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From our President:

For a comprehensive Wealth Management Company, “unique” is not a simple word.

It can be very difficult to convey the difference between an independent firm, like Buttonwood, and a bank or brokerage firm who may be recommending a product to earn a commission or talking up the latest stock from the research department.

VIDEO: What we do

The approach Buttonwood Financial Group takes is very different...

(read more)

 

"Fair Play" A Sports Art Benefit
Proceeds benefit PE4life.org

In the Gallery now through May 25, 2012

Robin Richerson - "Top of the Ninth"

Top of the Ninth

Diane Stolz - "Baseball"

The Fair Play Art Show is a benefit for PE4life, an organization committed to encourage children to embrace wellness for life. Learn more about PE4life on their website, PE4life.org.

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Art by Kansas City school children also for sale.

Please visit at www.ButtonwoodartSpace.com
or visit the Buttonwood Art Space facebook page at: facebook.com/ButtonwoodArtSpace

Jon and Wendy McGraw, longtime supporters of the arts in Kansas City, finance Buttonwood Art Space. The McGraw’s purchased the Buttonwood building in 2005 and opened the gallery to continue the tradition of Martha Clay McDermott who founded the Union Hill Art Gallery: a place for all artists to share their work. Buttonwood Art Space hosts two-month long exhibitions in the space and curates the art exhibits at The Kansas City Club. Two great places to find local art.

For additional information about this show or any exhibit at Buttonwood Art Space or the Kansas City Club, contact Kathy - (816) 285-9040 or visit www.ButtonwoodartSpace.com.

Gallery Open M-F 9:00 am to 5:00 pm

Begining May 8 at the Kansas City Club: "Colors of Life - Paintings by Jim Hamil" Third Friday on May 18th, 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
918 Baltimore, Kansas City, MO 64105.
816-421-6789 to RSVP or for dinner reservations.

Jim Hamil

Jim Hamil

 

 

May 5 - Cinco de Mayo!

May 8 - Cirque du Soleil Dralion at the Sprint Center. Tickets are available for all performances at www.cirquedusoleil.com/dralion or by calling 1-800-745-3000.

May 8 - Aretha Franklin at Kauffman Center.

May 10-13 - Mission Family Days in downtown Mission, KS. Activities for Saturday, May 12, 2012 include a Rotary Pancake Breakfast, 7:00 to 11:00 am, community parade at 11:00 am, (on Johnson Drive--Nall to Dearborn Streets), food vendors, a performance by the Funky Mama band at 12:30 pm, and children's activities planned throughout the afternoon. A Family Fun Carnival will run Thursday evening, Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday. Complete event details and carnival times can be found at www.MissionCVB.org.

May 11 - 3rd Annual Rock the Block Fashion Show at Kansas City Power & Light District. General Admission is free, VIP tickets on sale here.

May 13 - Mother's Day.

May 19 - Diamond Rio at the Carlsen Center Yardley Hall
Phone: 913-469-4445

May 19 - Biannual Open Studios - A free, public 2-day event featuring open studios of 30 visual artists and 7 performing artists/ensembles in 3 downtown Kansas City office buildings. Saturday's kid-friendly events include Mask Making, Youth Creativity, and Exploring Paint & Plastic, a presentation on birds of prey and a live performance of traditional Balinese music & dance! Info: Open Studios

 

 

June 1 - First Friday at Buttonwood Art Space - Animation & Imagination Art Benefit for Thank You Walt Disney. 6pm - 9pm.

June 1 - 8 pm KC Symphony Presents: Disney in Concert: Magical Music from the Movies. [Stop by Buttonwood first to see Disney art beore you drop by the Kauffman Center!]

 

 

 

Click to view our full Event Calendar and learn additional details about the events above!

 

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Every day we review and design strategy specifically tailored to each of our clients' needs and situations to answer questions like these.

If you would like a complimentary review of your financial planning strategy or a review of your overall financial life, please contact Jon McGraw at 816-285-9000 or simply click here.

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Information on this website is not intended to be a substitute for specific individualized tax, legal or investment planning advice. We recommend you discuss specific tax or legal issues with a qualified tax or legal advisor.

Focus of the Month

 

May ~ Education Plans

Throughout the month of May we will look at the various options available for funding the increasing costs of education.

Some investment accounts include 529 College Savings Plans, Prepaid Tuition Plans, Coverdell Education Savings Accounts, Savings Bonds, Custodial Accounts (UGMA/UTMA), Taxable Investments and regular bank accounts.  Also, there are numerous loan opportunities, including Stafford Loans, Plus Loans and Federal Perkins Loans, as well as Private Loan Programs.  Other Loan Sources include Home Equity, Retirement Accounts and Life insurance, but these should be considered after all Scholarship and Grant opportunities are exhausted. 

Annual Gift Exclusion is $13,000 ($26,000 for Joint) in 2012

The annual gift exclusion is $13,000 per individual for 2012.  This means that a married couple may gift up to $26,000 in 2012 to anyone they like without having to pay gift tax.  Often these gifts go to children or other beneficiaries and are done by using a 529 Plan or Custodial Account (Uniform Gift Minor Act, or UGMA and Uniform Transfer to Minor Acts, or UTMA).  Generally gifts exceeding the annual exclusion must be reported to the IRS and could be subject to gift tax. 

Power Fund” your 529 Plan via a 5-Year Election: 

With the annual gift exclusion set at $13,000 per year, you can contribute as much as $130,000 (married joint filers) to a 529 plan for each child in 2012 without giving rise to a taxable gift.  The 529 plan allows for 5 years of forward gifting meaning a couple can contribute $130,000 to a child or grandchild today, reduce their taxable estate and transfer the growth of assets to the kids.  What is the downside?  If not used for education within 30 years, assets withdrawn from a 529 plan are subject to tax and a 10- percent federal penalty. 

Using the 5 year election in 2012 contributions, a married couple can transfer $130,000 out of their estates and into a tax-deferred (and potentially tax-free) investment for college.

 

The five-year election, unique to 529 plans, allows you to treat your contributions to a 529 plan as being made ratably over a five-year period for gift-tax purposes. Congress came up with this idea in 1997, recognizing that some families would have the desire and ability to save large amounts in 529 plans, but that gift-tax consequences might derail or delay their funding intentions.

 

Help your kids land a college scholarship:

Beyond encouraging your children to check the bulletin board at their school counselor’s office, try signing on to scholarship search engines on the Web, such as Fastweb.com and Scholarships.com.  Avoid search engines that charge a fee – they might be scams.  Aim for awards that match your child’s grades, special talents and community service.  Improve your odds by going after grants offered by area businesses or chapters of civic groups such as the Rotary Club.  It’s great to be a big fish in a small pond.  If your child’s school does the choosing, tell your child to speak up.  Above all, be sure to turn in the application by the due date.

Contact Jon or Vince if you have additional questions or if you would like is to put together a proposal uniquely targeted to your families educational needs.
816-285-9000

 

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Buttonwood Financial Group, LLC—All Rights Reserved
3013 Main St. Kansas City, MO 64108
Phone: 816-285-9000 | Fax: 816-285-9001 | 800-448-9093
www.ButtonwoodFG.com