Your Personal Financial Statements
Personal financial statements are the roadmap that guides us from where we are today, to where we want to be tomorrow. They also provide fixed points of reference from which we can measure our progress over time.
Personal Financial Statements
There are two basic personal financial statements that everyone should prepare, or have a financial advisor prepare, at least once each year; the cash flow statement and the balance sheet.
Health Insurance - How It Works
Without health insurance, a single illness can cause serious, and often irrevocable, financial hardship.
Insurance of any kind is intended to transfer financial risk to an insurance company in exchange for a reasonable insurance premium. Where most insurance coverages pay once a loss has occurred, health insurance has the added benefit of paying to keep your loss from getting worse.
Section 529 College Savings Plans
A 529 plan is a state-sponsored education savings program that allows an individual to save in a tax-deferred account to pay for a beneficiary's post-secondary education at any accredited school in the United States. Unlike Coverdell Education Savings Accounts, which excludes joint filers with adjusted gross incomes (AGIs) above $220,000 and single filers with AGIs above $110,000, there are no income restrictions on those contributing to the plan.
Charitable Remainder Trusts
A Charitable Remainder Trust normally is used as a strategy for converting highly appreciated assets into income producing assets, without income tax liability. The Charitable Remainder Trust is an irrevocable trust with both charitable and non-charitable beneficiaries.
Tax Qualified Plans
As a business owner, there are several reasons you might want to implement a qualified retirement plan for you and your employees. Not the least of which is that qualified plans provide numerous tax advantages.
Year End Financial Planning
The best financial decisions are made with the benefit of time, thoughtful consideration and trusted professional advice. As tax time once again approaches, there are many things you can do to give you the flexibility to make the best long term financial decisions and prepare to minimize expenses, taxes and the headache of organizing your finances at the last minute.
Creating A College Funding Strategy
Saving for college isn't easy, but the earlier you start the better off you'll be. For example, if you save $60 a month for 17 years earning 8% per year, you will have over $25,000 by the time college begins! Taxes will reduce the amount of the portfolio.
There are several savings and investment strategies that can help you accrue money for college.
Calculating Social Security
Social Security was originally introduced in 1935 in the aftermath of the Great Depression. It was intended to provide a safety net of income to retired and disabled workers and their families. Social Security is a mandatory plan, requiring most wage earners to contribute a percentage of their yearly income to support the program. In return, they, their spouses and sometimes their dependents are eligible for retirement, disability and survivorship benefits.
