Who's Preparing Your Tax Return?
For many of you, your answer will be “I prepare my own return.” If your return is a simple one because all you have is a W-2 form for your...
Read More >Maximizing Your Time in Retirement
Time is money, as the old saying goes. If this is true, you may never be so wealthy (in time at least) as you are during retirement. Gone are...
Read More >Estate Planning for the Middle Class-Part II
Part II: Basic Documents: the WillAlthough there are many complex estate planning strategies, it is often the simplest items that are...
Read More >October: A Trick or Treat for Investors
“October. This is one of the peculiarly dangerous months to speculate in stocks. The others are July, January, September, April, November, May,...
Read More >But What If You Can’t Work?
I first met with Steven and Janice (names changed) a few years ago. They had always saved somewhere around 5% of their salary, but at times...
Read More >How to Choose a Financial Adviser
The Financial Planning Association website has a very useful section called “Choosing a Planner,” which begins by stating:...
Read More >Defining Diversification
In the top few responses most people give when you ask what they know about investing, “it’s important to be diversified” is right up there...
Read More >A Diversified Approach to Investing in Commodities
If you watch TV, read the newspaper, or listen to the radio, you have probably heard something about buying gold. With gold prices hovering...
Read More >Retirement Preparation to Live Comfortably Later
Retirement may seem a long way off for people in their 20s, 30s and 40s. Why fret about something that’s decades away? Ben Franklin once said...
Read More >Mind Your Own Business Planning Tips for a Smooth Start-Up
It started with a great idea: a product or service on which you’re convinced a successful entrepreneurial venture can be built. Now comes the...
Read More >RMD Time: Handling Retirement Account Distributions
Anyone who owns a tax-advantaged retirement account such as a 401(k) or individual retirement account (IRA) — that’s 63% of (or 77.5 million)...
Read More >Getting a Divorce Financially Prepare Yourself
Last Updated: May 11, 2009 When it comes to life events, few can compare with divorce. With a divorce, your life gets turned upside down with...
Read More >Are You All Set?
Several years ago I was asked to give a retirement seminar to my family at a reunion. This was a little strange for me because, as the second...
Read More >Losing Your Inheritance to Uncle Sam - or Others
Successful estate planning takes not one generation, but two. The first generation needs to make a clear, sensible plan and the second needs to...
Read More >Checklist for Year-End Planning
I recently attended a large public seminar that focused on educating consumers about the value of financial planning. The headliner of the...
Read More >How to Break the Paycheck-to-Paycheck Treadmill
Are you living paycheck to paycheck? Do you have your fingers crossed that you can dodge yet another month without a financial crisis that...
Read More >Prioritizing Retirement Decisions
Retirement can be daunting to figure out, because the implications of your choices tend to get magnified. A market drop or negative health...
Read More >Financial Matters Following a Loved Ones Death
Making sensible financial planning decisions after the loss of a family member or personal friend can be quite a challenge.If designated to...
Read More >Invest Outside the Box
Most people consider the Morningstar Style Box, the ubiquitous 9 square grid seen all over financial publications, as the entire spectrum of...
Read More >Health Care Reform and You
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or PPACA, has many facets to it and its implementation will be done over several years....
Read More >Steps to improve credit
Now that you are familiar with your credit report, you can start working to improve it. Once a creditor reports negative information to a...
Read More >REITs 101 What You Need to Know About Real Estate Investment Trusts
What is a REIT?REIT is the acronym for Real Estate Investment Trust, which is a real estate company that offers shares to the public. Some...
Read More >Financial Planning for New Parents
Dramatic changes in one's life often require a reassessment of one's personal finances. And few events have a more profound impact on one's...
Read More >Mutual Accountability
We talk a lot at the financial planning firm I work for about mutual accountability. In fact, it is part of our vision statement. What it means...
Read More >Retirement and Taxes
As we enter the final weeks of tax season, now is a great time to review your goals and look towards your retirement planning. If you are...
Read More >The 5 Biggest Personal Finance Changes in the Last 20 Years
My son recently turned twenty and it inspired me to reflect on all of the changes in his life as well as in my professional life. My son’s...
Read More >Estate Plan — Estate Planning Information — Why You Need an Estate Plan
Many people assume that estate planning is only about saving estate taxes. Consequently, they often ignore estate planning because they assume...
Read More >Sometimes It Doesn't Work Out - Finances in Divorce
It was marital bliss then life happened. Now you are getting a divorce! It is a stressful and emotional time and there are important decisions...
Read More >Need to Teach Young Kids about Money - Try These Ideas
If personal finance education was mandatory in our schools, would the nation face the perilous economic problems it faces today? It’s a good...
Read More >In Case of Emergency... Can You Help Your College Student?
Believe it or not, the summer is more than half over for most students across the U.S. Whether for the first time or a return engagement, that...
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