Centara News & Features
Published quarterly exclusively for clients and friends of Centara Capital Management Group, Inc. and Centara Legal Group, APC, this e-newsletter updates readers on the latest news in portfolio management, estate planning, and tax planning strategies.

Market Update: Volatility Returns To Equity Markets
Volatility returned to equity markets in Q1 of 2007 as investors faced a variety of negative events during the first three months of the year. Market movements of over 1% a day were common place, something we have not seen much of in the past few years.

Tax Strategies for Real Estate Profits
The impressive gains in the real estate market in the past five years have created many new millionaires. Virtually all property classes including multi-family, office, retail and industrial buildings have increased in value. Many investors are wondering how they can enjoy their real estate gains in a tax efficient manner. 

Insurance Costs Down 47%, Benefits Up!
While most people would rather go to the dentist before talking about life insurance, today’s market conditions offer opportunities that are worthy of dusting off those old policies and taking inventory of what you own. You might discover you could have more money in your pocket and at the same time improve your family protection benefits.

Deficit Reduction Act of 2005: An Update
The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA) places severe restrictions on the ability of the elderly to transfer assets before qualifying for Medicaid coverage of nursing home care.

Since President Bush signed the DRA into law on February 8, 2006, the new Democratic Congress has put aside the question of whether the law was legally enacted, and instead is waiting for the outcome of six constitutional challenges that are proceeding in the federal courts.

Public Good IRA Rollover Act of 2007
Plans are under way to introduce the Public Good IRA Rollover Act of 2007 in March. The IRA Rollover bill was originally introduced in 2004 and led to the passage of a direct gifts IRA rollover up to $100,000 per year for 2006 and 2007. Thousands of IRA owners over age 70½ have already used the IRA charitable rollover to support favorite charities with a direct IRA gift.

Family Foundations Broaden the Benefits of Charitable Giving!
Over the past few years, awareness about the importance of estate planning has increased. Surprisingly, one aspect that often gets overlooked is charitable giving. Establishing a family foundation is the equivalent of starting your own charity for the distribution of your wealth and shouldn’t be overlooked as an advantageous way to accomplish your estate and tax planning goals.

County Treasurer Educates Clients at the Centara Lecture Series
San Diego County Treasurer and Tax Collector, Dan McAllister, was the featured guest speaker at Centara Capital’s Lecture Series on Monday, March 26.  The event, held at the Joan Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice at the University of San Diego, was a tremendous success and well attended by clients, guests and Centara staff alike.

Employee Spotlight: Mark Kenny, CFP®, CPA
On March 12th, Centara Capital proudly added Mark V. Kenny, MBA, CFP®, CPA to its Advanced Estate Planning team as the Senior Director of Advanced Planning. Mr. Kenny holds both a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Business Administration in Finance. In addition, Mark is a Certified Public Account and a Certified Financial Planner™ Professional (CFP®). 

© Centara Capital Management Group, Inc., 2007. All rights reserved.