Antoine Williams & Associates Wealth Management, LLC

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At Antoine Williams & Associates Wealth Management, LLC, we are passionate about people and building relationships.

It is important to us to help our clients make informed decisions when it comes to their finances. Antoine Williams & Associates Wealth Management, LLC is a registered investment adviser located in Shelburne, Vermont. Antoine Williams & Associates Wealth Management, LLC may only transact business in those states in which it is registered, or qualifies for an exemption or exclusion from registration requirements. Antoine Williams & Associates Wealth Management, LLC’s website is limited to the dissemination of general information pertaining to its advisory services, together with access to additional investment-related information, publications, and links. Accordingly, the publication of Antoine Williams & Associates Wealth Management, LLC web site on the Internet should not be construed by any consumer and/or prospective client as Antoine Williams & Associates Wealth Management, LLC’s solicitation to effect, or attempt to effect transactions in securities, or the rendering of personalized investment advice for compensation, over the Internet. Any subsequent, direct communication by Antoine Williams & Associates Wealth Management, LLC with a prospective client shall be conducted by a representative that is either registered or qualifies for an exemption or exclusion from registration in the state where the prospective client resides. For information pertaining to the registration status of Antoine Williams & Associates Wealth Management, LLC please contact the state securities regulators for those states in which Antoine Williams & Associates Wealth Management, LLC maintains a registration filing. A copy of Antoine Williams & Associates Wealth Management, LLC’s current written disclosure statement discussing Antoine Williams & Associates Wealth Management, LLC’s business operations, services, and fees is available at the SEC’s investment adviser public information website – www.adviserinfo.sec.gov or from Antoine Williams & Associates Wealth Management, LLC upon written request. Antoine Williams & Associates Wealth Management, LLC does not make any representations or warranties as to the accuracy, timeliness, suitability, completeness, or relevance of any information prepared by any unaffiliated third party, whether linked to Antoine Williams & Associates Wealth Management, LLC web site or incorporated herein, and takes no responsibility therefor. All such information is provided solely for convenience purposes only and all users thereof should be guided accordingly. For a list of states in which I am/we are registered to do business, please visit www.antoinewilliamsandassoc.com

10/22/2026

It’s harvest season again!

But I’m not referring to harvesting crops in the field…but rather tax opportunities in your portfolio.

Every investor knows that stocks can go up or down. The gains are obviously good, but what about losses? Is there any way to turn a decline to our advantage?

It may surprise you to learn that the answer is yes.

Investments that decline may actually serve to lower your tax bill. This is called TAX-LOSS HARVESTING, which essentially means to sell securities that have decreased in value to realize a capital loss, and using the loss to offset realized gains.

One study found that when done intentionally, accurately and consistently, reducing taxes on your investment gains can increase after-tax returns by 1.10%.

Over time, this can make a big difference!

In cases where the investor does not have a realized capital gain but does have losses in a portfolio, the tax code allows a $3,000 deduction in capital losses to be deducted from ordinary income each year. Losses in excess of the $3,000 may be carried forward indefinitely … an important planning tool for future portfolio strategy moves.

What if you have a losing investment that you’d like to harvest, but also don’t really want to sell?

Well, you can always buy it back if you like, so long as you wait 31 days after the date of the sale.

That’s because of the WASH SALE RULE, which states that if the security sold is replaced with an identical one within 31 days before or after the sale, the tax loss is voided.

Tax-loss harvesting is not a requirement for investors, of course, and there are other ways to make your portfolio more tax-efficient. But if you aren’t taking advantage of tax-loss harvesting or aren’t sure whether your financial professional is or not, it’s definitely a technique to consider.

Let me know if you have any questions!

Source: Shomesh Chaudhuri, Terence Burnham, Andrew Lo, “An Empirical Evaluation of Tax-Loss Harvesting Alpha.” https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3351382

10/14/2026

Over the next few weeks, you may see references to “earnings” or “earnings season” in the financial media.

But you may not know exactly what this means or why it matters.

Publicly traded companies report their earnings several times throughout the year, along with forward guidance of what they expect the near future to look like.

This can have a major impact on the markets, at least in the short term, so it’s important to understand exactly what the media is talking about when they report on earnings.

To help, I’ve created a quick primer on earnings season, how it works, what gets reported, and why it matters.

Click through the images to learn more, and let me know if you have any questions!

10/12/2026

Recently, I was asked by a young man exactly how a credit score works.

While I don’t normally deal with this side of finance in my line of work, the question made me realize just how opaque so many aspects of finance can be.

All of us have or will have to worry about things like our credit score at some point in life, but few people actually get taught exactly how it works or what goes into it.

