Being your own boss offers a lot of flexibility and opportunity for financial growth. But saving for retirement when you’re self employed can be a difficult path to navigate. That’s why Douglas Goldstein, CFP®, director of Profile Investment Services, Ltd., equates the strategies of investing and creating a self-employment retirement savings plan to playing a [...]
6 questions to ask your tax preparer. Ask these basic but important questions to determine which tax professional you should hire. If you’ve decided that you will not be handling this year’s tax filing yourself, even with the help of an online filing program, there are plenty of professional tax preparers willing to do it [...]
Retirement used to be about hard-earned relaxation—lounging on a beach, with golf games and cribbage tournaments as the only appointments on the calendar. But if a September AARP survey of nearly 5,000 workers ages 50 to 64 is any indication, work may be the new golf. More than one-third of those surveyed expect to work [...]
It’s a fresh, clean new year. We indulged ourselves last month and ended the year with a blast. Now, it’s time to come back down to earth and face financial reality. Luckily, I have some tax tips you might find helpful as you try to stick to your financial goals and resolutions. 2012 brings us [...]
This article was updated on 3/27/17. Buying a home in a competitive market is difficult. Inventory is low in hot sellers’ markets, attracting numerous buyers to the same handful of homes, and some buyers will pull out all the stops to get their offers accepted. Popular homes can launch bidding wars between buyers. In addition, [...]
Saving for retirement can be confusing—and even a little intimidating—yet it’s utterly essential. Though nearly every financial professional recommends opening a retirement savings account as early as possible, the myriad options and often-confusing financial terrain can cause many people to procrastinate. It used to be simpler. In 1970, 42 percent of Americans had a defined-benefit [...]
A couple of weeks ago, a 40-something friend of mine gave me the dreaded news: She has an aggressive form of breast cancer, and her prognosis is grim. She worries about who will take care of her 6-month-old son and 4-year-old daughter and how her husband will juggle it all if she’s not there to [...]
The process of selling a home is typically filled with questions, especially if it’s your first time as a seller. Finding answers to your home-selling questions and taking the right steps can help you complete the sale and walk away with as much cash as possible. To help you manage this process with minimal stress, [...]
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) allows you to add or keep your adult children on your health insurance until they turn 26. However, not every child needs this help, and in some cases you may want to consider removing them from your plan. Keeping adult children on your health insurance as long as possible may [...]
Many resourceful parents aim to do everything they can to help their children through each stage of life: childhood, emerging adulthood, and, for some, even retirement. Before considering whether to save for your children’s retirement, it’s essential to first make sure you can finance your own post-work life chapter, says Chris Long, CFP®, of Chicago-based [...]
