————————————————————————————————————————————–————

Securities offered through Cetera Financial Specialists LLC (doing insurance business in CA as CFGFS Insurance Agency), member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory ser-

vices offered through Cetera Investment Advisers LLC. Cetera entities are under separate ownership from any other named entity.

HOLISTIC NEWS

“Beware of little

expenses. A small

leak will sink a great

ship.”

- Benjamin Franklin

In This Issue

• Shredding Day

• Ways to Use Refunds

• Summer BBQ

• Special Topic Piece

• Important Notes

1Q MARKET REVIEW

Global equity markets ended the first quarter of 2015 in

positive territory, as supportive central bank policy drove

larger gains for international markets. The MSCI ACWI

global equity market index returned 2.4% and

outperformed the -1.7% return for the BofA ML Global

Broad Market Bond index. The US dollar continued to

strengthen versus other major currencies, with the dollar index up 9.0% for the quarter

and 22.8% over the previous 12 months. The pace of US dollar gains brought heightened

concerns over the impact to US exports and earnings of US multinational corporations.

The S&P 500 large cap US equity index rose 1.0%, but slowed from the gains seen in 2014.

Concerns over currency moves weighed more heavily on larger globally oriented

companies, while the more domestic-focused Russell 2000 small cap index gained 4.3%.

The health care sector rose 6.5% with biotechnology companies driving the larger gains.

Conversely, many of the income-oriented sectors struggled amid concerns over rising

rates. Following a strong run in 2014, utilities saw a losing quarter with-5.2% return for the

sector. Real estate was a notable exception and gained 4.0% on underlying fundamentals.

The MSCI EAFE Index of international developed stocks returned 5.0% during the quarter,

despite weakness in international currencies. The Asian region was lifted by Japan, which

rose 10.3%, while broader Europe was supported by European Central Bank’s stimulus

efforts. Emerging market equities returned 2.3% for the quarter, with a rebound in the

Russian market and China stocks rallying on optimism for future growth.

In fixed income, the Barclays US Aggregate Bond Index returned 1.6% during the quarter,

despite heightened volatility in bond markets. The 10-year Treasury yield declined sharply

in January, but retreated and finished the quarter at 1.9%. Most US fixed income sectors

saw positive gains. Long-term US Treasury bonds led the way with a 4.0% return, followed

by the high yield sector which returned 2.5%. Developed market international bonds

returned -4.6% predominantly due to weakness in international currencies.

* Article supplied by Assetmark

What’s New at Holistic Wealth Advisors April 2015

2015 Referral

Raffle Contest!!

For each referral you send to

HWA you will be entered into

our end of year raffle draw-

ing for a $100 gift card!

Do you have a friend,

neighbor, colleague, or

family member that is:

- Retiring?

- Moving?

- Tired of D.I.Y.?

- Ready to invest?

- In need of professional

wealth & retirement

planning?

- If so, please forward

our office number and

email or call our office

with your referral infor-

mation. We will gladly

set up an appointment

and review their person-

al situation.

HWA To Sponsor “Shredding Day” May 3rd

The Town of Clifton Park is bringing back their semi-annual

'Shredding Day'. Come by the Clifton Park Center Mall parking lot

(near JCPenney), from 1:00-3:00 on Sunday, May 3rd as you're

invited to bring paper documents to have shredded. If you can,

please bring (1) canned good to donate to our local food pantries

for each bag or box dropped off. Also do not forget to stop by our

HWA tent to receive a complimentary tote bag and important

information regarding document retention. NOTE: This service is

limited to Town of Clifton Park residents only. Residents will be

asked to present their driver's license for proof of residency.

Residents are also asked to limit their bags or boxes to (4) in total.

5 Smart Ways to Use Your Tax Return*

Even when we expect our tax returns to bring a refund, we all dread preparing for the tax deadline. The

arcane tax forms, instructions few can decipher and our increasingly complex financial situations make

each year's return seem more painstaking than the last. Many personal finance experts recommend

adjusting your withholding so that you don't get a refund check in the spring (arguing that this amounts

to giving Uncle Sam an interest-free loan for several months) when you could be putting that money to

immediate use. However, for some people, having the government hold their money for them is the

easiest way to accomplish their savings goals.

But wait! If you don't have a plan for the money when that refund check comes, it could be all too easy

to spend it. Instead of succumbing to impulse, consider these five options for letting the savings you

accumulated last year bring you greater financial security and peace of mind in the years to come.

Pay Down Debt

If you have high-interest credit card debt, putting your tax refund check towards paying it off will likely

give you greater returns than any other option.

Fund Your Emergency Savings

If you're fortunate enough to not have any credit card or other high-interest debt, put yourself in a

stronger position to stay that way by putting your refund check into your emergency savings account.

Save for Retirement

To strengthen your financial position even further, consider putting your tax refund check into a

Traditional or Roth IRA.

