Budget Check Up: Tax Time Is the Right Time
Every year, about 140 million households file their federal tax returns.¹ For many, the process involves digging through shoe boxes or manila folders full of receipts; gathering mortgage, retirement, and investment account statements; and relying on computer software to take advantage of every tax break the code permits. Tip: Be careful with cash. Cash purchases don’t
Don’t Be Your Own Worst Enemy
One of the most well-known investors of the 20th Century, Benjamin Graham, said that “the investor’s chief problem—and even his worst enemy—is likely to be himself.”¹ What Graham understood—and modern research is catching up to—is the idea that we all have emotions and biases that affect our decision-making. The innate wiring built to survive pre-modern
How Does Your Credit Score Compare?
Your credit score is simply a statistical estimation of how likely you are to pay your debts and, by extension, how much credit you should have. Everyone is different—everyone has a different history, different experiences. But have you ever wondered how you compare to other Americans? Fast Fact: Get Over It. A bad credit score doesn’t
Password Protection Strategies
Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn—they’ve all fallen prey to hackers who exposed passwords and other personal information for hundreds of thousands of their users. If you haven’t yet had your password stolen, chances are, it may be only a matter of time. Hearing the word “hacker” may conjure up the image of a teenaged wiz-kid up all
Pay Yourself First
Each month you settle down to pay bills. You pay your mortgage lender. You pay the electric company. You pay the trash collector. But do you pay yourself? One of the most basic tenets of sound investing involves the simple habit of “paying yourself first,” in other words, making the first payment of each month
Please Leave Home Without It
Concerns over identity theft continue to grow, especially with news of data breaches at major companies and financial institutions. Unfortunately, you have little control over the hacking of these companies, but you do have control over your actions. Ten Things to Leave at Home Social Security Card — A Social Security card may be used to
Stop Wasting Money
Benjamin Franklin once said, “a penny saved is a penny earned.”¹ The modern upgrade to that observation might be that $100 not spent is more like $143.² One way to find the money to meet your spending or saving needs is to examine your current spending habits and consider eliminating money wasters. Top Money Wasters
Strategies for Managing Student Loan Debt
If college were a party, then student loans are the hangover. Unfortunately, the “hair of the dog” won’t cure this headache, but here are some ideas for managing your student loan debt. The programs listed are not intended as tax or legal advice. They may not be used for the purpose of avoiding any federal
Your Emergency Fund: How Much Is Enough?
Have you ever had one of those months? The water heater stops heating, the dishwasher stops washing and your family ends up on a first-name basis with the nurse at urgent care. Then, as you’re driving to work, giving yourself your best, “You can make it!” pep talk, you see smoke seeping out from under