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
Auto loan defaults have been on a steady decline, except for one segment – the subprime market of loan holders with credit scores below 620. According to the report on household debt recently released by the New York Federal Reserve, almost 10% of auto loans made to borrowers in the subprime market were delinquent by
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
Does your credit card bill contain a billing error? Did someone use your card fraudulently to rack up unauthorized charges? Have you tried and failed to resolve a credit card dispute with a vendor, such as a defective item that the vendor will not refund? These are situations where the Fair Credit Billing Act (FCBA)
What is the best day of the month to close on your mortgage? Not everyone will have the same answer to that question, as it depends on your specific mortgage situation.
Many homebuyers consider the end of the month to be the best time to close. Data released by the National Association of Realtors (NAR)
The holiday season and New Year’s Eve are known for excesses, and for the subsequent regrets. We cannot help you with the traditional form of holiday hangover, but we can help you avoid the “credit hangover” caused from excessive holiday spending. With some forethought and willpower, you can make it through the holidays unscathed (at
By Kelly Hartog
Is there anyone this side of a Supreme Court Justice who hasn’t signed off on a document without reading or understanding every single word and Latin phrase? When it comes to buying a house, it pays to know the phrase “lis pendens”.
A lis pendens is the Latin term for a Notice
How do you adjust the U.S. tax system so that everybody pays his or her fair share? That argument has been going on for as long as taxes have been collected – because it’s very difficult to get everyone to agree on the definition of a fair share. Not everyone receives benefits proportionate to 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
Are the holidays not hectic enough for you? Put aside your gift list for a moment; how about adding a home sale to your to-do list?
Most people avoid selling their homes during the holidays, but you may not have any choice in the matter. If you need to sell your home around the end
Charity at holiday time means more than just putting your change into the traditional red buckets at the entrances to big-box stores. Needs at the holidays are even more pressing on families, with cold weather approaching and stress over whether they can provide any sort of meaningful holiday for their loved ones.
While traditional holiday
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!
How can you retire with $1 million in assets? It’s easy… if you start with $3 million! All kidding aside, the best answer is to make a plan that achieves the savings necessary to get to $1 million. We can help you formulate that plan using the following seven tips.
1. Make Saving and Budgeting
Billionaires and the impoverished have one thing in common – momentum. Once you achieve high levels of wealth or debt, it’s very easy for either one to continue to grow.
A recent report by the Institute for Policy Studies highlights this point. The study found that three billionaires – Jeff Bezos, Warren Buffett, and Bill
Moving during the holidays can be a headache with all the seasonal activities and obligations – not to mention unpleasant weather in many locations. However, there are plenty of positives to buying a home during the holidays that may make the headaches of moving worth the effort, including the seven listed below.
1. Less Competition
For many people, the end of the year represents a hectic time, and the last thing anyone wants to do is add to an already full plate. However, building the following financial moves into your fourth- quarter routine can really pay off over the long run and give you greater peace of mind for the
Holidays are supposed to be a joyous time – but scammers can replace the joy of the season with the headaches of fraud. Help yourself and take some simple precautions to keep the Grinches out of your bank accounts during the holidays.
Phishing emails – Phishing, or emails with fake links designed to get your
You know about Black Friday and Cyber Monday – but are you aware of Giving Tuesday? Giving Tuesday is a recent invention – so recent, it is often preceded with a hashtag. It was started in 2012 on the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving and has been gaining in popularity as a symbol of charity to
If you dabble in online investing, you have certainly been deluged by emailed offers of investing advice and “hot stock tips”. Undoubtedly, some good stock tips are out there, as well as a whole host of questionable ones and some that are outright guesswork. How can you tell the difference? After all, even the best
If you received a holiday bonus this year, congratulations! A 2017 survey by Accounting Principals, found that 63% of the surveyed companies plan to give out a year-end monetary bonus or gift this year based on company, departmental, and/or employee performance.
Your first thoughts are probably about how you plan to spend your reward. The
Municipal bonds have long been a popular fixed-income investment option. They are issued by state and local governments and their agencies to raise money for public projects like schools, hospitals, roads and bridges.
The issuer agrees to make interest payments to bondholders at a fixed rate and repay the principal amount in full on a
You have been diligent about saving for retirement, planning your expenses wisely and taking advantage of 401(k)s, IRAs, and other tax-deferred savings programs, but have you managed your Social Security benefits in the same fashion? Did you even know that you could sign up for an account to help you with that management task? If
Have you ever made payments only using your voice? Most people have at least given their credit card number out over the phone or have used automated phone payment menus – although the latter often leaves people shouting “REPRESENTATIVE!!!” at their phone attempting to interface with a human being.
Significant advancements in voice recognition technology
Should I stay or should I go? With apologies to The Clash, that’s the question many homeowners are asking themselves. Does it make more sense to renovate your current home, or should you look for a home that is a better fit for your current needs?
Data from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) suggests
Our 24-hour news cycle may seem to bring us nothing but an endless series of conflicts and depressing news – but it doesn’t have to be that way. Good news is available if you are willing to dig for it and look at things in a positive context. And we don’t mean “fake news”.
As
Black Friday, this year on November 24, offers some of the lowest prices of the year on many consumer goods including TVs, other electronics and toys. Savvy shoppers save hundreds or even thousands of dollars on this single day.
Shopping on Black Friday is extremely hectic and overwhelming due to so many amazing deals. Stores
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