With the holiday season in full swing, as evidenced by stores full of shoppers and lots of traffic, it’s also important to remember that this is prime time for fraudsters. In the crowded business of this season, it’s easy to let your guard down. Recent research by LIMRA indicates that 36% of those responding to […]
What does it take for humans to accomplish goals of great significance? The answer to this question was recently addressed in a 10-year study conducted by The United States Military Academy at West Point, and the results may surprise you. While the study found that cognitive and physical abilities aid in the accomplishment of great […]
New research shows that, for the first time, Americans collectively owe four trillion dollars of consumer debt, excluding home mortgages. That’s such a significant number; it can be meaningless for the average reader, so let’s zoom in a bit. In 1950, the inflation-adjusted median household income was about $30,000, with only about $500 in consumer […]
So far in this series, we’ve covered Investments, Taxes, Insurance, and estate planning. For this final section, I’d like to include ideas for supplementing cash flow. With Thanksgiving behind us, it’s hard not to turn your attention to the Christmas holiday season and all its demands, including the need for more cash flow to buy […]
In part one of this series ‘Investments,’ I discussed investment to-dos between now and yearend. Today, I’d like to cover some tax-related strategies that can save you money or avoid tax penalties. File on time. Ok, this is not exactly a 2019 year-end strategy but a reminder of the importance of filing by April 15, […]
As we head towards 2019 year-end, what are the most important financial planning tips and tasks for you to consider to ‘finish well’ and set yourself up for a successful new year? In this series, we’ll tackle areas such as: Investing Cutting taxes Cutting insurance costs Completing an estate plan review INVESTING Grab the match. […]
Everybody knows bank CD’s are safe, right? Not so fast… In today’s financial environment, CD’s face some unexpected risks that you should consider before automatically renewing your CD when it matures. An internet search of current rates from two of our largest banks (Birmingham, AL) for a 1-year CD revealed rates of 0.10% (APR). Investing […]