Everything Money Stephen Rosen and Leah Jones

In this episode, Leah Jones, Director of Financial Planning for Hightower Bethesda, speaks with Kate Reese about military divorce, addressing anyone who is considering or going through a divorce that includes someone who is or has been a member of the military. They discuss things to consider such as the documents and resources you’ll need to collect and how to approach the division of assets.
 
“You just pick your battles. Run the numbers and see what the numbers look like… It’s just a choice that you have to make. Just need to be informed and it’s got to have the tax component considered.” -Kate Reese [28:59]
 
What You Will Learn:
[00:39] Meet Kate
[02:36] Who the podcast refers to in regards to military divorce
[05:21] Documents and resources needed to collect
[08:53] Military pension benefits and other income considerations
[15:59] Ways to think about dividing assets
[23:35] Steps to finalize everything
[26:11] Other things to know and consider
[31:53] How to contact Kate
 
Our Contacts:
Website: bethesda.hightoweradvisors.com
LinkedIn: Hightower Bethesda
Facebook: HightowerBethesda
Twitter: @LeahPlans4You
 
Guest’s Contacts:
Website: reeselawoffice.com
Phone number: (703) 279-5140
Email: kate@reese.law

In this episode, Leah Jones, Director of Financial Planning for Hightower Bethesda, speaks with Mike Zoller, Senior Investment Analysis for Hightower Bethesda. Mike and Leah conduct a mid-year check in, focusing on higher economic data and provide an update on the COVID-19 pandemic, both domestically and internationally. They talk about broad macro indicators, the U.S. stimulus and international markets, and they also address the topic of inflation.
 
“One thing I really want to emphasize is that the recovery we’re having today is not the 2009 recovery.” -Mike Zoller [09:46]
 
What You Will Learn:
[01:04] An update on the COVID-19 pandemic
[04:22] What broad macro indicators are telling us
[07:28] How the American consumer is doing
[12:30] Inflation risks and Hightower’s outlook on inflation
[19:35] How the U.S. stimulus will play out in the future
[22:52] How international markets are and will be affected by the pandemic
 
Our Contacts:
Website: bethesda.hightoweradvisors.com
LinkedIn: Hightower Bethesda
Facebook: HightowerBethesda
Twitter: @LeahPlans4You

In this episode, Leah Jones, Director of Financial Planning for Hightower Bethesda, talks to Michelle Winner, Director of Marketing for Maryland 529 plan, about using a 529 plan as a savings and investment plan for college costs specific to Maryland. They answer commonly asked questions about these types of plans.
 
“Adults can use the plan too. For example, maybe your child doesn’t need the money, but perhaps you want to go back to school. You could use the funds yourself to pay for your education expenses. So just something to think about too for those who are looking to maybe pursue a new career or a new trade.” -Michelle Winner [23:51]
 
What You Will Learn:
[01:32] What is a 529 plan
[02:08] The advantages of opening a 529 account vs a traditional savings account
[05:30] Two different types of Maryland 529 plans
[08:41] How to contact Maryland 529
[09:23] What happens if the child choose an out-of-state school
[14:23] What is a qualified higher education expense
[18:44] If the funds can be used for anything other than college
[23:37] Adults can use the Maryland 529 plan too
[25:12] How 529 funds affects FAFSA
[32:21] Options if the child doesn’t go to college
[33:02] Contribution guidelines
 
Our Contacts:
Website: bethesda.hightoweradvisors.com
LinkedIn: Hightower Bethesda
Facebook: HightowerBethesda
Twitter: @LeahPlans4You
 
