Posted by Richard on January 7, 2021
January can be misunderstood when it comes to taxes: You can do a lot more than wait for 1099s and W-2s. There’s even time to make adjustments to your 2020 numbers. With a little planning, you can position yourself to be super organized and maybe even snag some late deductions. Consider these tips from TurboTax […]
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With interest rates currently so low, right now could be a good time to buy a home. But if a person has student loans, it is pretty hard to save 20 percent for a down payment. What can a person do? If this is your situation, you are not alone in finding student loan debt […]
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If you took a set-it-and-forget-it approach to your homeowner’s insurance, consider getting reacquainted. In addition to replacement and repairs, you need to think about what you own inside of that dwelling, about liability if someone is injured on your property, and how you’d pay for things like hotels and restaurants if you need to stay […]
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How your data determines the price that companies think you might pay. In a highly connected world, with people routinely digitizing much of their lives, we have become accustomed to the idea of our information as a product. But do consumers know the extent to which their data is commercialized? And should we be comfortable […]
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The U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) announced its cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for 2021: 1.3 percent, one of the lowest increases in the program’s history, according to CNBC. The increase affects benefits for more than 64 million recipients, according to Forbes. That means that the average retiree receiving $1,519.07 per month will see an increase of […]
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The seller of a home we like says assuming his mortgage would be a good deal for us. Would it? Maybe. We can surely examine the deal. But with interest rates so low, don’t get your hopes too high. “Assuming a mortgage” means that the buyer takes over mortgage at the existing interest rate and […]
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In the 1985 film Brewster’s Millions, a minor league baseball pitcher stands to inherit a huge sum of money if he can spend $30M in 30 days, but finds that offloading the cash is harder than he thought. The millions of Americans looking to spend down their tax-free flex spending accounts (FSAs) might have an […]
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Our experiences inside grocery and retail stores and restaurants have changed dramatically over the past few months, with many changes likely permanent–plexiglass dividers at checkout and contact-less purchases, for example. But what about the office? What will it look like after the quarantines ease and more workers return to the office after months of remote […]
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At this time of year, everyone else is going over the river and through the woods to grandma’s house, but a brave few are headed into the real estate market. Is that a smart move? Depends on how you look at it. There is no doubt that the real estate market slows down at the […]
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If you live in Oregon, Washington or California, you may no longer be able to get insurance to cover damage from wildfires. Insurance losses from recent wildfires are adding up to be some of the largest on record. Insurers are moving to raise rates and refuse policy renewals in regions with high fire risk, according […]
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