Americans Aren’t Saving Enough for Retirement, but One Change Could Help
Here is something every non-rich American family should know: The odds are that you will run out of money in retirement. On average, a typical working family in the anteroom of retirement — headed by somebody 55 to 64 years old — has only about $104,000 in retirement savings, according to the Federal Reserve’s Survey of Consumer Finances. That’s not nearly enough. And the situation will only grow worse. The Center for Retirement Research at Boston College estimates that more than half of all American households will not have enough retirement...
read moreJuly 2015 Monthly Insight: The “Greek Tragedy” of Debt Default
Over the last month, Don and I have watched with passive interest the long-running saga regarding the potential of Greece defaulting on its scheduled debt payment on June 30. This “Greek tragedy” has actually been running since at least December 2009. As a matter of fact, since Greece won its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1832, it has been in default or rescheduling its debt 51% of the time. Last Tuesday, Greece defaulted and missed its scheduled €1.6 million payment. Later, the International Monetary Fund and the...
read more6 Personal Finance Rules to Live By
Being fiscally responsible means you live by sound money principles that allow you to build a stable future for yourself and your family. An understanding of these basic financial tenants is the first step in achieving financial success. 1. Build an emergency fund. Think of an emergency fund as a security blanket for your finances. You should save up three to six months of your total expenses in an emergency fund to be able to deal with an unforeseen circumstance like job loss, illness, natural disaster or home issue. Read full article...
read moreJune 2015 Monthly Insight: Savings vs. Investing
One of the important tenets of financial and retirement planning is to strategically match your upcoming liabilities (such as college funding, a second home purchase, or retirement income) to assets in your savings or investment accounts. Notice we mention two types of accounts, the savings account and the investment account. It’s not necessary to have two distinct and separate accounts, but you should know that there is a difference between saving and investing. Each is a distinct, yet flexible, strategy for covering future...
read moreHow to Give Your Home to Your Children Tax-Free
Before the days of estate taxes, children simply moved into the family home and took over the master bedroom after their parents died. Unfortunately, it’s not that easy anymore. There are several ways to give a home to your child. And a few are tax-free. But in order for the transaction to work properly, you’ve got to plan ahead. Here is a rundown of your options. Stay put If you plan to live in your home until you die, and your estate is below the unified federal estate gift and estate tax exemption amount ($5.43 million for 2015), this is...
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