Guest’s Contacts:
Phone number: 888.4MD.GRAD

Meet Heather Hostetter, she is a family law attorney located in Bethesda Maryland with a long list of awards and a partner at Hostetter Strent. This is a domestic relations law that deals with divorce, property distribution, alimony, custody, and child support.
In this episode, Leah speaks with Heather about the process of property distribution during a divorce primarily with alimony and child support when the woman is the main breadwinner.
Listen in to learn the difference between alimony and child support and why they both exist. You will also learn why as a woman; you need to think hard before entering a legal marriage and what to consider before and during the marriage in terms of finances and support.
What you will learn:
[2:28] The factors that come into play before the court awards alimony during a divorce and the types that exist.
[6:29] She explains why it’s difficult for the fault to play part in alimony.
[8:32] The factors that determine how the length of the marriage affects the alimony.
[9:46] The difference between paying alimony and child support and how women breadwinners react to it.
[20:58] She explains the legal consequences of an ending marriage and understanding them beforehand.
[23:35] The alimony negotiations process and what the court has the power to do and not do.
[26:04] How both women and men react to the issue of alimony during a divorce.
[29:22] How child support is calculated and its relationship to alimony.
[32:29] She explains how the child support money is divided to make sure it caters to children.
[35:27] The importance of having a conversation before and during a marriage about the roles of both partners.
[38:52] The purpose of thinking hard as a woman before getting married and understanding the consequences and whether you can live with them.
Our Contacts:
Website: http://bethesda.hightoweradvisors.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hightowerbethesda/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HightowerBethesda/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HighTowerBethsd

In this episode, Leah Jones, Director of Financial Planning for Hightower Bethesda, talks to Michael Sonnenshein, CEO of Grayscale Investments, the world largest digital currency asset manager. Michael oversees the strategic director and growth of the business and maintains relationships with key stakeholders. Michael talks about cryptocurrency, what it is, why it’s a polarizing topic and the rationale for owning it. He explains the differences between cryptocurrencies and how it can fit into someone’s portfolio. He also discusses how a company like Grayscale does due diligence on cryptocurrencies and how transparency and compliance come into play.
 
“There is very much a real world scenario where these exist side by side, both decentralized digital currencies, like BitCoin, along with a centralized digital currency like the US dollar.” -Michael Sonnenshein [23:45]
 
What You Will Learn:
 
[02:09] What is cryptocurrency
[04:54] Differences between the cryptocurrencies
[06:43] How does someone evaluate a cryptocurrency
[09:59] The lack of barriers to entry for cryptocurrency
[16:08] How this could be implemented in the future
[20:12] How companies can accept cryptocurrency
[24:01] How Grayscale identify, evaluate and keep up with products
[26:14] Transparency, compliance and taxes
[30:19] Michael’s thoughts on Elon Musk and the media
 
Our Contacts:
Website: bethesda.hightoweradvisors.com
LinkedIn: Hightower Bethesda
Facebook: HightowerBethesda
Twitter: @LeahPlans4You
 
Guest’s Contacts:
LinkedIn: Michael Sonnenshein
Twitter: @Sonnenshein

In this episode, Leah Jones, Director of Financial Planning for Hightower Bethesda, talks to Jeff Vale, founding partner and chief investment officer at Infinity Capital Partners. They provide an introduction to hedge funds, what they are and how they can be incorporated into an investor’s portfolio. They also discuss the media’s portrayal of hedge funds.
 
“Hedge funds are actually a good thing if they’re run correctly. Due diligence is key. You definitely have to do your work and find the very top managers.” -Jeff Vale [36:06]
 
What You Will Learn:
 
[01:12] Hedge funds 101: the basics
[07:04] Criteria to meet from an income or asset perspective
[09:11] Long and short positions and hedge fund fees
[15:08] How hedge funds did in 2020
[19:40] What is illiquidity
[22:45] What happened with GameStop
[29:34] What happened with Archegos Capital
 
Our Contacts:
Website: bethesda.hightoweradvisors.com
LinkedIn: Hightower Bethesda
Facebook: HightowerBethesda
Twitter: @LeahPlans4You
 
Guest’s Contacts:
Website: infinityfunds.com
LinkedIn: Jeff Vale