What’s in Your Score?
Do you know the difference between a credit score of 660 versus a credit score of 760? Try $72,000! That's the national average cost of a 100 point difference in credit scores on a 30 year $600,000 fixed rate mortgage…
Don’t Pay Someone Else’s Taxes!
Capital gains are a good thing – we invest to earn a return. Capital gains distributions from mutual funds and exchange traded funds, though, create a potential tax liability for any investor receiving them. That's something that investors may be…
Domicile vs. Residence – What’s the Difference?
Although the terms domicile and residence tend to be used interchangeably they may not mean the same thing when referring to state personal income taxation. As a general rule, “residence” is treated as the place where you are temporarily located…
IRS Provides Hurricaine Relief to Taxpayers
Hurricane Sandy left devastation and gave heartache to many people in New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut. As a response to this devastation, the IRS has decided to exercise their power to help bring some relief to taxpayers that reside…
Ladies – Don’t be Left out of the Social Security Conversation
We know that statistically women outlive men. By age 85, there are approximately five women alive for every three men alive. By age 95, the ratio of women to men doubles, as there are approximately 10 women alive for every…
The Affordable Care Act – How is it Affecting America’s Seniors?
In July, we discussed the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and how it affects America's youth. But who else is feeling the effects of the ACA? Let's jump forward a generation or two and see what the Affordable Care Act provides…
Cleaning Up After Sandy- 5 Tips to Follow When Submitting Your Insurance Claims
When natural disasters like Hurricane Sandy hit and property damage is sustained, it is important to follow appropriate steps to make sure your claim is tended to and paid as promptly as possible. Insurance agents are good resources during these…
What Can Investors do with a Lump Sum?
One of the biggest challenges investors will face is the question of timing – "If I have a significant amount of cash, when is the best time to invest it?" Investing just before a market crash can lead to regret.…
Indexed Annuities: Market-like Returns with no Risk?
That's what catchy advertisements want you to think, but after looking under the hood, you'll quickly realize investors are making tradeoffs that could potentially damage their long term plan. In a nutshell, an Indexed Annuity is a contract between the…
Pre-paying Tuition with a 529 Plan? Be Careful!
You may think that pre-paying tuition with a 529 plan is a savvy way to avoid college inflation, but the IRS may disagree. As students head back to school and tuition bills start arriving, parents may be surprised to see…