Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for February, 2012

5 Smart Steps When Planning for ‘I Do’

Posted in Marriage, tagged , , , on February 29, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

With Valentine’s Day behind us and spring approaching, there are undoubtedly some new engagements to celebrate and weddings on the horizon. Planning for your big day can be both exciting and stressful. There are questions to be asked, decisions to be made and money that ultimately is going to be spent. Though it may seem [...]

Read Full Post »

I am Married – What is My Filing Status?

Posted in Taxes, tagged , , , , on February 28, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

It is tax time and a frequent question I get is – Can I file married but separately for tax purposes? The easy answer is yes, but as always there are issues to consider what status is the best one to use. This article will cover the various issues that need to be looked at [...]

Read Full Post »

Top Income Tax Filing Mistakes

Posted in Taxes, tagged , , , , on February 27, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

Tax filing season is underway and while you still may not have all of your forms, below are a few of the biggest mistakes I’ve seen in preparing returns this year: Not keeping records. People generally panic when the IRS inquires about items on their returns. As long as you claimed a legitimate expense and [...]

Read Full Post »

A Reverse Mortgage Story

Posted in Home Ownership, tagged , , , , on February 24, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

I wanted to take a moment to tell you a story of a ‘reverse mortgage’ placement. Let’s take our story’s primary character, ‘Mary’, and look at a circumstance that seems to fit a reverse mortgage strategy very well. Mary is a single woman who just recently became eligible for Medicare so you figure her age [...]

Read Full Post »

Limited Time Offer: Taxes on Sale through Year End 2012

Posted in Taxes, tagged , on February 23, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

“Pay no tax before it’s time” is generally good advice, except when you think taxes may cost more in the future than they do now.   What are the odds that tax rates could be higher after 2012?  Ask yourself if you believe one of these two scenarios could happen:  Congress introduces new, higher taxes for [...]

Read Full Post »

Skippin’ Rocks

Posted in Retirement, tagged , , on February 20, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

I recently had the opportunity to be on an episode of NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams. The segment featured a client who was in her early forties and concerned about getting a late start saving for retirement. During the course of commentary from friends and colleagues, one comment in particular stood out for me. [...]

Read Full Post »

So What’s My Motivation Here?

Posted in Financial Planning, tagged , , , , on February 17, 2012 | 2 Comments »

If you‘re reading this blog, you’ve at least taken some initiative to learn more about financial planning. Topics abound from setting goals to investment strategies and checklists for just about any area of planning you have an interest in. Whatever the reason for your visit, you’ve likely either done or are contemplating doing some sort [...]

Read Full Post »

Calling All Troops! What is Your Mission?

Posted in Military, tagged , , , on February 16, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

What I’m talking about is your financial mission for yourself and your family. No one starts a vacation without a destination. No one starts a military operation without a mission and objective. So why is it that so many of us go through life without a mission, objective or plan for our financial life? I [...]

Read Full Post »

Non-Profit Boards and You

Posted in Values, tagged , , , , on February 15, 2012 | 1 Comment »

Recently, FPA’s “Ask a Planner” feature received some questions about the ins and outs of non-profit board service. Often, we don’t think twice about participating in a local non-profit. If it’s a cause we believe in and we have the time and resources to participate, what could go wrong?  I certainly don’t want to discourage service [...]

Read Full Post »

What if You Had Stayed the Course?

Posted in Investments, tagged , , , on February 14, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

As I was thinking about what topic to write about for my blog that you are reading now, the market pundits pointed out that the Dow Jones Industrial average (DJI) closed at its highest point since May 2008. So I decided to do a little research and some projections to come up with this blog. [...]

Read Full Post »

Older Posts »

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 3,152 other followers