What changes should we consider making for next year? 2014 is really not too far away. Fall is the time of year when the financially savvy start to look for ways to reduce their taxes and make year-end moves in pursuit of key financial objectives. What might...
Retirement & estate planning strategies are being greatly altered. When the Supreme Court affirmed the legality of same-sex marriage in June, its ruling profoundly altered the financial planning landscape for gay and lesbian couples – resulting in some “night and day” differences. Yet in looking at the...
Comparing & contrasting the potential of some popular vehicles. How expensive will college be tomorrow? The Department of Education projects that by 2030, the tuition cost of obtaining a four-year degree at a public university will surpass $200,000. Staggering? Indeed, but college is plenty expensive already....
A thoughtful financial move for a loved one with a disability. If you have a child with special needs or care for an adult relative who is mentally or physically challenged, you face long-run financial demands. In all probability, federal and state assistance won’t help you...
How can you prepare, financially, for the uncertainties? Wildfires, hurricanes, terrorist attacks, floods, earthquakes … there are many disasters, both man-made and natural, that could happen without warning. For many, preparedness is a way of life. If you’ve lived all your life on a fault line,...
It isn’t too early to think about next year. We are now in plain view of the “fiscal cliff”. After the election, Congress may or may not end up keeping income and estate tax rates at their recent levels. Next year may bring some notable financial...
Many of these options go unrecognized. Today’s average student borrower takes out more than $25K in loans. Education debt has reached record levels in America – more than $1 trillion. In the face of those numbers, parents and students are looking for assorted ways to pay...
What do you do when you’re self-employed or commission-reliant? When your income stream is uneven, you must deal with some distinct financial issues. Besides cash flow, what do you do about your tax strategy? How should you try to save? If you are self-employed, what...
Easing into a difficult conversation. Every eighth American aged 65 and older has Alzheimer’s disease, and 43% of Americans aged 85 and older have it, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. Consider those percentages in light of the Social Security Administration’s estimate that about 25% of today’s...
If you are injured or ill, it could help you keep afloat financially. If you can’t work and pay your bills, how are you going to cope? Let’s say an injury or illness prevents you from doing your job. How do you deal with the lost...