You just got the final draft of your estate plan. You’ve been thinking about this for a long time—how you want your estate distributed, who you want to take care of, who you want to benefit. As you scan the document, it includes your exact wishes for disposition of all the major assets; stocks and bonds, property, business ownership. But [...]
Like most people, I don’t want to pay more taxes than necessary. That common-sense approach to money began when I got my first job at the age of 13. I was paid $1.50/hour, slightly above the $1.30 minimum wage. I calculated exactly how much my first paycheck would be. But when I got it, somebody must have used new math, [...]
Talk to anyone who’s about to go on Medicare and they’ll tell you that figuring out what plan to choose will make you pull your hair out (which is probably not covered by Medicare). There are so many things to consider, from drug coverage, to copays and coinsurance, emergency room visits, hospital stays, the network of available doctors, the network [...]
We’ve been focused on Covid for so long that a lot of things have taken a back seat. We’re still regrouping, trying to find the new normal. Estate planning is one of the things that’s easy to forget in this new normal. Why not? You did the estate planning, you listed your wishes, and you put the document in a [...]
It may not be public enemy number one, but inflation is certainly near the top of the list. Since the beginning of 2021, prices of almost everything have gone into orbit. Energy prices are up an average of 56%. Airline tickets are up almost 25%. Used car prices have jumped more than 45%. And it seems there’s no slowdown in [...]
It’s one of the most obscure taxes in the IRS code, but it can be one of the most devastating at a time when you can least afford it. It’s called the Widow’s Penalty Tax—a stealth tax you never see coming—that can cause a widow or widower to struggle financially. When one spouse dies, the surviving spouse is now responsible [...]
Medicare is a veritable alphabet soup of choices. There’s Part A, Part B, Part C, Part D, and when you get into Medicare Supplements, there are 10 options—A, B, C, D, F, G, K, L, M, and N. Make the wrong choices and you could be hit with lifetime penalties that drive up your Medicare premiums and a Medicare plan [...]
Today we hear the word fiduciary tossed around as some concept that means the same thing by everyone who utters it. Nothing could be further from the truth. A fiduciary, according to Investopedia is: … a person or organization that acts on behalf of another… putting their clients' interest ahead of their own, with a duty to preserve good [...]
There’s an old axiom that says, “All good things must come to an end.” And unless Congress makes some changes, that’s what will happen to the current level of the federal estate tax exemption. As it stands now, every individual can give away $11.7 million of their estate free of inheritance and gift taxes. Married couples have a combined exemption [...]
Customer service is mostly dead. It’s probably housed in the Smithsonian along with the T-Rex and TV rabbit ears. As technology has progressed and Millennials have come of age, we have been pushed, sometimes kicking and screaming, to conduct personal business online. The Social Security Administration is no exception. Call the SSA and you will hear, “Offices are open to [...]
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