When Federal Reserve Board economists kept insisting that 2022’s inflation levels were ‘transitory,’ it sometimes elicited derisive laughter from reporters. But it turns out they were right. As the Covid pandemic eased and supply chain problems were worked out, inflation fell from 9% back down to more normal levels, even as wages and interest rates (normal drivers of inflation) ticked upward.

We’re all reading headlines telling us that the stock market has reached all-time highs, something that never happened in 2023. Many investors who have a worrisome mindset will think that means that there’s a high likelihood that we’ll see a downturn in the near future. The markets have nowhere to go but down from here, right?

Optimus Capital Advisors strives to provide our clients with a successful investment experience. That means more than just returns. It means offering peace of mind to investors that every investment decision is made in their best interest, tailored to meet their objectives, with no conflicts of interest, and a transparent process backed by decades of research powering every decision. For almost two decades we’ve seen the difference our approach has made in people’s lives. Our goal is to help people live better today, and in the years ahead.

When the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) Act passed in 2017, we were told that all of the provisions—lower tax rates, much more generous estate tax exemption—would sunset at the end of 2025. That seemed a long way off back then. But now it’s 2024, less than two years before what could be a jarring shift in our tax regime. Soon, the top marginal tax rate is due to revert back to 39.6%. The standard deduction will drop to roughly half of today’s $14,600 (single) or $29,200 (joint). Most significantly, the estate tax exclusion—the amount that can be passed on to heirs without being taxed at the federal level—will drop from $13.61 million this year to somewhere around $6.5 million.

The Internal Revenue Service has (finally!) released the tax brackets for 2024, which are annually indexed for inflation. The top bracket is always the strangest; you would think that the filing joint returns threshold would be double the single filer threshold, as it is for the other brackets, but… Single taxpayers with adjusted gross income of $609,350 will be in the 37% bracket next year, while joint filers making $731,200 or more will fall into that top bracket.