Most of us make transactions in our financial lives on a relatively frequent basis and then at some point as we organize everything in the planning process, we realize we’ve been collecting and carrying assets that are what might be called ‘nuisance’ assets. They made sense at the time we took them on, but looking [...]
Archive for January, 2010
Shedding the Pain in Your Assets
Posted in Education, tagged assets, financial planning, quitclaim deed, stock on January 29, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
5 Small Steps That Will Improve Your Financial Life
Posted in Banking, Credit/Debt, Savings, tagged automatic savings, expenses, financial planning challenge, financial security, goals, higher credit scores, improve your financial life, income, money control, money habits on January 28, 2010 | 1 Comment »
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” ~ Confucius Call me an optimist. I believe that each one of us is capable of doing just about anything, if only we truly commit to working at it every day. Consistent effort applied every day can yield amazing results, and lead to new habits. [...]
Providing for Those Who Live on After Our Deaths
Posted in Estate Planning, tagged death, death folder, Estate Planning, ethical will, will on January 27, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
One of my clients, on a recent trip to San Francisco, visited the King Tut exhibit. She said it made her wonder whether the ancient Egyptians gave so much attention to the afterlife that they never got around to living their lives. Their culture seemed almost obsessed with preparing for death. Our culture, on the [...]
Arrange Your Affairs So Your Taxes Will Be as Low as Possible
Posted in Taxes, tagged adjusted gross income, AGI, American Opportunity Credit, Hope Credit, Lifetime Learning Credit, tax deduction, unemployment compensation benefits on January 26, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Second of a two-part series That was the good news, now the not so good news. These job hunting expenses are not 100% deductible. They are part of the miscellaneous expenses subject to the 2% limit. This means you need to reduce these expenses and some others that are part of this element of miscellaneous [...]
Cure Your Financial & Economic Anxieties: Two Easy Reads Worth an Investment
Posted in Investments, Retirement, Savings, tagged financial adviser, financial advisor, financial plan, financial planner, inflation, investing, portfolio, stocks on January 25, 2010 | 2 Comments »
Do you feel not quite sure about your financial plan? Are you always anxious to stay ahead of changes in the economy? Does the news leave you concerned about your portfolio positioning for a recovery that will be: V-shaped, L-shaped, U-shaped, jobless, with a hard or soft landing, or, maybe that one may not come [...]
Necessities, Conveniences and Luxuries
Posted in Education, tagged GDP, gross domestic product, need, pursuit of wealth, want on January 22, 2010 | 2 Comments »
Necessities, conveniences and luxuries are an articulation of the hierarchy within wants and needs. The scale and scope of this hierarchy seems quite seamless at the surface. For food, it’s micro-waved dinners to gourmet meals. Transportation needs become personal transportation needs and then become Ferraris. Family picnics are replaced by TVs and then by exotic [...]
Enjoying Life on Less Spending…Behavioral Change
Posted in Credit/Debt, Savings, tagged behavioral change, finances, financial coaching, financial planning, goals, investment habits, money habits, saving, spending on January 21, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
My primary business these days is coaching, developing and training financial advisors, but I spent the first 19 years in this financial services industry doing one-on-one personal financial planning for clients. My career path has allowed me to see things from those of an advisor, a manager, a coach, and a consumer. Yes, my wife [...]
Investing in Yourself for 2010
Posted in Education, Investments, Medical & Health Issues, tagged Investments, personal finances on January 20, 2010 | 2 Comments »
Whenever I begin to talk with new clients, inevitably they ask me about what my thoughts are for great investments in the coming months. I always tell them that I don’t have a crystal ball telling me which stocks or bonds are going to do well in the New Year. I do usually mention these [...]
Health-care Laws Provide Opportunity for Financial Planning
Posted in Insurance, Medical & Health Issues, tagged deductible, health care plan, health care savings account, health savings plan, higher employer costs, higher premiums, higher taxes on January 19, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Whether you support or disagree with the inevitable health care plan coming out of Congress, it will be wise to pay close attention to the financial consequences of the legislation. Consequence One: Higher Taxes. The House bill puts an additional 5.4% tax on singles earning over $500,000 a year or couples with over $1 million. The [...]
Arrange Your Affairs So Your Taxes Will Be as Low as Possible
Posted in Taxes, tagged American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, tax laws, unemployment compensation benefits, Unemployment Insurance Agency on January 18, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
First of a two-part series This past week I had a few calls from individuals who were interested in the tax consequences of having received unemployment compensation benefits in 2009. While this is not commonly a financial planning issue, it has particular relevance this year because of the severe economic issues many of us have [...]
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Bloggers
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Lee Baker, CFP®
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Rick Kahler, CFP®, MS
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Bonnie Hughes, CFP®
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Rick Miller, CFP®
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Tara Scottino, CFP®
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Robert Schmansky, CFP®
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Francis St. Onge, CFP®
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Karin Maloney Stifler, CFP®, AIF®
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Somnath Basu
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Jude Boudreaux, CFP®
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FPA Guest Blogger
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Sam Hull, CFP®, ACC
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Dave Caruso, CFP®
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John Comer, CFP®
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David Bergmann, CFP®
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Joe Pitzl, CFP®
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Chip Workman, CFP®
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Saundra Davis
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Gelasia Steed, CFP®
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Aaron Coates, CFP® CIMA
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Michael Snowdon, CFP®
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Pamela Sandy, CFP®
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Mike Branham, CFP®
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Edward W. Gjertsen II, CFP®
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Constance Stone, CFP®
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Andrew B. Chou, CFP®
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