Quantis Wealth Management

Quantis Wealth Management Independent financial services, wealth management, and tax planning and consulting firm. Quantis Wealth Management, 7900 Westpark Dr, Suite T260, McLean, VA.

Advisory services offered through Commonwealth Financial Network®, a Registered Investment Adviser. This communication is strictly intended for individuals residing in the United States. Please review our Terms of Use here: http://www.commonwealth.com/termsofuse.html. (703) 462-9618

If you want to help your children, grandchildren, or other family members during your lifetime, the annual gift tax excl...
09/01/2026

If you want to help your children, grandchildren, or other family members during your lifetime, the annual gift tax exclusion provides a straightforward way to do it.

In 2026, you may give up to $19,000 to each recipient without reducing the amount you can transfer free of federal gift and estate tax in the future. Married couples may give up to $38,000 per recipient when each spouse makes a qualifying gift.

For example, a couple with two children and four grandchildren could transfer as much as $228,000 in 2026 using their combined annual exclusions.

The amount is only one part of the decision. Consider:

• Who should receive the assets and whether they are prepared to manage them

• Whether to give cash, investments, or other property, and the potential tax consequences

• How much you can give without affecting your retirement or other long-term needs

Tuition paid directly to a qualifying educational institution, and eligible expenses paid directly to a medical provider may qualify for separate exclusions and generally do not count toward the $19,000 limit.

Annual gifting can reduce a taxable estate while supporting family members during your lifetime. The amount, asset, and recipient should still fit within your broader financial and estate plan.

Gifts using the 2026 exclusion generally must be completed by December 31. Investments and other property may take longer to transfer, so planning should begin well before year-end.

For executives with access to a nonqualified deferred compensation plan, an important tax-planning decision may need to ...
08/26/2026

For executives with access to a nonqualified deferred compensation plan, an important tax-planning decision may need to be made months before the income is earned.

These plans may allow an executive to defer a portion of salary, bonuses, or other eligible compensation. Federal income tax on the deferred amount is generally postponed until the compensation is paid, but the election usually must be made before the beginning of the year in which the services are performed.

The specific deadline depends on the employer’s plan. Certain performance-based compensation and newly eligible participants may also be subject to different election rules.

Before making an election, consider:

• How much current cash flow you will need
• Your expected income and tax rate when payments begin
• Whether distributions will be made in a lump sum or over several years
• How the payments may overlap with retirement income, equity compensation, or other taxable events
• Whether a future move could affect the state taxation of the payments
• The financial strength of the employer, since deferred compensation generally remains an unsecured obligation of the company

These considerations can help you evaluate how different elections may affect the rest of your financial plan. The amount deferred is only one part of the decision. The timing and form of future payments can affect taxes, cash flow, and other sources of income for years after you leave the company.

If you participate in an NQDC plan, review the plan’s election deadline and distribution options well before year-end. Your financial and tax professionals can help evaluate the election within your broader compensation and retirement plan.

Unused 529 funds may be able to give support beyond education.A child may receive a scholarship, attend a less expensive...
08/11/2026

Unused 529 funds may be able to give support beyond education.

A child may receive a scholarship, attend a less expensive school, or finish their education with money remaining in the account. In that situation, one option is to transfer a portion of the unused balance to a Roth IRA for the same beneficiary.

The rules include:

• The 529 account must have been open for at least 15 years.

• Up to $35,000 may be transferred over the beneficiary’s lifetime.

• The transfer must be made directly from the 529 plan to a Roth IRA owned by the beneficiary.

• Annual transfers are subject to the Roth IRA contribution limit. For 2026, that limit is $7,500 for someone under age 50.

• The beneficiary generally must have earned income at least equal to the amount transferred.

• Other traditional or Roth IRA contributions made for the beneficiary that year reduce the amount available for the transfer.

• Contributions made to the 529 during the preceding five years, and the earnings attributable to them, are not eligible.

Completing the full $35,000 rollover may require several years, and state tax treatment can differ from federal treatment. A financial or tax professional can help you evaluate how the available options apply to your circumstances.

A 529-to-Roth transfer is not the only option for unused funds. Depending on the family’s circumstances, it may also make sense to retain the account for future education, change the beneficiary, use it for another permitted expense, or take a distribution.

The right decision depends on the account history, the beneficiary’s income, and the family’s broader financial plan.
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The fees, expenses, and features of 529 plans can vary from state to state. 529 plans involve investment risk, including the possible loss of funds. There is no guarantee that an education-funding goal will be met. In order to be federally tax free, earnings must be used to pay for qualified education expenses. The earnings portion of a nonqualified withdrawal will be subject to ordinary income tax at the recipient’s marginal rate and subject to a 10 percent penalty. By investing in a plan outside your state of residence, you may lose any state tax benefits. 529 plans are subject to enrollment, maintenance, and administration/management fees and expenses.

