In this series, we will ask top experts for their retirement advice on the most common retirement questions from our readers. Every portfolio is different, but when it comes to your retirement planning, many people have the same retirement questions and make the same retirement mistakes. How do I pick my retirement date? Be able [...]
You always hope that there are no injuries in the event of a car accident. In addition, there are always a lot of emotions that can exacerbate the situation. So what happens if you’re a victim in a hit-and-run car accident? It could be absolutely debilitating—physically and emotionally. The first thing to do after any [...]
When you invest your money into retirement savings you should make every effort possible to not touch your funds until retirement age. IRAs and similar accounts typically come with penalty fees if you withdraw funds before age 59½. Of course, life can throw unexpected curve balls your way. If you find yourself with mounting medical [...]
Discussing your final wishes with your family is not always an easy task, but it’s an essential step in estate planning. Having your wishes on the table and making sure your family is aware of them can help to make the grieving process—and everything else that takes place after the death of a loved one—a [...]
With the U.S. in debt to levels never exceeded before, high unemployment rates, rising loan defaults, and politicians who can’t agree on how to deal with the financial crisis, many people are fearful of making any kind of investment. It’s natural to be nervous about investments, especially those that could be risky, but a good [...]
Babies bring us happiness—and tax benefits. I have a number of tax tips that will help you figure out the tax benefit you’re entitled to with a new baby. It’s just a little added bonus to your bundle of joy. Tax Tips: What are some tax benefits for parents? The dependency exemption is worth $3,700 [...]
Last month, while I was frantically trying to finish up a Pennsylvania client’s tax return, I discovered that we had missed a $500 to $650 state property tax credit for seniors. To snag that credit, it seemed that the return should have been filed by June 30. But, oh ho! The state had extended the [...]
In this series, we will ask top experts for their retirement advice the most common retirement questions from our readers. Every portfolio is different, but when it comes to your retirement planning, many people have the same retirement questions and make the same retirement mistakes. Retirement advice from expert Bud Hebeler might help you avoid [...]
Job seekers are facing a tough market that doesn’t appear to be getting any better. In September, the U.S. unemployment rate was 9.1 percent, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Dig deeper. The real unemployment rate (U-6) is closer to 16.5 percent. About one in six people are unemployed or underemployed. For job seekers, here [...]
Are cost of living expenses a part of your retirement planning? They should be. An article in a recent issue of AARP The Magazine absolutely shocked me. It listed the most affordable places to retire. Yet Maine, which was on the list, has a property tax rate of 14.53 percent! With the average cost of [...]
