Some of these may provide big savings. The Internal Revenue Code is around 700 pages thick – not as long as War and Peace or Remembrance of Things Past, but much drier reading. However, some very nice tax breaks may be found within its pages and...
April is nearly here. Keep your IRA in mind. Many of us associate April with taxes. We should also associate it with IRAs, for April is the month with the deadlines for IRA contributions and mandatory IRA withdrawals. The deadline for your 2010 IRA contribution is April...
Congress will consider three suggestions. A fundamental reform for the housing market. For two-and-a-half years, economists and housing industry analysts have wondered what would happen with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. On February 11, they got an answer: the Obama administration announced plans to shut down...
The 2011 payroll tax holiday may give you a chance to boost your 401(k). What would you do with an extra $1,000 or $2,000? The Tax Relief Act of 2010 will give many of us the equivalent of a 2% raise in 2011. Employee payroll taxes...
Financial-Budget-Worksheet - Click on the worksheet. Get a clearer idea of where your money goes each month by putting pen to paper with this simple monthly household budget worksheet. Once you get a birds-eye view of your spending habits, it may be easier to see how...
We will all leave this world sometime. Why leave unanswered questions with those we love? We all want to live a significant, successful life. Yet how many of us realize that our important, positive contributions can last long after we are gone? Two things are certain: death...
What can be done to control the price of care? HMOs, PPOs and POS plans have long claimed that their intent is to keep healthcare costs low for individuals through preventive care strategies. While these claims are often publicly disputed, new studies and efforts have emerged...
Beware of the financial schemes aimed at mature Americans. Retirement lasts longer and longer, and the retired population is growing. So the conditions are right for a “perfect storm” of financial swindles aimed at baby boomers and elders. Just an alert … here are some common...
Breaking down the enrollment periods and eligibility. Medicare enrollment is automatic for some of us. In fact, anyone who has received a Social Security check or 24 months worth of Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is automatically enrolled in Medicare Part A and Part B.1 Part...
There’s nothing like doing your homework and being selective. When we buy a car or a house, consider a school for our children, or plan our next vacation, what kind of approach do we take? For one thing, we take our time. We shop around and...