How to Maximize Your Giving with a Donor-Advised Fund
Many of us have memories of family giving practices. For some, it was that dime from your allowance that your parents said goes to the church. For others, it was the yearly (or more often) volunteering trip to help out at the local mission/soup kitchen. Or it might have been a policy of giv …
Small Business Owners
199A Deduction – Big Change for Small Business Owners Two-hundred-forty-seven pages later, we have one large IRS document and a whole lot of questions. For small business owners, 199A deductions are complex. Do you fall into the 95 percent of small business owners covered? When do 199A dedu …
Putting Your Health Savings Account to Work
Seven dollars. That was the per-day cost of a maternity room in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1942. Sure, adjusting for inflation brings us to $110, but that’s still unheard of. Try to find a hospital room for around a hundred dollars today! The bloated cost of healthcare isn’t a new discussi …
4 Tips to Take Your 401(k) to the Next Level
The best kind of money isn’t old, new or even tax-advantaged – it’s free money! If your employer has a 401(k) program, they probably have a matching plan. Know what that is and make sure you max it out. They’re essentially giving you money, which you never want to turn down.
Leave Them a Legacy, Not Taxes, with a Roth IRA Conversion
The SECURE Act is getting more press attention than retirement accounting has received in… well, probably ever, and was in the news all summer. It’s still being slowly digested by Congress but could change the landscape of retirement finance once it’s enacted.
Breaking Down The Basics Of HSAs
Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) might be the single most powerful tax-advantaged savings vehicle in the IRS tax code. You can deduct contributions, experience tax-deferred gains and withdraw money tax free for qualified tax expenditures.
3 Money-Smart Strategies for 529 College Savings Plans
Between squeaky new shoes, fresh pencils, packs of index cards, trendy new backpacks and other learning supplies, back-to-school shopping in the U.S. is expected to exceed $27 billion this year – about $510 per household. That’s a lot of Trapper Keepers.
Politics and the Markets: How to Invest in Politically Challenging Times
When presenting to individual investors, what I worry about the most is offending an audience member’s political views, especially when there’s a Q&A to follow. As our political discussions grow more contentious, it’s more challenging to avoid stepping on toes.
Teaching Kids about Money in the Summer Months
Summer arrives – bees, picnics, nostalgia and the chaotic sound of kids everywhere. It’s enough to bring back memories of sweating behind a lawnmower or scrubbing grandpa’s car to get a few precious dollars to spend at the mall or the movies.
Volatility – What to Expect and How to Act
I recently gave an annual presentation to the 401(k) participants I advise. I always try to explain risk tolerance and investing to my audience in an easily understandable way. For most of the participants, investing in their 401(k) has been their only experience investing, so their knowled …