Most people could benefit from financial advice but, in many cases, they simply don’t know where to go to get sound advice and they don’t want to find themselves in the middle of a sales pitch. Look no further than the 2017 Alabama Money Expo being held on Saturday, May 20, at UAB Hill Student […]
Want Free Financial Advice? Dont Miss the May 20th Alabama Money Expo!
What’s in Your Wallet? 6 Tips for avoiding ID Theft
She was pushing the grocery cart down the aisle with her purse in the upper basket. She looked away for just a moment to select an item from the shelf and someone stole her purse. He left his wallet on the passenger seat of his locked car while he ran back into the house to […]
I Graduated from College, Now What?
You just graduated from college? Congratulations and welcome to the real world! Just as leaving home and going to college was an abrupt change that required many adjustments on your part, so too will be the transition to getting a job and being fully responsible for your own financial wellbeing. Here are some tips to […]
Retirement: Are You on Track?
Even for millennials, retirement will be here before you know it. So, how are you doing? Yes, I mean you personally. Below is a crude measuring stick you can use to see if you are on track for saving enough money so that you don’t have to take a huge cut in income during your […]
Age 70? Here’s a Little-Used Tax Strategy
In 2015, Congress made permanent the law allowing Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) which allows someone who is age 70½ or older to make Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) directly to a qualified charity and exclude that distribution from income. As a reminder, when you turn age 70 ½, you must begin to take IRS-mandated minimum distributions […]
Life Insurance Gets (Another) Black Eye
Caveat Emptor…let the buyer beware. Caveat emptor should not apply when you buy life insurance to protect your family, but it most certainly does. Imagine that you purchased a life insurance policy and you die while the policy is in force. Your family never collects because they don’t realize (or remember) that you had the […]
Did You Miss This Deadline? It Will Cost You 50%!
Think…do you know anyone who turned age 70 last year? If yes, and they turned seventy during the first half of 2016, then they must take a Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) from their IRA(s) no later than April 1, 2017. Failure to do so will result in a 50% federal penalty unless they can get […]
“What to Do with My Cash Value Life Insurance?”
Ok, I know life insurance is one of the more boring topics in financial planning but let me begin this topic with a true story. Not long ago a gentleman in his early seventies called asking to meet to get our advice regarding a life insurance policy he had purchased decades earlier. During the meeting, […]
“What to Do with Your Term Life Insurance?”
Term life insurance is purchased by the billions every year to solve a myriad of potential problems. Perhaps the most-often reason is to provide financial protection for the family should the primary income earner die prematurely. A case in point… Many years ago, as part of a routine financial planning survivorship analysis, we recommended a […]
“Choosing a Financial Planner”
Financial planning can be helpful for everyone, regardless of their income or their experience handling their money. Deciding on which planner to hire is a key decision, akin to finding a physician or attorney. Since you don’t want to make this decision more than once, you should make your choice very carefully. Here are the […]