Our Commentary

In a late 2009 article in The Birmingham News, I predicted that Congress would extend the 2009 estate tax rules rather than allow the scheduled repeal of all estate taxes to take effect. I was wrong…maybe. It’s true that Congress failed to take any action which means that currently there are no estate taxes no matter what […]

After more than a decade of extensive use by professional money managers, Exchange Traded Funds, or ETFs, are still not being heavily used by the general public.   This is an education problem since ETFs offer a number of advantages over both managed mutual funds (called ‘active’ funds) and index mutual funds (called ‘passive’ funds).    With actively managed […]

Historically, only about thirty percent of new businesses survive during the first ten years of operation. Throw in the worst economic disaster since the Great Depression, and if you are a business owner, you want to model the habits of the most successful businesses. Buying a franchise at franchisesfor.sale is often an option considered by people […]

When grouped together, the amount of money a family spends on various insurance premiums can easily eat up twenty percent or more of the household budget. Insurance, in general, is one of the most confusing areas of family finances, partly because policies are complex and also because it’s in the insurance company’s best interest to avoid […]

Last week, I discussed the general rules and who were the best candidates for converting a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA recognizing that beginning in 2010, there are no longer income limitations on who can do a conversion. This week, I’ll show you some little-known strategies you can use to take advantage of the opportunity […]

Roth IRAs have a couple of significant advantages over traditional IRAs. First, while contributions to a Roth are not tax deductible, withdrawals during retirement are tax free versus taxable withdrawals from traditional IRAs. Second, unlike traditional IRAs, Roth IRAs do not require that you take minimum withdrawals beginning at age 70 ½. Unfortunately, prior tax law has prevented […]

Over the past decade, millions of Americans have built up massive debt in the form of home loans, consumer loans and credit card debt. In order to help catapult America out of the current recession, our government has orchestrated artificially low interest rates. Herein lies a time-sensitive opportunity. If you are a parent or grandparent who is willing […]

2008 and 2009 were tumultuous years to say the least. We experienced an economic and stock market collapse second only to the Great Depression followed by a breath-taking stock market recovery to close out this year. So what should you expect for 2010 and how should you position your investments?    The Economy. It’s important for you to […]

It’s that time of year when people all across the globe reflect on what changes they are going to commit to for improving their life in the coming year. While people set their goals with the best of intentions, most fail to stick to the promises they make themselves because they are not good goal-setters. Use these […]

As the clock ticks down on calendar year 2009, don’t forget to use these last minute tips to reduce your income taxes:   Review realized and unrealized gains and losses. From the stock market peak in 2007 to its bottom on March 9, 2009, the market lost more than fifty percent. However, since the March 9 bottom […]