Super Bowl LII (52 to you non-Romans) will take place at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Sunday, February 4. We could have had the Jacksonville Jaguars in their first Super Bowl appearance facing the Minnesota Vikings as the first team to ever play a Super Bowl in their home stadium – but neither team
Investing & Retiring
The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will bring significant changes to individual taxpayers, but states will also be affected by some of the law’s provisions. The limitation on deductions for state and local taxes has grabbed the most headlines, because by definition, it affects taxpayers in states with high property values and high taxes
A Million Ways to Retire, 292 Ways to Plan for It America’s strategies for retirement run the gamut, from meticulously planned to none at all. Hopefully, your plan is more detailed than lottery tickets and blind luck – but what’s the best strategy for you? Is there even such a thing as a preferred retirement
As can be seen from yesterday’s example, an individual desiring $4,000 of monthly net income in retirement can need in excess of a $1,000,000 retirement portfolio to supplement his or her Social Security and pension income. As can be verified by this calculation, there are many factors to determining the retirement “nest egg” that must
I find when meeting with individuals for the first time that they typically have no idea how much they will need to be able to retire. The typical answer of $1 million is absolutely worthless since everyone has different income requirements and different income sources that must be added into the equation when determining when
Millennial Retirement Idealism How will millennials do in retirement? Very well…or so they think. A recent survey by Aperion Care on millennials and aging found that many millennials have fairly ambitious – and, in some cases, unrealistic – expectations regarding their golden years.
Millennials expect to live to age 81 on average – which is
What sort of structure makes the most sense for your small business – a corporate structure or a sole proprietorship? If neither structure fits you well, perhaps the best choice for you is a Limited Liability Company (LLC) – a structure that represents a middle ground between a regulated corporate structure and a simplified sole
Social Security is a critical component of the retirement plans of many Americans, making it critical to keep up with annual changes in the program. None of the changes for 2018 are as substantial as the recent tax code overhaul, but it still pays to review the changes at the beginning of the year to
More Savings, More Debt Do you participate in a 401(k) plan at work? If so, were you automatically signed-up by your employer? A new study suggests that if you were auto-enrolled in the plan, you may be accumulating more debt – but that may not necessarily be a problem.
Whatever… Just Sign Me Up Policymakers
Due to our ever-increasing lifespans, many Americans will live decades after retiring. With pensions growing rarer, and people not saving enough for retirement, many worry that they will run out of savings before their time on Earth is up. While many of today’s retirees feel that their money will last, tomorrow’s retirees are nowhere near
Do you consider yourself a financial risk-taker? If so, what is the standard that you use to analyze risk? If you don’t fully understand risk, you may be looking at the wrong criteria to make the best financial decisions for you and your family.
A recent survey by AMG Funds suggests that very few investors
Nearly 4 million people turn 65 every year here in America and many of them are looking forward to retiring soon. There’s a lot of financial planning that goes into retirement, such as when to apply for Social Security benefits and when to begin distributions from retirement accounts.
It’s also important to plan for your
Is this unusually cold winter putting a hurt on your heating bill? The bomb cyclone could be blowing a hole in your heating budget, for the colder it gets, the more costly it is to heat your home. The good news is that you can lessen the financial impact of cold weather by making a
Tax Season Arrives In January Are you ready for tax season? Ready or not, tax season, defined as the first day that the IRS accepts tax forms to the tax filing deadline, will be here soon.
For the 2018 filing season (covering the 2017 tax year), tax season begins on Monday, January 19 and ends
In the discussion of Social Security, little is more unproductive and contentious than the assertion that Social Security is a Ponzi scheme. It marks the point where the discussion stops and the fight begins.
Is Social Security a Ponzi scheme? That entirely depends upon your meaning of the phrase.
If you use the term loosely
You may manage your money well, but do you also manage the bank that holds it for you? If not, you may be missing out on useful services and products, or paying more than necessary to receive them. Consider these tips that can help you to use your bank more wisely.
1. Shop Around –
Cash flow sounds like a relatively simple concept, and in some ways it is, but poor cash flow management can take down a small business. Cash flow is equally critical for households. If you miss a paycheck when bills come due and you have no reserve funds available, you will incur losses in terms of
What are your personal goals for 2018? How will your financial planning support you in achieving them? While you have your New Year’s cap on, take this chance to make the personal financial resolutions that will get you closer to the life you want.
Define your Objectives – The SMART model is an effective guide
Did you get what you wanted for Christmas? We hope so, but you probably have at least one gift that you cannot use or do not want.
You can usually return unwanted gifts, but what can you do with a gift card that you will never use? We have a few suggestions for your consideration.
Could you afford to give away $300,000 in retirement? Very few of us could give up such a sum and retire comfortably – but according to one financial expert, you could leave that much on the table by choosing the wrong strategy to claim your Social Security benefits.
Ron Carson, a Certified Financial Planner and
Isn’t it nice when your bank pays you instead of you paying them? Competition in the banking market has opened up opportunities for you to get paid simply for opening a checking account.
Banks are often willing to part with cash, gift cards, interest-bearing checking accounts, or other rewards in order to gain your long-term
The opening and closing bells on the major American stock exchanges ring at 9:30 am and 4:00 pm respectively (Eastern Time). If you cannot pack enough trading thrills into that six-and-one-half hour stretch, or your 9-to-5 job does not allow you the freedom to do your own trading at home, you are in luck. After-hours
As a retiree, how do you plan to spend your Christmas? You may be visiting or hosting family for the holiday, preparing for a special vacation, or simply relaxing and enjoying your pastimes and hobbies. Whatever you choose to do, make some time before the holiday begins to assess your finances and avoid potential tax
Costs Increase, Defaults Follow Americans owe the government approximately $1.37 trillion in student loans – and, according to recent information from the U.S. Department of Education, student loan debtors are having an increasingly difficult time paying back those loans.
The Wall Street Journal reports that some $631 billion of the $1.37 trillion debt load is
Did you make financial resolutions last New Year’s Eve? Did they fall by the wayside, along with the gym membership and your pledge to cut back on coffee? You are not alone. However, you still have time to make some progress on your financial goals.
Think back to the beginning of the year and the
Who would dare to make economic predictions for 2018 in the age of Trump? We can try, with the help of economists and other experts in the financial field. Here are our predictions for five major economic metrics in 2018.
1. Economic Growth – Current predictions for 2018 US economic growth are around 2.5%. The
By Roshni Chowdhry, senior manager of innovation & product development at SafetyNet
Last year, the average American who took on new debt during the holidays came out an additional $1,003 in the red. Most of those who took on new debt didn’t plan to and weren’t able to pay it off for the next several
Consider All the Costs Few things beat the thrill of driving off the auto dealership with your new car – but are you paying more for that thrill than you should be paying?
Presumably, you shopped around to find the car you wanted at the best price, and remembered to compare all the associated taxes
Does your Christmas season usually lead to the January blues due to excessive holiday spending? It doesn’t have to be that way. With a combination of planning and willpower, you can enjoy a festive holiday without starting the New Year in a big financial hole. Consider these nine ways to celebrate while staying fiscally responsible.
Airline fees are pervasive these days. Baggage fees are particularly obnoxious, because passengers are increasingly forced to check in bags thanks to the shrinking amount of carry-on space. We do not know where the space is going, but we are pretty sure it is not for extra legroom. Some airlines even charge for carry-on bags!
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