A lot of things are like that: They make a major impact on our lives, but we don’t actually know much about them.

I enjoy bringing clarity to what can seem to be confusing, so I created this “Anatomy of a Credit Score” graphic.

As you can see, a credit score — more specifically, a FICO score — is broken down into different components. This enables your credit score to reflect both positive and negative information, although the different components are weighted differently. These weightings are different for everyone depending on their history and habits, so the numbers you see on the graphic are averages rather than absolutes.

PAYMENT HISTORY
How well you have paid back your loans in the past. Late payments, foreclosures, and bankruptcy can all negatively affect your score.

AMOUNTS OWED
While owing more money isn’t necessarily a flag, it can be a sign that you are overextended and thus less likely to make payments on time or in full.

LENGTH OF CREDIT HISTORY
The longer your credit history, the better — it’s a track record of your ability to be creditworthy.

TYPES OF CREDIT
The types of credit you have — credit cards, mortgage loans, other personal loans, etc. — play a small role in determining your credit score.

NEW CREDIT
This represents how many new credit accounts you’ve opened recently. It’s a small percentage of your overall score, but when combined with the length of your credit history, it can be an indicator of whether you are overextended or not.

10/08/2026

Bonds have been in the news a lot recently.

But while just about everyone has heard of bonds, most people — sometimes even experienced investors — don’t actually know much about them, how they work, or what the differences are between the various types of bonds.

When you buy a bond, you are lending money to the bond’s issuer. In return, the issuer promises to pay you a specified rate of interest on a regular basis, and then repay the principal (the initial amount you loaned) when the bond matures after a set period of time.

Bonds are one of the most popular types of investments, partly because they are often (but not always) less volatile than stocks.

However, there are many types of bonds, each with different advantages and disadvantages.
Click through the images below to learn a little bit more about each!

10/06/2026

“To know what you know and what you do not know, that is true knowledge.” — Confucius

Every quarter, I like to provide my clients a with a “financial checklist” of things they can do to increase their financial knowledge, organization, or empowerment.

This quarter’s checklist is all about increasing your knowledge…by examining what it is you know to find out what you do not know.

Figuring out what it is you do not know about (and then taking steps to correct those gaps in your knowledge) is one of the best ways to feel clarity regarding your financial present, and confidence in your financial future.

So, this quarter’s checklist is designed to help you bridge those gaps, if and where they exist. Some of the items may not apply to you; some you may be able to check off instantly. But for any that you cannot check off, my advice is to prioritize it as soon as possible. Let me know if I can help!

In the meantime, I wish you a great fourth quarter, and a happy holiday season!

10/02/2026

Everyone knows that Oktoberfest is a time for lederhosen and big steins full of cold beverages.

But its real legacy is that it’s an occasion for neighborhoods, towns, and communities to come together.

It all began with a royal wedding. Over two hundred years ago, a woman named Therese arrived in Bavaria, specifically the town of Munich. Her arrival was heralded by lights lining the streets and general celebration as she prepared to marry the crown Prince, Ludwig.

However, something about their wedding was different. No one is really sure where the actual idea for the horse race came from. But whether it be a guard, a mother-in-law, or the happy couple themselves, the race was rushed to be organized in 8 days. The idea was that they would invite the entire kingdom, regardless of social standing, religion, or age.

The entire day was spent at food stands and, of course, consuming b**r. The horse race began at about midday and the festivities were so beloved, people clamored to bring it back the next year.

Now, over 200 years later, we still celebrate Oktoberfest every year for two weeks, ironically in September. One of the largest festivals in the world, it is also the time when the most b**r is consumed in a two week period internationally!

But though we no longer associate the event with horse races or royal weddings, the tradition of coming together as a community endures.

Happy Oktoberfest!

09/30/2026

We're always on the lookout for little things we can all do to keep costs down. According to the Energy Department the typical family spends more than $1,400 per year on utilities. As we march forward into the autumn weather, it's almost time to turn up the furnace and shut the windows. Here are some useful tips to keep the drafts out and the power bills down this fall.

1. Conduct a home energy audit before it gets cold. Many utility companies offer a free or low-cost assessment of your home to find areas where your house is wasting energy, including poor insulation, an inefficient HVAC system, appliances drawing too much power, and more.

2. Seal air leaks and check your insulation. Much of a home's energy can get wasted through air leaks in windows, attics, and ducts.

3. Lower your thermostat when you leave the house. According to the Department of Energy, adjusting the thermostat when you leave and return home can save you money and energy.

