When people think of tax shelters, they sometimes think of Swiss bank accounts, shady overseas investments, or fraudulent or questionable activities by wealthy but unscrupulous businessmen. That is an unfair characterization. The TurboTax website sums it up nicely – “A tax shelter is any legal strategy (that) you employ to reduce the amount of income […]
Countless seniors today depend on Social Security to pay the bills in retirement. If you’re still working but are getting close to that stage of life, it’s important to develop a filing strategy that helps you make the most of those benefits. Now, as you may or may not be aware, your Social Security benefits […]
Sue Ellen King had circled her retirement date on the calendar: March 8, 2015. She had worked as a critical care nurse and nursing educator at University of Florida Health (UF Health) in Jacksonville, Fla., for 38 years; co-workers joked that she was there when the hospital’s foundation was laid, which happened to be true. […]
Once you get through the first year of retirement, you probably think you can coast for the next 30 years. That’s not necessarily true. This is not the time to get comfortable. Things are never that simple in retirement. As you head into year two, it’s the perfect time to assess what you’re doing right […]
Whether or not organic food is better for you is a hotly debated subject. Is the extra money we spend actually worth it? The general consensus seems to be, essentially, “Yes, but only sometimes.” We spoke to a few experts to see how you can best work organic into your budget without spending a fortune. […]
After a night of $1 beers at a New Orleans-themed restaurant, Jim Jacobs went home and got on his laptop. “I booked airfare that night for a guys’ trip to New Orleans,” said the Philadelphia resident. What Jacobs didn’t think about was the fact that he’d just gotten laid off from his job. “It was […]
Including why you should you tell a builder, architect or designer how much you have to spend hen it comes to budgeting for a home renovation there’s a lot of “expert advice” available to guide you on how best to save or spend the money you have. But a lot of it is conflicting, so […]
Maybe you received a very nice monetary gift for your birthday and you just don’t know what to do with the money. We are glad you are being careful about its use, and would suggest the following points for your new funds. Prioritize your long- and short-term goals. Goals should be realistic and specific. Your […]
When you use your car for both personal and business reasons and you are not fully reimbursed through your employer for the business expenses, you can deduct those costs from your taxes. How do you go about claiming these deductions? Assuming that you itemize, you have two general paths: Standard Mileage Method – The IRS […]
When you have good credit and seem trustworthy to financial institutions, it can pay off in perks. Many creditors use the FICO or VantageScore scoring systems, which combine financial data collected from major credit bureaus Equifax, Experian and TransUnion to determine your score. Each system ranges from a low of 300 to a high, or […]
Many South Africans are taking to the roads – or even the air – as they make the most of school holidays and vacation time during Easter. These breaks however, often put a strain on the budget, even when families choose to have a “staycation”. Taryn Schmidt, Head of Marketing and Communications at short term […]
You could be coming into some money soon. According to the Internal Revenue Service, in 2017, 111 million Americans received tax refunds, with the average amount being $2,895. Of course, you may not be due anything. The IRS anticipates approximately 41 million Americans won’t receive refunds this year. But let’s say you get a refund. […]