Start a College Savings Fund

It's never too early to start saving for your children's tuition bills. The earlier you start, the less you'll

need to save, because compound interest and time will do much of the work for you.

Invest in Real Estate

If you don't yet own your own home but would like to some day, now is the time to start working

toward that goal.

* Excerpts taken from “5 Smart Ways to Use Your Tax Return” by Amy Fontinelle for Investopedia.

Go Figure

Every 2 days Time to create as

much information as

we did from the begin-

ning of time through

2003.

1.2 Years The amount of time it

takes to double the

information industries

collect.

1 Minute The time it takes as we

generate 204 million

emails, 1.8 million Face-

book likes, upload

200,000 Facebook pho-

tos, and “Tweet”

278,000 times.

293 The number of differ-

ent ways to produce

change from $1.

8.5% Percent of Nike’s earn-

ings due to secondary

shoe market on EBay.

991 vs. 182 The difference in hours

worked by an average

student to pay for tui-

tion in 2013 as com-

pared to 1979.

Special Topic: What is IRS Form 5498?

Overview

You can expect to receive IRS Form 5498 if you made contributions to an IRA (Individual Retirement Ac-

count) in the preceding tax year. The "custodian" of your IRA, typically the bank or other institution that

manages your account, will mail a copy of this form to both you and the Internal Revenue Service. If you

have an IRA but made no contributions for the year, the custodian generally won't send you a Form 5498.

Purpose of Form 5498

Form 5498 reports your total annual contributions to an IRA account and identifies the type of retirement

account you have, such as a traditional IRA, Roth IRA, SEP IRA or SIMPLE IRA. Form 5498 will also report

amounts that you roll over or transfer from other types of retirement accounts into this IRA. When you

claim a deduction for your IRA contributions, you should reference the amounts on the Form 5498.

IRA withdrawals and distributions

Form 5498 tells you the fair market value of all the investments in your IRA account. If your IRA is not a

Roth IRA, the IRS requires you to begin withdrawing money from the account starting with the calendar

year you turn 70 1/2. When the custodian of your account prepares your Form 5498, it must report the

amount of your required withdrawals or distributions.

If you fail to withdraw a sufficient amount of funds from your IRA, the IRS penalizes you with a 50 percent

tax on that distribution amount. The percentage of all funds in the account that you are obligated to with-

draw, known as the "required minimum distribution" or RMD, increases as you get older.

Increasing your IRA deduction

Plan custodians must distribute 5498s to participants and the IRS no later than May 31 of each calendar

year -- a full six weeks after the income tax filing deadline of April 15. This allows you to continue making

contributions to your IRA up until April 15 and have them apply to the previous tax year. In some cases,

this extra time can help increase your tax deduction.

Similar forms

You may also receive a similar form, the Form 5498-SA, if you have a health savings account, commonly

known as an HSA. Form 5498-SA reports your annual contributions to these tax-free accounts that you use

to pay for medical expenses. Contributions to similar accounts, such as Archer Medical Savings Accounts

and Medicare Advantage MSAs will also warrant a Form 5498-SA. This form must be mailed to participants

and the IRS by May 31.

Receiving Form 1099-R

If you took a distribution of more than $10 from your IRA during the year, your plan custodian will also

send you a Form 1099-R. This form reports how much you withdrew, how much of the distribution was

taxable and how much, if any, was withheld for federal and state taxes. Form 1099-R must be mailed to plan

participants by January 31 and to the IRS by February 28. If the custodian files with the IRS electronically,

the form is due by March 31.

Article excerpt written by Intuit, TurboTax

Newsletter Courtesy

of Your Holistic Team

Stacy Clifford

Lakshmi Nagarajan

Sarah Blass

Sam Clifford

Raymond Kidalowski

Cynthia Anslow

Sue Donovan

Terence Ruso

H. Paul Thomas

Lillian Helmedach

Rita Young

Sue Miniter

Special Items of Note

Annual Summer Family Fun Fest—June 6

HWA will be hosting our annual BBQ

on June 6 from 12pm-4pm in the

Orenda Pavilion at the Saratoga State

Park. Please bring your entire family

for a great afternoon of food, drinks,

family activities, and fun!

Please mark your calendars and watch

out for your formal invite. We look

forward to having yet another successful event with you and your family. We would

love to meet your sons & daughters (grandkids too!!) so please be sure to bring them

along.

Sarah Blass’ Maternity Leave : End of June through September

As many of you already know, Sarah & Greg Blass are expecting

their second child (it’s a boy!!!) by the end of June. Sarah has

decided to take an extended maternity leave over the summer

to welcome their new son into their growing family.

We are very excited for the Blass family and wish them all the

best during her leave. Cynthia Anslow will be covering her du-

ties while she is away.

Contact Us Please contact our main office for more information about our services

Holistic Wealth Advisors

19 Clifton Country Road

Suite 3B

Clifton Park, NY 12065

(518) 357-3858

info@holisticwealthadvisors.com