Some spouses share everything with each other – including the smallest details of their personal finances. Other spouses decide to keep some individual financial decisions and details to themselves, and their relationship is just fine. Just as a marriage requires understanding, respect, and compromise, so does the financial life of a married couple. If you…
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Living trusts are created with a clearly defined objective: to avoid probate. Unfortunately, misconceptions about living trusts have spread to the point where people think they can accomplish much more than they can. If you fear probate, consider a revocable living trust. If you worry about your will being contested or your heirs fighting over…
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Buying or selling income property has definite tax consequences. A taxpayer should clearly understand them, whether he or she intends to acquire a property or put one on the market. A sale of income property incurs either a capital gain or loss. If you profit from the sale of income property, that profit is considered…
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As tax day quickly approaches, Americans are compiling their W-2s, 1099s and charitable contribution receipts. Though many may be looking forward to receiving a refund, others are likely to discover they owe more. In the latest contribution to LetsMakeaPlan.org, CFP®Board offers six tips to help reduce your tax bill to make this season a little less…
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Many affluent professionals and business owners put estate planning on hold. Only the courts and lawyers stand to benefit from their procrastination. While inaction is the biggest estate planning error, several other major mistakes can occur. The following blunders can lead to major problems. Failing to revise an estate plan after a spouse or child…
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If you receive a distribution from your IRA or workplace retirement plan, what will you do with it? You will probably want to arrange an IRA rollover – a common and useful financial move designed to take these invested assets from one retirement account to another, without tax consequences. The I.R.S. may give you just…
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The Roth IRA changed the whole retirement savings perspective. Since its introduction, it has become a fixture in many retirement planning strategies. The key argument for “going Roth” can be summed up in a sentence: Paying taxes on retirement contributions today is better than paying taxes on retirement savings tomorrow. Here is a closer look…
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It’s always important to keep open lines of communication with your significant other. Talking about money is no exception, but it can be a sticky subject – and one that can bring up issues related to your own anxiety around your finances. It’s time to break the cycle of non-communication and have “the money talk.”…
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Saving for retirement takes decades and demands the investment of significant amounts of your income. As this major effort unfolds, you should recognize that some subtle factors and seemingly minor decisions could end up making a sizable and positive impact on your financial future. Your investment yield may be less important than the amount you…
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Why do people open up Health Savings Accounts in conjunction with high-deductible health insurance plans? Well, here are some of the compelling reasons why younger, healthier employees decide to have HSAs. #1: Tax-deductible contributions. These accounts are funded with pre-tax income – that is, you receive a current-year tax deduction for the amount of money…
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