CameronDowning

CameronDowning Financial Planning and Investments. Book a complimentary consultation with a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professional: https://cameron-downing.as.me/intro

CameronDowning is a Registered Investment Advisory in Miami, FL. We are CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ practitioners.

Our May Newsletter is live! What's inside? 👇✅CameronDowning and Dr. Paul George take on Coconut Grove✅CameronDowning Tea...
05/01/2026

Our May Newsletter is live! What's inside? 👇

✅CameronDowning and Dr. Paul George take on Coconut Grove
✅CameronDowning Team Spotlight: Jose Diego Gonzalez, CFP®, CIMA®, CCFC
✅The Cameron Clan: At Tree Tops Park
✅Market and Economic Update: where things stand in May 2026

---> https://lnkd.in/dw3vzzcN

How do you best save for your child’s college education?Steal this 3-step process I use with my clients --Question 1️⃣: ...
03/04/2026

How do you best save for your child’s college education?
Steal this 3-step process I use with my clients --

Question 1️⃣: In which of these three buckets do you fall?

✅You want to pay for 100% of Billy’s education.
✅You want to pay for a portion of Billy’s education.
✅You want Billy to pay for his own education.

No right or wrong here. Every family has different values and priorities.

Question 2️⃣: If you want to help pay for Billy’s education, how much free cash flow do you have for that goal (while also funding your own retirement and other financial goals)?

✅"Let’s create a budget together so you’ll know where all your money is going."
✅Budget is completed. I ask, “Does this please you?”
✅We make budget adjustments, if needed, together. Prioritize what to do with excess cash flow.

Question 3️⃣: What college savings vehicle makes the most sense for your family? Here are your top three choices:

✅College Savings 529 Plan
✅Prepaid (in FL)
✅Family Trust

🪙Bonus: if Billy is still early in his highschool years, now is the best time to talk to you about money-saving strategies for FAFSA applications. Don't count out private universities! We can potentially save you tens of thousands of dollars with a quick phone conversation.

03/03/2026

😳"Jon, I'm scared..."

🧐"What are you concerned about, Joe?"

📺"I've been watching CNBC and they say that ..."

😒

My biggest competition is not, and never has been, other financial planners.

💪I'm actually a big proponent of vastly increasing the number of CFP® professionals who can provide sound, personal financial advice

📊📑And can help you create a financial plan for your life.

🤝We need more human advisors.

🤖I say this even as, and especially because, A.I. continues to proliferate.

(Hint: think A.I.-powered human advisors as the future)

🥸No, my biggest 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 is personalities on CNBC who are over-confident on where the market is headed and what you should do about it.

🤹It's often entertaining, but lacking in real world application as you plan for your future retirement.

Don't take advice from CNBC's talking heads.

Work with an experienced, competent CFP® who knows you and your family's needs as well as their own.

💰"Will I get taxed when I receive an inheritance?"‼️Generally, no! But what are the exceptions?✖️If you inherit a Tradit...
03/02/2026

💰"Will I get taxed when I receive an inheritance?"

‼️Generally, no! But what are the exceptions?

✖️If you inherit a Traditional IRA or 401k, subsequent withdrawals from these accounts are subject to ordinary income taxes.

✖️If you inherit stocks, bonds, or real estate and then sell them, you may owe capital gains tax on any appreciation above the asset’s value on the date of the decedent’s death (known as a “stepped-up basis”).

✖️Residents in Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Nebraska, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania may face state-level inheritance taxes, which depend on the relationship to the deceased.

✖️There is no federal inheritance tax, but the federal estate tax may apply to very large estates (over $15 million for 2026).

👱♂️👩Receipt of an inheritance is the perfect time to establish, or revise, your family’s financial plan.

🏃You've changed jobs, but you left your old 401k behind.🏋️You're OK, if you're rebalancing periodically.😞But most won’t ...
02/23/2026

🏃You've changed jobs, but you left your old 401k behind.

🏋️You're OK, if you're rebalancing periodically.

😞But most won’t do this.

😬In fact, it’s been over 2 years since you've logged in.

🔄You're gonna smash that password reset button.

This is a sign you either

⌚(a.) Don't have time to manage your 401k

or

😎(b.) Don’t feel confident enough to manage your 401k.

