserve suggest consumers have plenty of spendable cash in reserve, the influx of new stimulus money has dwindled, and spending has slowed. We’re also seeing stubbornly high inflation in some industries, as supply chain bottlenecks aren’t fixing themselves.
Consider the title of this Wall Street Journal story from late August:
Why Is the Supply Chain Still So Snarled?
We Explain, With a Hot Tub.
Utah manufacturer Bullfrog Spas depends on a complicated network to bring materials from across continents and oceans. The pandemic put it out of whack.
That sums up the problem for many manufacturers.
As Fed Chief Jerome Powell noted at the end of September, bottlenecks and shortages of key raw materials are “not getting better—in fact at the margins (they are) apparently getting a little bit worse.”
Like severe labor shortages, supply chain problems are crimping profitability, limiting sales, raising prices and hampering economic growth. Investors are taking note.
An uptick in bond yields near the end of the month also dampened sentiment. While yields remain quite low, they ticked higher after the Federal Reserve took on a slightly more hawkish tone at the September 22 meeting.
These are probably the biggest reasons for the pullback last month.
Not to be Debbie Downer, but let’s look at a few more.
The debate over the debt ceiling is taking shape. The U.S. Treasury has said it will run up against the current debt ceiling on October 18. That means it can no longer borrow to fund operations, and the U.S. would default on its debt unless Congress extends the ceiling.
As Moody’s Analytics recently noted, “The debt ceiling will be raised. Not doing so would be catastrophic for the economy, so this is an extremely low probability event.”
We’ve seen this drama play out before, and lawmakers avoided sailing into uncharted waters. Still, it’s causing some headline anxiety.
China’s largest and most indebted property developer is on the brink of bankruptcy. While Western financial exposure is likely limited, a disorderly default could create big problems for the world’s second-largest economy.
Finally, an energy crisis is brewing in Europe, while natural gas prices hit new highs in Asia. They are running about six times what we see at home (Reuters).
The U.S. isn’t directly affected, but these are costs that may get added to manufactured goods or could restrict output, adding to supply chain woes.
Final thoughts
We’re overdue for at least a 10% correction. We know they tend to be unpleasant, but they are part of the investment landscape.
With all but the most aggressive and risk tolerant investors, we recommend a healthy portion of fixed income investments. Adding a mix of bonds into the portfolio typically smooths out returns. We don’t see the extreme highs when stocks are rising but mixing in fixed income reduces your risk on the downside when equities turn lower.
As we’ve noted in the past, stocks tend to take the stairs up and the elevator down. If we are headed toward an overdue correction, pullbacks tend to be short lived.
I hope you’ve found this month’s Eagle’s Eye to be educational and insightful.
I also want to say thank you to those of you who have completed the Riskalyze questionnaire. If you need assistance with your questionnaire, please reach out to me or Shannon. Completing this process will help us to manage your risk in a much more efficient way.
If you have any questions or would like to discuss any matters, please feel free to give me or any of my team members a call. In addition, if there is anyone you care about who you think could benefit from a fresh perspective, we would be happy to visit with them.
At Eagle Capital, we are honored and humbled that you have given us the opportunity to serve as your personal Wealth Advisors. We are a Family Serving Families, and we value the loyalty and trust you have placed in us. We will never take that for granted.
Best Regards,
Bill
William Y. Rice III, CPM® | Eagle Capital Advisors
Founding Partner, Managing Director & CEO, ECA
Wealth Advisor, RJFS
140 E Tyler Street, Suite 240; Longview, TX 75601
T: 903.236.5300 | F: 903.236.5357
Bill.Rice3@eaglecapadvisors.com
Eagle Capital Advisors is not a registered broker/dealer, and is independent of Raymond James Financial Services. Investment advisory services offered through Raymond James Financial Services Advisors, Inc.
Links are being provided for information purposes only. Raymond James is not affiliated with and does not endorse, authorize or sponsor any of the listed websites or their respective sponsors. Raymond James is not responsible for the content of any website or the collection or use of information regarding any website’s users and/or members. The information contained in this newsletter does not purport to be a complete description of the securities, markets, or developments referred to in this material. The information has been obtained from sources considered to be reliable, but we do not guarantee that the foregoing material is accurate or complete. Any opinions are those of William Y. Rice III and not necessarily those of Raymond James. Expressions of opinion are as of this date and are subject to change without notice. There is no guarantee that these statements, opinions or forecasts provided herein will prove to be correct. Investing involves risk and you may incur a profit or loss regardless of strategy selected. Keep in mind that individuals cannot invest directly in any index, and index performance does not include transaction costs or other fees, which will affect actual investment performance. Individual investor’s results will vary. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Future investment performance cannot be guaranteed, investment yields will fluctuate with market conditions. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), commonly known as “The Dow” is an index representing 30 stock of companies maintained and reviewed by the editors of the Wall Street Journal. The NASDAQ composite is an unmanaged index of securities traded on the NASDAQ system. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index of 500 widely held stocks that is generally considered representative of the U.S. stock market. The RussellÒ000 Index measures the performance of the 2,000 smallest companies in the Russell 3000 Index, which represent approximately 8% of the total market capitalization of the Russell 3000 Index. The MSCI ACWI ex USA Investable Market Index (IMI) captures large, mid and small ca representation across 22 of 23 Developed Markets (DM) countries (excluding the United States) and 24 Emerging Markets (EM) countries* With 6,211 constituents, the index covers approximately 99% of the global equity opportunity set outside the US. The MSCI Emerging Markets designed to measure equity market performance in 25 emerging market indices. The index’s three largest industries are materials, energy, and banks. The Bloomberg Barclays US Aggregate Bond Index is a broad-based flagship benchmark that measures the investment grade, US Dollar-denominated, fixed-rate taxable bond market.
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