Global investors watch America anxiously. In late December, the U.S. technically reached its debt ceiling of approximately $16.4 trillion, with the federal government taking what Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner called “extraordinary measures” to avert a default. Even as House GOP leaders announced plans Friday to approve a three-month increase in the federal debt limit, tension…
Read MoreRobert Pagliarini, an expert in wealth management, inheritance planning, financial planning, and sudden wealth™, writes a financial column for CBS News MoneyWatch that is also syndicated in newspapers across the country. The following is a column Robert wrote for CBS: How make money? How start business? How get job? No, my editor is not on…
Read MoreGive & receive a tax break. Schools, hospitals and other non-profit organizations are welcoming the return of the charitable IRA rollover – an opportunity that lets a traditional IRA owner aged 70½ or older donate up to $100,000 to charity with a tax perk attached. This donation can accomplish two very significant things: the IRA…
Read MoreTime to boost your IRA balance. In 2013, you can contribute up to $5,500 to your Roth or traditional IRA. If you will be 50 or older by the end of 2013, your contribution limit is actually $6,500 this year thanks to the IRS’s “catch-up” provision. The new limits represent a $500 increase from 2012…
Read MoreAt some point, someone you love may make the transition from living at home to residing at an assisted living or nursing home facility. When should that transition occur, and what factors must be considered along the way? And what don’t these facilities tell you about? When is it time? If an elder is a)…
Read MoreMany of us associate April with taxes. We should also associate it with IRAs, for April is the month with the deadlines for IRA contributions and mandatory IRA withdrawals. The deadline for your 2012 IRA contribution is April 15, 2013. For tax year 2012, you can contribute up to $5,000 to your Roth or traditional…
Read MoreStocks shrugged off numerous worries to log a very good year in 2012. The riskiest areas were the most profitable. The bond side also saw riskier asset classes outearning traditionally safer fixed-income market sectors. Emerging-markets local-currency bonds notably gained 17%. Domestically, high-yield bonds and leveraged loans returned 15% and nearly 10%, respectfully, while investment-grade bonds…
Read MoreSeveral tax hikes, some tax breaks. Now that the fiscal cliff deal assembled in Congress is becoming law, it is time to look at some of the tax law changes that will result. Here are the major details in the bill, which will bring significant tax hikes to some households in an effort to increase…
Read MoreYou may be amused by the efforts of some of your friends and neighbors as they try to “chase the return” in the stock market. We all seem to know a day trader or two: someone constantly hunting for the next hot stock, endlessly refreshing browser windows for breaking news and tips from assorted gurus.…
Read MoreWhen I was growing up outside of Portland, Oregon, one of my favorite pastimes was going to Powell’s Bookstore—the largest independent bookstore in the world. I’d spend hours upon hours finding and reading books there. Not much has changed as I’ve grown older. While I spend less time in bookstores, I still have an insatiable…
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