What’s that I hear? It’s very faint, but it sounds familiar. I cup my hand around my ear to hear better and, yes, I’ve heard it before. In the distance, there are shouts of “Abolish the IRS. We want a Fair Tax.” The idea of a Fair Tax was first introduced in 1999 by former Georgia Congressman John Linder. His [...]
It’s called a “My Social Security” account. It’s often thought of as something for people getting Social Security benefits. In reality, there are positives for anyone who’s working and paying Social Security taxes. Protect Your Social Security from Identity Thieves Once you set up a “My Social Security” account, you’re protected. There can never be more than one account [...]
Celebrities are often placed on a pedestal because of their success and their extraordinary talent—people like Elvis, Aretha Franklin, Prince, Michael Jackson, Howard Hughes, Pablo Picasso, Bob Marley and Jimi Hendrix. They were gifted and they made boat-loads of money doing what they did best. But making money has no correlation to handling money. And in the case of everyone [...]
I can, I will, I can’t, I won’t. Those are all responses we’ve heard in the past two years about deciding to retire. The response you give or the response you get is directly related to the U.S. economy. Before COVID, American workers age 55 and above were retiring at a rate of approximately one million per year. But [...]
Social Security is usually thought of in terms of an individual’s retirement benefit. But it’s equally important to understand the benefits of Social Security for married couples. Whether you’re a Baby Boomer spouse with limited work history because you stayed home to raise the kids, or a married couple who discovered during COVID that a happy family doesn’t require two [...]
In December 2022, Congress and the president did what they do best—spend more money--$1.7 trillion. The spending includes $858 billion for the military, $772 billion for domestic priorities, another $45 billion for Ukraine, and oh, by the way, enough money to keep the government running until September 2023, which was allegedly the reason for the whole process to begin with. [...]
Gifting is a great financial planning tool, especially at the end of the year. Alhambra's Bob Williams goes through the basics.
So, you’re almost eligible for Medicare. For many who have struggled with health insurance since Congress passed Obamacare in 2010, going on Medicare is a step up from the expensive, high deductible, limited option plans available to them. But Medicare can be problematic too if you don’t know what to look for. Here are 9 of the most common Medicare [...]
You need more than a Will or Trust to round out your estate plan. Alhambra's Bob Williams lists other Must Have planning documents.
Here we are again in the final quarter of the year when thoughts turn to Thanksgiving and Christmas and… reviewing your financial house. Oh, that’s not on your list? Well, let’s put it there because financial issues cannot be on automatic pilot. Things change and you need to keep current. Here are 16 items you need to review before the [...]
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