My son just turned 5 years old in July. He is a tall for his age, loves soccer and can’t wait for September to start school. While he is growing up (he doesn’t want to be called a kid anymore but a boy!), I am doing my best to transmit to him as much financial […]
Archives for July 2010
Family Finance: Top Mistakes Young Families Make
Singles finance and family finance differ quite a bit. I’ve learned that well over the past 5 1/2 years (our oldest child is now 5 1/2). My personal experience has shown there are more spending pressures and overall expenses when you have a young family. Examples include birthday parties, swim lessons, dance lessons, clothes, toys, […]
Devotional: Godliness With Contentment Is Great Wealth
For many of us living in America, we strive to live a full life and we search for something we call the “American Dream”. I was reading a post on another site today that made me think a little harder about just what we’re striving for – and what the “American Dream” is. The definition […]
No Estate Tax In 2010 Means George Steinbrenner’s Family And Others Will Save Millions In Taxes
There are two things that are sure in life – death and taxes. And when you die, those two things could intersect. If your estate is worth $1 million dollars or more – your estate could be taxed up to 55% starting in 2011. Many people like to call it the “death tax”. This year […]
Saving For Retirement Til It Hurts!
Ah, retirement. Could there be a bigger financial goal out there than this? We all talk about it, think about it, read about it, and plan for it. But how many of us do what it takes to get ourselves into a position to retire how we want when we want? How many of us […]
How To Pick A Credit Counselor
It seems the big talk around town these days is how to save more and get out of debt. Personally, I love that people are paying closer attention to their finances. People who do so and work to manage money better are in a better position to give to greater purposes. And that’s an important […]
Online Retirement Calculators: More Harm Than Help?
People often ask me to point them to a decent online retirement planning calculator. I never do. You see, I don’t trust such calculators. It’s not that their math is wrong. (At least, not usually.) The problem is that their calculations are often based on shoddy assumptions and unknowable variables. You Know What They Say […]
3 Things You Can Do To Simplify Your Life In 24 Hours
One of our most serious enemies is Complexity. It saps your time by overwhelming you to the point of atrophy, and can lead us to believe there is nothing we can do about our chaotic lives. Whether you are struggling with your finances or simply needing to breathe easier, here are three things you can do […]
Roth IRA Withdrawal Rules
The Roth IRA is a wonderful investment option that many people take advantage of every year mainly because of it’s tax free growth and because it allows you to diversify your tax situation at retirement if you also invest in some pre-tax investment types like a 401k or IRA. While the ideal situation is to […]
Will The 2001 Bush Tax Cuts Be Extended, Made Permanent Or Allowed To Expire?
A month or so back we talked briefly about how the 2001 and 2003 Bush tax cuts are expiring at the end of this year. Since then there has been a lot of additional talk about whether or not the Obama administration will be renewing the tax cuts before the end of the year. The […]
$8,000 and $6,500 Homebuyer Tax Credits Extended Again Through September 2010 Via H.R.5623
Last month I wrote about how many people were in danger of being left out in the cold with their first time homebuyer or current owner homebuyer tax credits. Because of the large number of homes being purchased, and the slow pace that many banks were taking on homes being bought that were short sales […]
Important Inheritance Tips For Your 401(k)
Most people are busy learning about a 401(k), taking steps to set it up and choose the right investments. But how often do you think about what will happen to your retirement savings if something were to happen to you? To be honest, such thinking has been off my radar screen, but after getting a […]
How To Save Money On Health Care (When Having A Baby Or Having Other Medical Procedures)
One of the most expensive line items in a lot of people’s budgets is the health care category. Whether you’ve got a lot of health issues and just end up paying a lot of money, or if you have high ticket health care insurance, the costs can be quite high. Because the costs are already […]
There Are Times When Your Finances Take A Back Seat. Be Prepared With A Contingency Plan
Just over one week ago we had our first child, little Carter John. Ever since the day he was born, we have been focusing only on the baby – feeding him, changing his diapers, getting used to his schedule – and trying to stay sane. One thing we’ve learned in the past week is just […]
