n nearly every way you could make a mistake — for example, saving too late — you can also make up ground by availing yourself of all resources at your disposal (say, your employer's 401(k) matching program). With that in mind, here’s a list of 28 major retirement pitfalls to…
Failure to do so — or to alert all relevant parties to the changes — could result in certain assets and benefits unintentionally going to your former spouse or his or her family upon your death. A MarketWatch article, titled “Just divorced? Don’t forget to separate your estate plans,” shares…
While not all encompassing, these guides serve as a starting point to help your parents. There are many family dynamics at play when these types of planning conversations arise, so you need to be cognizant of patterns and relationships. Starting earlier will reap dividends for everyone; delaying these conversations can…
Here are money tasks to do this week that will help 2015 be more prosperous. Most can be done in about an hour. As reported in a Chicago News Service article titled “Got an hour? Tackle these money tasks,” a recent survey from the National Endowment for Financial Education found…
Don't think savings is a big deal? Ask anyone who is running their own business, decided to retire early or abandoned their old job to go after their dream career. Savings was their saving grace, no pun intended. The Fall 2014 Merrill Edge Report showed that 80 percent of millennials…
Roth IRAs intrinsically make phenomenal transfer of wealth vehicles. With reduced estate taxes and no income tax for heirs to pay on withdrawals, establishing a Roth IRA or even converting to one from a Traditional IRA seems to be a simple decision. Just know what you are doing ahead of…
Here are seven things you can do this month to positively impact your finances all year. Want to start the New Year off right when it comes to your finances? The Las Vegas Review-Journal article, titled “7 ways to give your finances a facelift in January,”cites some things you can…
The New Year is a great time to regroup on your financial plans, reevaluate and/or create new financial goals. By sticking to your financial resolutions throughout the year, you can keep on track towards achieving your financial objectives in 2015 and beyond. Make the New Year a happy one by…
Create a file that you name sometime like "ICE," which stands for “in case of emergency.” Some people call this their “grab-and-go” file, since that’s what it’s for. Make sure that anyone who needs to have this information knows how to access it. For example, if you have to leave…
There were five changes that occurred in 2014 that everyone planning for retirement needs to know about. The phrase "roll with the changes" may be 2014's retirement planning motto. While we could review political, economic and international, those affecting IRA planning have been especially interesting for retirees and the estate…