The past several years have been rough on many 401(k) participants. The 2008–9 market decline had a devastating impact on many participants nearing retirement. The press, and many annuity salespeople, have had a field day bashing the 401(k) as a poor retirement savings vehicle. The reality is that 401(k) accounts are a part of your [...]
Home Repairs: Do It Yourself or Hire Help? Spring is here, and so is the time to make all those home repairs you have been putting off all winter. But do you do the repairs yourself or hire a contractor? There are pros and cons to each option. Minor repairs, like painting trim and getting [...]
Homeowner’s Insurance Costs: It’s Not How Much Your House Is Worth but How Much It Costs to Rebuild Loretta Worters, Insurance Information Institute What is your house worth today? Real estate website Zillow indicates through its Home Value Index that home prices nationwide are down this spring by 8.2 percent. S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices also [...]
Celebrity Tax Scandals Eva Rosenberg, EA The tabloids make millions of dollars chasing after celebrities, knowing readers are titillated by their every action. The IRS also makes millions of dollars chasing after celebrities, having read about their financial antics in the tabloids, or having been tipped off by unhappy hangers-on, or simply because celebrities do [...]
Can I Save My Home From Foreclosure? By Ilyce Glink I’ve been traveling across the country this month, speaking to hundreds of employees about financial wellness. The speech is called “Everyday Money,” because I believe it’s the basic choices you make every day with your money that will determine whether you have enough or not [...]
Divorce and Insurance: Who Gets What Affects Your Coverage Loretta Worters, Insurance Information Institute Whether you’re Eva Longoria and NBA star Tony Parker, Elizabeth Hurley and Arun Nayar, or Jane and John Doe, the transition through separation and divorce is not only emotionally difficult but also fiscally difficult, and insurance is part of that equation. [...]
Temporary Work for Fun, Profit, and Retirement By Eva Rosenberg, EA The most fun I’ve ever had working was doing temporary work. Between jobs, I updated my résumé, called up a couple of temp agencies, and pestered them each morning until they put me to work. The beauty of temp agencies is that you get [...]
What’s Going On with Foreclosures? By Ilyce Glink A recently published RE/MAX survey of fifty-four major markets found that national home prices are down an average of 5.9 percent, compared with February 2010. This steep decline suggests a couple of things about the greater housing market, as well as the expected shape of the ongoing [...]
How to Resolve a Claim Dispute with Your Insurance Provider By Linda Rey I love getting to know my clients and working with them to provide an insurance portfolio that meets all of their needs, but some clients are more difficult than others. I’m sure this is the case for anyone whose job has a [...]
How to Ensure You Get Audited By Eva Rosenberg, EA Years ago, I was helping a banker with his tax return, and he complained that his bank was having problems with borrowers who submitted phony tax returns. I told him that if he wanted to assemble his staff for one hour, I could show them [...]
