It's amazing how much can change from one month to the next. The stock market turned around from a terrible January and then some.
Read MoreThere is a lot of good information on the internet these days about 529 plans. These tax free college savings accounts are administered by each State and can vary in terms of features, restrictions, incentives, and investments.
Read MoreWe say it all the time but why exactly does "Fee-Only Make a Difference" mean?Well, it mostly has to do with the compensation structure, called “Fee-Only,” and how it compares to "Traditional" commission based financial planners. It’s this unique way in which Fee-Only financial advisors are paid that allows them to be objective in their advice and avoid conflicts of interest.
Read MoreTarget Date Retirement Funds (also called LifeCycle Funds) have gained in popularity because of their ultra simple retirement strategy - just buy one fund and let the fund managers handle the rest.
Read MoreThe stock market is not off to a stellar start...which is great news! Mr. Market is having a sale this month!
Read MoreIt can be a huge relief to get out of debt whether it be credit cards, personal loans, auto loans, what have you. I applaud you for doing so but your job isn't done yet.
Read MoreYesterday, I was reading an issue of Financial Planning Magazine (a magazine for financial planners). This particular issue was the 2013 technology survey and went through the different technology trends as it relates to financial planners and the top technologies they are using in their practices today, like portfolio management software, CRM (customer relationship management), and financial planning software.
Read MoreEstate planning should be a part of every financial plan, which means that your financial team should always have an estate attorney in addition to your fee only financial planner.
Read MoreI am guessing that the largest drain on your cash every month isn't going out to eat or gas for your car. My guess is that it's your mortgage. Imagine life without having to pay this every month and still take the tax deduction for the interest and taxes. Well, it can be done, and it can be done without having to shell out extra principal payments for the next 10 years.
Read MoreI read an article from the Star Tribune (our local Minnesota newspaper) earlier today entitled Aging America: For some blue-collar Americans, retirement is nothing more than elusive dream.
The story follows that sad tail of Tom Edwards, a 53 year old logger, who thinks he will never be able to retire.
Read MoreWe are all about personal finance and living within ones means so while it may be tempting to leave our frigid Minnesota behind for a couple weeks, I read about some more "budget friendly" Minnesota trips over at the Plymouth Patch.
Read MoreCasey Bond over at GoBankingRates.com wrote about 12 last minute smart money moves to consider before the end of the year. Don't worry many of these suggestions can be done in 2014 as well. I was able to help with number 5 about Goal Setting, number 7 about Dollar Cost Averaging and number 8 about using your Flex Spending dollars. 3 out of 12 - not bad.
Read MoreAs we near the end of the year and closer to tax time, we see a lot of confusion from small businesses about which tax forms they should use for their annual tax return. We worked with AllThingsFinance.net to create a simple explanation small business tax forms. AllThingsFinance is a personal finance blog about, you guessed it, all things finance, Their favorite quote on their about page just about sums up their philosophy.
Read MoreAs much as people don't like the IRS, they can actually be a great resource for useful tax tips other important information. The IRS just published a bulletin on 3 Year end tax tips to save you money.
Read MoreI have heard this said multiple times when talking to experts about Long-Term Care Insurance. Due to the high cost of this insurance most people can't afford to pay the premiums even if they need it. If you are able to fit this expense into your budget you may be better off self-insuring.
Read MoreNobel Prize winning Robert Shiller spoke at a virtual conference about the virtues of a good financial planner. He said that much of the recent financial crisis could have been avoided if more people had financial advisors. He went on to say that the low and middle class need financial planners just as much as the wealthy, comparing it to health care.
Read MoreClick on the below audio to listen to a highly informative podcast from Vanguard on Year end tax planning specifically geared towards investors. Some of the important highlights of the podcast are:
Read MoreThere has always been a debate about which is better for building wealth, Real Estate or Stocks. Well, maybe it should be both. When investing in real estate you can either buy publicly traded REITs (Real Estate Investment Trust) or you can purchase a physical property to rent out.
Read MoreThis is the time of year when everyone is thinking about charitable giving. I spoke with writer Veronica Dagher of the Wall Street Journal last week about on this subject and the mistakes to avoid. Here are some excerpts from the article as well as a quote from me.
Read MoreTime for a new financial plan, see next steps here.
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