Our 4 Minute Tax Filing Solution: The Organizer
“‘It’s impossible to be sure of any thing but Death and Taxes,” – Christopher Bullock After the holidays, many of us cannot wait to get back into a routine. Getting back into bed at a reasonable hour and waking up for a productive day feels good. It’s like tackling every bullet on a to-do list, [...]
Read the Full ArticleEmotional Investing: How to Avoid Costly Mistakes
Money and emotions are not easy to separate, but to make smart financial decisions, you need to detach momentarily. We work hard to earn and preserve our assets, and it can be difficult to sit back and watch the market mold and rearrange them. Fortunately, you don’t have to do it alone. That’s where your [...]
Read the Full ArticleSpotlight on Annuities
Some investors are put off by the volatility and stress of the stock market. These play-it-safe types are likely to consider investing in annuities, an opportunity available through your insurance company. Before you make a decision, there are a few things you should know about investing in annuities. A Warning About Indexed Annuities If you’ve [...]
Read the Full ArticleSmart Investing at Any Age: Preservation
We’re now at Stage 2 in our journey through a life of fiscal planning. If you haven’t already, be sure to check out the post on Stage 1 – Accumulation, which details savings and investment strategies during your income-earning years. Preservation of financial resources is a hot topic right now. The baby boomers are anyone [...]
Read the Full ArticleSmart Investing at Every Age: Accumulation
Every stage of life has its own unique demands. In second grade, a two-dollar per week allowance meant at least upper-middle class status. A few decades later, your fiscal situation is likely to be quite different. Our financial lives are broken up into three main stages: Accumulation, Preservation (retirement), and Distribution. For today’s post, we’ll [...]
Read the Full ArticleConsidering A 1099 Opportunity Over A W-2?
The traditional workplace environment is changing. Economists call it market correction, financial analysts call it downsizing, operations managers refer to it as streamlining. However you label the current market scenario, the reality is hard to avoid. The job market has radically changed and a large part of that trend is outsourcing. Outsourcing services does not [...]
Read the Full ArticleI Don’t Handle Our Finances, My Partner Does
There is a common misconception that if you don’t know anything about your taxes and finances because it is handled by your spouse or business partner, you are free of responsibility. Unfortunately, ignorance is not an alibi with the IRS. Not only is that notion false, but leaving responsibility to one person can have potentially [...]
Read the Full ArticleTax Advice From A Friend
Would you put your entire retirement fund in the stock market just because a friend said it was a good idea? Probably not. Major financial decisions where savings are at stake require due diligence and professional help. You have worked hard to save money and risking a major loss sounds ludicrous.Unfortunately, that common sense approach [...]
Read the Full ArticleWhy Do CPA’s Always Say “It Depends”?
There is more to “it depends” than accountants trying to cover their legal liabilities. The tax code can look very similar to the flowchart above. For added complexity, the tax code changes year-to-year. What was true before may not be anymore. Similar to how doctors analyze patients by asking a slew of questions, accountants have [...]
Read the Full ArticleSave Money By Talking To Your CPA
Once a year, for a simple hour of your time, you could be on your way to saving much more money on your taxes than you might expect. While most CPA’s would be glad to field a call from their clients, some people are reluctant to call because they fear being charged for every minute. [...]
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