It is also true that the definition of insanity

Is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

But that doesn't matter. It's all in the past. You move forward.

The only thing that matters now is how you answer the question --

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘢 𝘥𝘰 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵?

02/17/2026

🙄Here are some of the strangest taxes imposed in history.

😎Keeping this tax season fun and light.

🏛️Ancient Rome, the British Empire, the Russian Empire...

And present-day United Kingdom.

If you can think of other weird taxes from history (or today), please share in the comments.

How to avoid the dreaded 25% IRS penalty on your retirement accounts:Many don’t know about this harsh penalty until it’s...
02/16/2026

How to avoid the dreaded 25% IRS penalty on your retirement accounts:

Many don’t know about this harsh penalty until it’s too late.

I spoke with a pre-retiree this week who received a letter warning them of exactly this.

He read me the letter -- “If I don’t distribute money out of my 401k account

The IRS will impose a 25% penalty.”

He is correct!

But …

This penalty only applies after he leaves his employer.

AND he does not distribute a specified amount of funds by his

Required Beginning Date.

By age 73, the IRS requires you to distribute money out of your retirement accounts.

(These are called Required Minimum Distributions)

Exposing those dollars to ordinary income taxation.

But as long as he keeps working, the IRS cannot force him to take this money out.

His Traditional IRAs, however, are subject to different rules.

Regardless of his work situation, the IRS will require him to distribute out

Required Minimum Distributions from his Traditional IRAs by age 73,

Or else he will owe a whopping 25% of the amount he was supposed to have distributed out,

As a penalty to the IRS!

So plan accordingly.

Your financial goals are not 🚫 so important.You know what's massively more important than your goals when it comes to yo...
02/11/2026

Your financial goals are not 🚫 so important.

You know what's massively more important than your goals when it comes to your financial future? 🤔

Your 𝘝𝘈𝘓𝘜𝘌𝘚.

Here are the four fundamental values to lean into when creating your personal financial plan:

99% of humans would call one or all of these items critically important to life:

1. God
2. Family & Friends
3. Health
4. A specific Passion or Charity

That's the universe.

Notice, nothing in this list references goals, money, work, or retirement.

Your goals change. Your v𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘴 are foundational. Start with your north star.

Everything else, including your financial plan, follows.

‼️Spoiler Alert.‼️This is my sales process when I meet with a potential client for the first time.After a brief, introdu...
02/10/2026

‼️Spoiler Alert.‼️This is my sales process when I meet with a potential client for the first time.

After a brief, introductory exchange of 60-90 seconds, I ask,

“How can we help?”

Then I remain silent.

There is an elegant simplicity to knowing when to shut up.

You might talk about a specific life event, a financial goal, or a money concern.

Maybe you’ve managed your money on your own, but you’ve come to the end of your knowledge, or you don’t have the time you once did.

I affirm everything.

Then ask, “What else?”

I keep asking that last question until you can’t think of anything more to say.

Then I repeat back everything you’ve just told me,

“So, if I’m understanding correctly, your primary goals/concerns are … XYZ, ABC, 123.”

“Did I get that right?”

Once I’ve made absolutely certain that I’ve not only given you a voice to express your primary objectives and concerns

But that I’ve also, in a way, helped you to articulate the feelings behind what you’ve verbalized

Only then do I talk a little about how my firm’s service offerings could intersect with what you’re looking to accomplish

(or how it doesn’t, and who might be a better fit).

I try to keep this part concise in our first meeting.

But - nothing happens if I'm not disciplined enough to remain silent and listen.

99% of humans would call one or all of these items critically important for life:1. God2. Family/Friends3. Health4. A sp...
02/09/2026

99% of humans would call one or all of these items critically important for life:

1. God
2. Family/Friends
3. Health
4. A specific personal Passion or Charity

These are the four key pillars to lean into when creating your personal financial plan.

Notice, nothing in this list references goals, money or retirement.

Your goals change. Your values are foundational. Start with your north star.

Everything else, including your financial plan, follows.

Would you add anything else to this list of foundational values as essential to life?

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101 NW 8th Street , Suite 200
Miami, FL
33136

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Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

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