Vision Capital Management, Inc.

10/14/2026

If you're 70½ or older and give to charity, you may be able to give straight from your IRA.

It's called a qualified charitable distribution, or QCD. The money goes directly from your IRA to an eligible charity and isn't counted as taxable income. Once you reach the age for required minimum distributions (73 or 75, depending on your birth year), a QCD can also count toward the amount you're required to withdraw each year.

A few details for 2026:

- You can give up to $111,000 per person.
- Your IRA custodian sends the money directly to the charity, so it never passes through your hands.
- Donor-advised funds and private foundations can't receive QCDs.
- The gift must be completed by December 31.

If charitable giving is already part of your year-end plans, bring it up with your advisor and tax professional.

10/12/2026

After losing a spouse, decisions about the house can wait until you're ready. But there is one date to keep in mind.

When a married couple sells a home they've lived in, they can generally exclude up to $500,000 of profit from capital gains tax. A single seller can generally exclude up to $250,000.

A surviving spouse can often still use the larger $500,000 amount if the home sells within two years of the spouse's passing and certain other rules are met.

That window is no reason to rush, but it’s one piece of information to have as you consider what comes next, and we're here to talk it through whenever you'd like.

🔗 https://go.vcmi.net/consult-schedule

10/07/2026

Vision Capital began in 1999 with a mother and daughter who wanted to serve clients without conflicts of interest.

That idea still guides us more than 25 years later. We are fee-only, which means we don't earn commissions on anything we recommend. Ownership now sits with our employees, and the majority of it is held by women.

For you, that means working with a team that has a long-term stake in this firm and in our relationship with you.

Thank you for being part of it.

10/05/2026

Scams are harder to spot than ever.

A phone call can look like it's coming from someone you know, or a text can appear to come from your bank. Some scammers now use AI to create voice messages that sound just like a loved one.

Two habits can help:

1. Agree on a family code word, so an unexpected call asking for help can be checked in seconds.

2. If anyone asks for money, gift cards, cryptocurrency, or account information, hang up and call back using the number on your statement or another number you already trust.

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, a good time to have this conversation with your family.

📅 Join our Cybersecurity webinar on October 21st to learn more: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_5FWLSI75RpOlWnhTskLkVg #/registration

10/01/2026

Writing a check to charity doesn't always lower your tax bill anymore. A qualified charitable distribution sends money from your IRA straight to a cause you support, and it never counts as taxable income in the first place. Here's how the mechanics, the limits, and the timing work for 2026. Link in the comments.

Perspectives on financial planning, investing, and wealth management from Vision Capital Management.

09/30/2026

In July, we wrote about having the money conversation with your parents. Several of you told us the harder discussion runs the other direction: talking to your own adult children.

Good news: you don’t need to hand over account balances or walk through every detail of your estate. But there is practical information they’ll need if life suddenly throws a curveball:

- Who’s your financial advisor, accountant, and attorney?

- Where do you keep your estate documents?

- Who did you name as executor or trustee?

These talks don't need a formal conference table or a dramatic "family meeting." A low-key chat over coffee on a Sunday morning is often the best place to start.

09/28/2026

Divorce can change far more than how your assets are divided.

Health insurance, life insurance, beneficiary designations, and Social Security can all require attention during and after a divorce.

Reviewing the financial and insurance pieces as part of the process can help you understand what needs to be updated and what options may be available to you.

09/23/2026

When one spouse dies, the survivor keeps the larger of the two Social Security benefits.

Most couples plan around their combined income and never look at that number on its own. Women tend to outlive their husbands, so the higher earner's claiming date is usually setting the floor for the wife's income in her 80s and 90s.

Claiming at 62 permanently lowers that floor, while waiting past full retirement age raises it by roughly 8% for each year of delay, up to 70.

If you’d like to run through your numbers with us, our team is happy to help: https://go.vcmi.net/consult-schedule

This content is for educational purposes only and does not constitute tax or legal advice. Please consult your tax and financial professional regarding your specific situation.

09/21/2026

Medicare Open Enrollment begins October 15 and runs through December 7. Changes you make during this period generally take effect January 1, 2027.

Before October arrives, take a few minutes to gather the information you’ll need to review your coverage:

✔️ Your Annual Notice of Change: This document outlines changes to your current plan for the coming year, including premiums, benefits, and cost-sharing.
✔️ Your prescription list: Include the name and dosage of each medication so you can check how your prescriptions are covered under your plan options for 2027.
✔️ ️Your preferred doctors and specialists: If keeping certain providers matters to you, check whether they participate in the plans you’re considering.
✔️ ️Your healthcare spending from this year: Look beyond the monthly premium and consider deductibles, copays, coinsurance, and other out-of-pocket costs.

Having this information ready gives you a better starting point when it’s time to compare your options.

09/16/2026

Grandparents often want to help their grandchildren pay for college. A 529 plan can be one way to do that.

Here are a few things to know. ➡️

This content is for educational purposes only and does not constitute tax or legal advice. Please consult your tax and financial professional regarding your specific situation.