Republican lawmakers just released the Trump tax plan, cutting corporate and middle-class taxes. It has the potential to impact: • Individual tax rates • Changes for the middle class • Increasing the standard deduction and the child tax credit • Potential changes in the mortgage interest deduction • The medical Read More >
Reverse Mortgages, Reconsidered
Once widely disparaged, Reverse Mortgages are getting a second look. Too many baby boomers are retiring with insufficient savings. Many of these boomers are “house rich” and “cash poor,” and in response to their circumstances, they may decide to utilize a reverse mortgage. That move could make funding their Read More >
Enjoy the Market Rally, But Prepare for the Retreat!
Investors may be lulled into a false sense of security by this market. Will the current bull market run for another year? How about another two or three years? Some investors will confidently say “yes” to both questions. Optimism abounds on Wall Street: the major indices climb more than they retreat, and they have Read More >
Tips for Women Trying to Save for Retirement
Numerous articles have mentioned the obstacles women can face as they save for retirement. Turning from the negative, here are some positive factors that may help women save more. Financial literacy. Learning about investing, retirement topics and the markets is step one. An appreciation and understanding of the Read More >
When Your Child Should File a Tax Return
When Your Child Should File a Tax Return You might assume that a young person doesn’t have to file a tax return until he or she has reached adulthood, moved out of the family home, and is generally self-supporting. Yet IRS rules regarding who must file are based on the amount and source of income rather than Read More >
Saving for Retirement
Overcoming Retirement Challenges In a 2013 survey of people aged 50 to 70 with $100,000 or more in investable assets, 90% reported that they had experienced at least one setback in saving for retirement. In fact, the average respondent had experienced four setbacks with an average loss or missed opportunity of Read More >
Investment Risk Tolerance
Understanding Your Investment Brain A recent academic study confirmed that willingness to take investment risk is affected not only by an investor’s age but by the current economic climate.1 The more conservative risk tolerance associated with age might be considered rational behavior, because older investors may have Read More >
Long Term Investing Practices
Nobel Prize Winners Offer Investing Lessons A trio of American scholars were recently awarded the 2013 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. Eugene Fama and Lars Peter Hansen, professors at the University of Chicago, and Robert Shiller, a professor at Yale University, will share the honor and the $1.2 million Read More >
Health Insurance Marketplace
What to Expect from the New Health Insurance Marketplace According to a recent Wall Street Journal poll, 76% of uninsured Americans don’t understand the Affordable Care Act or how it will affect them.1 Nearly 48 million uninsured Americans may need to start preparing and budgeting for upcoming changes because all Read More >