Weekly strategy performance

All members of our Sales department, along with staff from our Marketing, Compliance, and Executive groups, will be attending our FPI National Sales Conference from Wednesday, December 4, through Friday, December 6. The off-site event will give all an opportunity to share news about upcoming programs and exchange ideas on best sales practices. The Sales team will be checking emails and voicemails periodically, and our Client Services and Broker Administration staff will be available for additional assistance. We thank you in advance for your understanding and patience.

In observance of the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, the office will be closed on Tuesday, December 24; Wednesday, December 25; and Wednesday, January 1. During that time, our Trading department will complete all required trades and transaction data downloads. Regular business hours will resume the following Thursday of each of those weeks.

Remember, clients can log in to ontargetinvesting.com at any time to access daily account information, quarterly statements, and more. We thank you in advance for submitting any year-end account maintenance requests at your earliest convenience.

All client account requests to meet the December 31, 2024, deadline must be received in our office in good order no later than 5 p.m. (EST) on December 16, 2024. This includes, but is not limited to, any distribution for 2024, Roth conversions, and establishing a new qualified plan/Solo(k). Requests received after that date will be processed on a best-effort basis. Please call Client Services at (248) 642-6640, ext. 1, to confirm receipt of all submissions or if you have any questions.

Each year we get questions from reps and tax preparers about how to handle transaction data for taxable accounts. While Flexible Plan Investments (FPI) does not provide tax advice, the following procedural information may be useful.

To avoid having to enter each buy/sell transaction, you can use one of the following methods:

• Axos Advisor Services integrates with Turbo Tax and H&R Block’s tax software, allowing you to download the data directly into the software program. Axos Advisor Services also provides the 1099-B tax data in CSV/spreadsheet format, which can be used with other software programs.
• Totals can be entered on Schedule D, and a hard copy of the 1099-B data can be submitted separately from the electronically filed return. Totals entered using this method could be labeled “Per schedule submitted with Form 8453.” You would then submit an IRS Form 8453 with the 1099-B tax data to the following address:

Internal Revenue Service
Attn: Shipping and Receiving, 0254
Receipt and Control Branch
Austin, TX 73344-0254

Wash sales: Interest in the subject of wash sales and active management always spikes during tax season. Information about wash sales, their effects, and how to avoid them at FPI can be found here.

Axos Advisor Services has updated its standard fee schedule, effective December 1, 2024. Flexible Plan Investments successfully negotiated reductions for some fees and waivers for others. Axos account clients and their financial advisers should watch for an email from us with additional details about these updates and steps to help minimize fees.

Starting in the first quarter of 2025, Axos Advisor Services will introduce a $5.00 per quarter fee for paper statement delivery. Clients can avoid this fee by choosing electronic statement delivery through the Axos Liberty website.

To switch to e-statements, log in to Liberty, go to About Your Account > Document Delivery Options, and update your settings to e-delivery. Please verify that your email address is correct to ensure delivery.

We are working with Axos to simplify this process for your client. In the coming week, your client will receive an email from Axos with a one-click option to elect e-delivery.

If you need assistance, our Client Services team is here to help at 800-347-3539, extension 1.

By opening and funding an FPI Charitable donor-advised fund (DAF) account before the end of the year, you can secure an immediate tax deduction, position yourself for tax-free growth of your charitable account, and access our dynamically risk-managed investment strategies designed to help maximize the potential of your charitable giving account over time. Don’t wait—this is the perfect time to take advantage of these benefits and simplify your giving. For more information or to get started, visit our FPI Charitable page or contact our service team at 800-347-3539, ext. 146.

As the end of the year draws closer, make sure to adequately plan for any IRA contributions, required minimum distributions (RMDs), or gifts.

The IRS requires tax-deferred account holders over a certain age to take an RMD from their IRA, SIMPLE IRA, SEP IRA, or retirement plan account on an annual basis. For more information about RMDs, see the IRS website.

Flexible Plan Investments clients were notified earlier this year of their minimum distribution amount. To request the RMD, complete the EZ IRA distribution form. Axos Advisor Services will not make a distribution without a completed form. Advisers who want to review RMD information for clients can run the RMD Report from Axos Advisor Services’ Liberty website under Documents, Standard Reports, RMD Report.

If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact our Client Services team at clientservices@flexibleplan.com.