A trust is a legal arrangement where a person or company (the trustee) has the legal title to property for another person. If you set up a trust while you are still alive, this is called a living trust.
The trustee has legal rights of management and is expected to manage the trust assets for
Asset allocation models usually refer to the mix of three asset classes in your investment portfolio: stocks, bonds and cash – although cash is sometimes unwisely lumped in with bonds.
The three major issues in picking an asset allocation model are:
Goal – What is your investing goal? As the saying goes, if you don’t
Do you have a jar full of pennies taking up space on your dresser? That’s the usual home for the pennies that most Americans receive in change. Eventually, they get taken to a Coinstar machine to be redeemed or wind up breaking the dresser under their massive weight.
Virtually nobody carries pennies around in their
An Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust (ILIT) is a trust set up to hold ownership of your life insurance policies. There are three primary reasons why an ILIT might be right for you.
Avoiding Estate Taxes – Unless you take steps to prevent it, the proceeds of your life insurance policies are included as part of
When shopping for insurance policies, you have two choices: you can either work with an insurance broker (someone who represents a variety of insurance companies), or you can choose to buy directly from a captive insurance agent (someone who represents a single insurance company).
As a consumer, you are most concerned with the cost of
MoneyTips Are you planning on pushing your retirement age out as far as possible, or continuing to work part-time during your retirement years? A growing number of people are following this path, driven partly by enjoyment of their work and partly by economic necessity. In addition, since people are living longer in general, retirement may
When you consider which home remodeling projects to tackle and which ones to shelve, it is wise to think about the payback potential. Which projects will increase the value of your home enough to recoup your investment potentially? Remodeling Magazine may be able to help you decide. They recently completed their 2015 lists of remodeling
A growing number of American couples are feeling the financial squeeze from all sides — their children, their parents and each other. They have been dubbed the “sandwich generation” because they face a wide range of different kinds of financial pressures from both the prior and next generation.
For starters, there’s the pressure many couples
In general, early withdrawal of funds from your retirement account is a bad idea. Not only are the withdrawals taxed at your current income rate, but you will also pay a penalty of 10% on the withdrawn amount.
However, there are some financial circumstances where early withdrawal is needed – and if you are in
Got a cracked windshield? You might get it fixed for free if your auto insurance includes glass coverage. If a major storm knocked out your power and everything in your freezer went bad, your homeowners insurance may cover the cost of the spoiled food. And, if the stash of emergency cash in your sock drawer
Ladies, how much are you paying in “pink tax”? That’s the amount of additional money you’re paying just for being female. We’re not just talking about clothing and haircuts… we mean, fashion and coifs. You’re even paying more for games and toys, according to a recent study by the New York City Department of Consumer
The U.S. has the highest corporate tax rate in the developed world with a 35% federal levy on profits. When various state taxes are included, the nominal rate is just over 39%. Is it time to consider lowering our corporate rates?
American corporations have argued for years that our tax rate should be lowered, because
If you want to file a complaint with Medicare, you are not alone. According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMMS), the agency reviews over 100,000 complaints each year. Complaints cover the quality of care, hospital discharges, home health services, nursing homes, and Medicare Advantage programs, among other things.
The Process of Filing
Recent floods in Oregon, Washington State, Texas, South Carolina, California and other states drowned thousands of cars under muddy, polluted water. Once those vehicles are dried-out and cleaned-up, they could show up for sale, and you could be the one who ends up taking a bath.
A flood-damaged engine is difficult or close to impossible
The worldwide economic slowdown has begun to take a toll in yet another arena of worldwide finance: the default rate of corporate debt in emerging markets. Companies from emerging markets are defaulting on their debt at a rate of 3.8% — the highest level since 2009. Through November 2015, that represents an increase of 40%
Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are an excellent low-cost, low-dollar-entry alternative to mutual funds. With the number of ETFs available today, you can track almost any index or field that you can think of with an ETF that meets your investment goals and risk tolerance.
Potentially High-Performing ETFs for 2016 If you cannot decide what type of
Not so long ago, residents of Mexico were primed for the impact of Hurricane Patricia. At one point, Patricia was the strongest storm ever measured on earth with sustained winds of over 200 miles per hour (mph). Experts predicted the potential for 40-foot waves and dangerous flash flooding along the coast of southwestern Mexico. The
A New Year typically brings hope that if things were difficult last year, they may improve this year – and if things were good last year, they’ll surely get even better! However, if you don’t plan and act appropriately, you’ll soon be lamenting 2016 and longing for a better 2017.
To get you started in
People get married for many different reasons, but we will bet that not one of them is to save money on car insurance. Even so, it would be a valid reason — auto insurers do charge single people more than married couples for their policies.
InsuranceQuotes.com commissioned a recent study on auto insurance rates and
Medicare cost increases are not uncommon, but in 2016, they will have an uncommon effect. Thanks to quirks in the Social Security system, approximately 30% of Medicare beneficiaries are going to experience huge increases in their Medicare part B costs (up to 52%) while others are not affected in the same way.
Medicare has three
If your credit is too poor to get a conventional loan to tide you over in tough economic times, where do you go for help? Payday loans cater to those with poor credit, but interest rates are notoriously high, and the whole payday loan industry is under increased regulatory scrutiny. Some states have banned them
If you are a small business owner, it is irresponsible not to have a disaster plan. Not only do you have a personal responsibility, you likely have responsibility for employees as well.
It is impossible to prepare for every contingency, so where do you begin?
Among many online resources for disaster planning, there is an
You may have heard presidential candidates talk about repatriation and how different approaches to the subject should play a part in tax reform. What is repatriation and why does it matter with respect to US taxes?
To explain, it is important to look at one unique aspect of the US tax code: the US is
You probably earn periodic bonuses with purchases on your cash-back credit card. How about a cash bonus on your savings account that doesn’t require any purchase at all? In these days of minuscule interest rates on savings accounts — the national average is around 0.15% — that is an offer that catches people’s attention.
Capital
Most people today feel strongly about at least one social cause. These causes range from the environment, pollution and sustainability to drug and alcohol addiction, human rights and individuals’ religious beliefs.
Those who are especially passionate about these and other causes now have an opportunity to put their investment money where their mouth is by
Bad News From Bentonville
Last Wednesday, Walmart shook up the market with a surprising announcement regarding future earnings. The retailing empire based in Bentonville, Arkansas, stunned analysts and investors with their forecast of a 6% to 12% drop in earnings in fiscal 2017. According to Bloomberg, analysts had been expecting a gain of around 4%.
We hear ads for free or no-fee checking all the time, but are these accounts really free? There are four different account components to consider.
Maintenance Fees – These are monthly fees that the bank charges you simply to maintain your checking account. Some banks list maintenance fees but allow them to be waived under
One great way to start a fight is to initiate a debate about what constitutes a fair share of taxes. Should they be progressive, regressive, or neutral? An even better way to phrase the question is: Should taxes be based on a proportionate share of income, consumption, or some other property?
Those are the basic
Workers’ Compensation is a program designed to compensate workers that are injured because of job-related activities or the job environment. The compensation covers several areas of expense.
Medical Treatment – This includes emergency care and follow-up treatment, as well as any required rehabilitation and corresponding transportation costs.
Lost Wages – Compensation for your lost
What are hedge funds, and why are they so revered by some and hated by others? Hedge funds are simply pools of money from specific investors designed to outperform the market through alternative investment strategies.
Hedge funds involve higher risk, and thus participation is limited to accredited investors who have a net worth of over
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