There is a refreshing simplicity to the golf game of a toddler. I appreciate this because my youngest son’s passion for golf is only superseded right now by that of chocolate chip cookies and his blanket. He spends long stretches every day hitting a foam golf ball around the yard and occasionally we visit the [...]
One of the most common questions facing families and individuals is whether to accelerate mortgage payments and forego the potential mortgage interest deduction or borrow as much as possible, make minimum debt payments, and save for retirement. Simply, is it better to save or pay off debt? The question comes in a variety of flavors: [...]
January 2010: A period that financial journalists dream about. We were ushering in the new year of 2010 and significant impending tax law changes provided a bevy of important topics that consumers needed help navigating. There was the elimination of federal estate and gift tax, the return of IRA required minimum distributions after a one-year [...]
In financial planning, the right answer to most seemingly simple questions is nearly always “it depends”. How much life insurance do I need? Should I contribute to a traditional 401k or a Roth 401k? Should I use a will or revocable trust for my estate? How much can I plan to safely distribute from my [...]
The “Heartbleed” Internet security bug recently brought the important issue of personal information security into the spotlight. While the Heartbleed bug was widespread and allowed scammers access to personal information including Internet usernames and passwords, it does not cause reason to panic. Most financial institutions, including Charles Schwab and TD Ameritrade, did not use the vulnerable [...]
Many Americans are conditioned to treat employer-provided health insurance as an entitlement. This long-standing attitude stems from a system that, for decades, has precluded a large segment of the population from finding reasonably priced health insurance on their own. Anyone with a previous victory over cancer or a child with diabetes likely knows from experience [...]
