Who needs a pyramid scheme or a crooked money manager when you can lose money in the stock market all by yourself? If you want to help curb your loss potential, avoid these 10 practices. 1. Go with the herd. If everyone else is buying it, it must be good, right? Not necessarily. Investors tend… Read More
Should You Convert to a Roth IRA
Individual retirement accounts (IRAs) come in two flavors: traditional and Roth. With a traditional, contributions are potentially tax deductible and taxes on contributions and earnings are paid when funds are withdrawn in retirement. With a Roth, contributions are made after tax, but withdrawals in retirement are generally tax free. But even if you have been… Read More
Bad Money Habits to Break
Behaviors worth changing. Do bad money habits constrain your financial progress? Many people fall into the same financial behavior patterns, year after year. If you sometimes succumb to these financial tendencies, now is as good a time as any to alter your behavior. #1: Lending money to family & friends. You may know someone who… Read More
Section 199A Business Tax Deductions
A deduction intended for pass-through business owners Many households, businesses, and other organizations are arranging their documents for the coming tax season. The changes to the tax code have inspired a great deal of discussion, confusion, and clarification. Something you might want to know, as a business owner. There’s a tax cut that many may… Read More
Your Emergency Fund: How Much is Enough?
An emergency fund may help alleviate the stress associated with a financial crisis. Have you ever had one of those months? The water heater stops heating, the dishwasher stops washing, and your family ends up on a first-name basis with the nurse at urgent care. Then, as you’re driving to work, giving yourself your best,… Read More
Succession Planning
Preparing a smoother transition. A successful finale. If you are an entrepreneur, what is the final act for you and your business? If you have been successful, you likely want the company you created to be able to continue once you are no longer at the helm. For that reason, many people in your position… Read More
A Look at HSAs
Health Savings Accounts may provide you with remarkable tax advantages. Why do some higher-income households inquire about Health Savings Accounts? They may have heard about what an HSA can potentially offer them: a pool of tax-exempt dollars for health care, a path to tax savings, even a possible source of retirement income after age 65.… Read More
Could Unclaimed Money Be Yours?
How can you find & obtain it? More than $40 billion in unclaimed cash & property waits to be returned. At first glance, that figure seems staggering, unbelievable – and, yet, it is true. To be more exact, the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administration (NAUPA), a coalition of state unclaimed property programs, puts the… Read More
Should Women Strive to Work Past 62?
The argument for doing that is pretty convincing. Every now and then, you read an article about a woman past the age of 65 who says she loves her job and will “never retire.” In addition to keeping herself engaged and active, she may be doing herself a great financial favor as well. More women… Read More
Using an IRA Trust
What is it? What kind of benefit could it provide? Seemingly everyone has heard of an IRA, but few people know about IRA trusts. Perhaps more people should, for an IRA trust may provide a way to “stretch” IRA assets for decades to benefit multiple generations. An IRA trust is simply a revocable living trust… Read More