If you and your spouse are making plans to retire, you’re probably wondering whether it’s a good idea to retire at the same time. Many couples go through the same thought process and, in fact, one in four couples quit their jobs within a year of each other. Here are some items to consider when...
More Americans are retiring earlier than you might think
Planning for retirement is without a doubt a long-term project that takes years of saving and adjusting to prepare for successfully. It certainly isn’t a fix it and forget it endeavor. But no matter how well you prepare or how diligently...
Investing is a marathon, not a sprint. It takes guts to stick to your plan and avoid selling into a bad market. “Buy low, sell high” seems easy enough to master. Many investors fail to follow this advice including DIYers and professional advisors alike. There are ways to avoid the...
If you’re like most Americans, you make the majority of your donations to charitable organizations in November and December. But as you get ready to pull out your checkbook to write that check or go online to make a donation from your favorite organization’s website, make sure to perform some due...
Most nonprofit organizations today offer a variety of planned giving options that supporters can take advantage of. If you’re committed to supporting an organization into perpetuity, planned giving provides you with the option to do so.
While consulting with your tax or financial advisor is...
Data breaches, once a fairly rare occurrence, have become more frequent as hackers become more skilled in their ability to extract personal data from popular social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. And while we commonly hear about breaches from these large, global organizations, it’s...
If you’re currently considering purchasing investment property, there are an equal measure of risks and rewards. Like any investment, risk can be managed, but you want to be aware of the risks prior to investing in property. And like any investment, there can be rewards, some quite large.
The...
Retirement can sneak up on you.
At one time, it seemed like a lifetime away, now it may be just around the corner. At one time you planned on working forever, but now you can admit that the thought of retiring has its benefits. Perhaps you’ve found yourself daydreaming about a little cabin on a...
Health insurance used to be a fairly simple process. But today, whether obtaining health insurance privately or through an employer, we’re being offered a variety of insurance plans with varying benefit levels, making the choice more difficult.
Before you enroll in another health insurance plan...
We all remember savings bonds. Once a popular gift for young children, parents could secure the bonds knowing that they could cash them out in the future.
At that time, savings bonds were typically purchased through an employer or a local financial institution. What made them particularly appealing...
For years it was assumed that tax planning was reserved for the wealthy. While wealthy individuals will see the most benefit from tax planning, with big changes looming for the 2018 tax year, even middle-income earners can reap the benefits of tax planning.
Basic tax planning starts with your AGI...