Retirement income involves more than withdrawing money as expenses arise. How you take income can matter just as much as...
07/27/2026

Retirement income involves more than withdrawing money as expenses arise. How you take income can matter just as much as how much you have saved.

For example, an additional $50,000 withdrawal from a traditional IRA generally increases taxable income for the year, while a qualified withdrawal of the same amount from a Roth IRA generally would not. Depending on the retiree’s circumstances, that difference may affect their tax liability and Medicare premiums.

Withdrawal decisions can also influence future account balances, the size of Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs), and how long a portfolio may be expected to support retirement spending. Decisions made during the early years of retirement can therefore have consequences later in retirement.

Therefore, retirement planning helps coordinate withdrawals across taxable, tax-deferred, and tax-free accounts with these considerations in mind. Two retirees with similar portfolios may experience different outcomes based on which accounts they draw from and when.

A coordinated retirement income strategy considers current spending needs alongside taxes, future income needs, and long-term portfolio sustainability. The goal is to determine not only how much to withdraw, but where that income should come from over time, as circumstances evolve.

July is a good time to review your financial plan and identify any decisions that may need attention before year-end.Rev...
07/24/2026

July is a good time to review your financial plan and identify any decisions that may need attention before year-end.

Reviewing your financial picture now provides more time to evaluate tax strategies, retirement planning decisions, charitable giving, investment changes, and other items that may affect your long-term plan.

Here are several areas to consider during a mid-year review.

Beginning July 4th, Trump Accounts became available for eligible children under age 18. Children born between January 1,...
07/09/2026

Beginning July 4th, Trump Accounts became available for eligible children under age 18. Children born between January 1, 2025, and December 31, 2028, may also qualify for a one-time $1,000 federal contribution, provided they meet the program's eligibility requirements.

For parents and grandparents already saving for a child's future, this creates another option to evaluate alongside existing education and investment accounts.

Contributions can come from parents, grandparents, and other family members, with a combined annual limit of $5,000 per child.* For families already contributing to a 529 plan, a Trump Account doesn't replace that strategy. The two accounts are designed differently, and understanding those differences can help determine whether one, the other, or both may be appropriate for your situation.

*Information reflects current IRS guidance as of July 2026

You may begin thinking seriously about retirement long before you stop working.We often see the decision come down to un...
07/02/2026

You may begin thinking seriously about retirement long before you stop working.

We often see the decision come down to understanding whether your income, investments, taxes, and spending plan can support the lifestyle you want once your paycheck ends.

Some of the planning decisions that shape that transition could include:

• When to begin Social Security benefits
• How retirement income will be generated
• Which accounts to withdraw from first
• How healthcare and Medicare fit into the plan
• How taxes may change once employment income ends

Looking at those decisions together can help determine not only when retirement may be possible, but how it can be supported over the years that follow.

We hope everyone who celebrated had an enjoyable Father's Day weekend with family and loved ones.Happy Father's Day from...
06/22/2026

We hope everyone who celebrated had an enjoyable Father's Day weekend with family and loved ones.

Happy Father's Day from all of us at Quantis Wealth Management.

For many financial accounts, beneficiary designations determine who receives the assets when you pass away.This often in...
06/11/2026

For many financial accounts, beneficiary designations determine who receives the assets when you pass away.

This often includes retirement accounts, life insurance policies, annuities, and transfer-on-death accounts.

Because these instructions can override provisions in a Will or Trust, outdated beneficiary designations may create unintended results.

Major life events such as marriage, divorce, the birth of a child, the death of a loved one, retirement, or significant financial changes can all be reasons to review them.

Beneficiary designations should also be reviewed whenever estate planning documents are updated to help ensure everything remains coordinated.

While reviewing beneficiaries is often a relatively simple task, it can play an important role in helping your estate plan function as intended.

Coordinating these reviews alongside your estate planning attorney and financial advisor can help ensure your beneficiary designations, estate documents, and financial accounts continue working together toward the same objectives.

Creating a trust is often only the first step for the estate planning process to be complete. For a trust to function as...
06/03/2026

Creating a trust is often only the first step for the estate planning process to be complete. For a trust to function as intended, assets may need to be reviewed, retitled, or coordinated with the overall estate plan. Depending on the circumstances, this can include real estate, investment accounts, bank accounts, and beneficiary designations.

When these details are overlooked, assets may not pass according to the trust's provisions, and some of the intended benefits of the planning may not be fully realized.

This is one reason estate planning should be viewed as an ongoing process rather than a one-time legal exercise. Major life events, changes in assets, and evolving family circumstances can all create reasons to revisit a plan.

For those who do have documents, periodic reviews can be just as important as creating them in the first place.

Estate plans are often most effective when they evolve alongside changes in your finances, family, and long-term objectives.

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7900 Westpark Drive, Suite T260
Vienna, VA
22102

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