Year after year, criminals try to scam certain taxpayers. Year after year, certain taxpayers resort to schemes in an effort to put one over on the IRS. These cons occur year-round, not just during tax season. In response to their frequency, the IRS has listed the 12 biggest offenses – tax scams that you should…
Read MoreA plague at the heart of the Internet. Anyone who ventures online should be aware of the risks posed by Heartbleed, the biggest threat to Internet security in at least a couple of years. All Internet users need to respond to its reality. What is it? Heartbleed isn’t a virus, but a software bug –…
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Some businesses start small and stay small, by design. You may own such a business. Perhaps things begin and end with you, or maybe you employ one other person – your spouse. If this is the case, you should know about Section 105 plans. Being self-employed, you already know that you can deduct 100% of…
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Will you live to be 100? If you’re a woman, your odds of becoming a centenarian are seemingly better than those of men. In the 2010 U.S. Census, over 80% of Americans aged 100 or older were women. Will you eventually live alone? According to the Administration on Aging (a division of the federal government’s…
Read MoreIs Wall Street out of control? Main Street and Wall Street are abuzz over Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt, the new book from Berkeley-based journalist Michael Lewis (author of Moneyball and The Blind Side, London School of Economics graduate and former bond salesman). Flash Boys makes a couple of bold conclusions, which the media…
Read MoreCNN news-show host Anderson Cooper is the son of Gloria Vanderbilt — a successful fashion and interior designer and daughter to the Vanderbilt railroad and shipping empire who is believed to be worth $200 million. Is Anderson chomping at the bit for an inheritance? No. Here is what Anderson said this week in an interview…
Read MoreRead the BBC Capital column titled The Financial Risk You Don’t Know You’re Taking Excerpt: At its simplest, human capital is the asset that you, personally, bring to the table every day. It’s the embodiment of your potential to earn income. It can be risky and short-lived (think of an athlete’s career) or staid and predictable…
Read MoreFinancially, how might retirement differ from your expectations? To some degree, it will. Just as few weathercasters can accurately predict a month’s worth of temperatures and storms, few retirees find their financial futures playing out as precisely as they assumed. As you approach or enter retirement, you may find that your spending and your exit…
Read MoreMedicare enrollment is automatic for some. For those receiving Social Security benefits, the coverage starts on the first day of the month you turn 65. Your enrollment is also automatic when you are under 65, disabled, and receiving benefits from Social Security for 24 months. The exception to this would be for people with Amyotrophic…
Read MoreWall Street skips a beat on three words. The words were “around six months,” and they were spoken by Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen at the Federal Open Market Committee’s March 19 press conference. Those three words sent the Dow south 190 points; it lost 114 points on the trading day. Specifically, Yellen was responding…
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