4. Slow and steady wins the race when it comes to temperature! When adjusting the temperature, set the temperature only for the temperature you want to heat to instead of turning it up hotter to get it to heat faster. The Department of Energy recommends setting it for 68F in the winter.

5. Only run the dishwasher when enough dishes have accumulated for a full load to run through.

6. When drying clothes, dry them with groups of similar clothes to prevent over drying. Normal clothes dried with normal clothes, sheets dried with other sheets, and big winter jackets with other winter jackets.

Source:
https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-save-money-heating-and-cooling-your-home
https://www.saveonenergy.com/resources/save-energy-this-fall/
https://www.energy.gov/cmei/femp/home-energy-checklist
https://www.energystar.gov/products/recent_program_updates/low-no-cost-tips
https://www.coolray.com/help-guides/three-thermostat-myths-that-cost-you-money-each-month

09/24/2026

Direct indexing. Maybe you've heard about it in the news, or from a colleague, or while scrolling on social media. (Or maybe you've never heard about it and have no idea what I'm talking about.) Either way, it's a strategy that has surged in popularity in recent years.

But what is it, exactly? And who is it right (or wrong) for? What are the pros and cons?

I've put together a quick slideshow that explains the basics of this strategy. Click THE images below to learn more!

09/22/2026

Business owners face all sorts of challenges that most people never think about. But that list of challenges doesn't usually shrink as they get closer to retirement. If anything, it gets even larger. That's because business owners have to start thinking about:

-How to determine the value of their business
-How to find a buyer or family member to transition to
-Choosing the right time to sell
-Determining whether selling your business will bring in enough proceeds to fund your retirement and other financial goals.

According to Gallup, 74% of employer-business owners plan to sell or transfer ownership one day.

But 65% of those business owners don't have a succession plan in place.

And 98% of small business owners don't know the value of their own companies.

If you are a business owner, there are few things you can do that are more important than creating a formal, WRITTEN transition plan.

But what does a business transition plan actually cover?

First, an effective plan should include a thorough analysis of your business, including its:

-Finances and management structure
-Team roles and responsibilities
-Competitive environment
-Unique value proposition, plus branding strengths and weaknesses
-Ideal customer profile
-Basic policies and procedures for ensuring smooth day-to-day operations.

Basically, it should show what your business needs in order to be successful. Think of it as an inventory of what you have to work with.

Next, it should address the most important needs you'll have when it comes to selling or transitioning your business:

-How to ensure the orderly payment and transition of ownership/management to your successor/heir.
-How to minimize the taxes that come from selling your business, for all parties involved.
-How to ensure you have sufficient assets to pay estate taxes or to provide necessary liquidity to the business during the transition period.

Business owners often don't have much time to think too far ahead, and this is just scratching the surface. But if you are a business owner who does not yet have a transition plan, I cannot recommend this strongly enough: Get started on one before the year is out.

It is such an incredible secret weapon for ensuring that your company remains viable in the long run, that you can always take care of your customers and employees, and that you can personally derive the maximum value from your business one day.

Sources:
- https://news.gallup.com/poll/657362/small-business-owners-lack-succession-plan.aspx

- https://www.investmentnews.com/retirement-planning/most-potential-business-successors-think-theres-a-plan-but-owners-say-otherwise/267296

- https://www.cnbc.com/2022/07/17/most-business-owners-dont-do-the-math-on-their-most-valuable-asset.html

09/16/2026

September is "Life Insurance Awareness" month!

Here's a comment I often hear:

"There are too many options for life insurance! It's impossible to know which one to choose."😭

Trust me... You're not alone. 👇

More than half of Millennials haven't gotten coverage because they don't know which type or how much insurance to buy, according to one study. (https://www.limra.com/en/research/research-abstracts-public/2018/2018-insurance-barometer/)

Yes, there are a variety of options, but that should be viewed as a way to tailor coverage to meet your individual needs — not as a deterrent to working toward securing your financial future.

In general, there are two major categories of life insurance — term and permanent.

🤔So which one makes sense?

It all depends on your needs.

You can think of the difference as: renting (term) vs. buying (permanent).

Term: If your primary goal is to provide for your family in case of an unexpected death, and you want to cover this risk for a fixed number of years (such as until your children are grown), then term insurance is likely the most appropriate option.

Permanent: On the other hand, if your goal is to provide for a lifetime need, or you have other potential goals, such as wealth transfer or potentially covering a long-term care need, permanent insurance may be more appropriate.

Address

2989 Shelburne Road Suite 5
Shelburne, VT
05482

Telephone

+18029858808

Website

http://www.AntoineWilliamsAndAssoc.Com/

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