How about $6? $7? When will we see relief? How high will pump prices go this summer? Many analysts think we will pay $5 a gallon for gas this summer – and some think gas will cost much more than that. On April 20, the AAA’s...
Should we be concerned? Should the Fed respond? Prices are rising. In February, the Consumer Price Index advanced 0.5%. That follows increases of 0.4% in December and January. This doesn’t exactly represent runaway inflation –to give you some perspective, the CPI rose by almost 1.1% per...
When should you hire one? What should you look for? Is doing your own taxes getting to be more and more of a challenge? Are you thinking of hiring someone to do it for you? Are you wondering if that will be worth the cost? There are...
How hard will this hit the world economy? The task of rebuilding will soon begin. Over the weekend, power was partly restored to the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant and the outlook in Japan became slightly less negative, with prospects for stabilization improving. Its devastated...
Here are some things to consider. Be sure you understand your options. When the owner of an IRA passes away, his or her heirs must be aware of the rules and regulations affecting the inherited IRA. Ignorance could lead you straight toward a tax disaster. Please note...
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...
Killing Several Birds with One Stone. In planning for your retirement, you may face several financial issues. Maybe you’d like to generate retirement income, but don’t want to pay capital gains tax on investments you’ve held for several years. Perhaps you’d like to minimize your income...
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...
Little details you need to know about. What’s new? Every year brings changes in tax law, and some of these revisions always seen to affect IRAs. Here is a look at some of the new wrinkles for 2011. You can’t defer income resulting from a Roth IRA...