Continuing the theme of getting your house in order by focusing on one task at a time, your family’s financial planning and overall planning can be established by February. Last week we highlighted trusts and wills. This week let’s consider living wills or advanced directives. A living will is a directive to physicians that lets
It’s tax time again. Here’s a reminder on a way to hold onto your lump sum and put it to work for you. Consider rolling your tax refund or a portion of into a CD (certificate of deposit). You can then use your CD as collateral to borrow money short term. Or in other words
Saving money is in. Spending it like you’re not financially literate is out. If you get a tax refund this year and have outstanding debt, any kind of debt, the best use of that money is to pay the debt down or off. Here are some additional ways to use your refund: Invest in Your
Most middle-aged adults and soon-to-be retirees have the same question: How much do I need to retire? We should consider this question at all ages and stages. There are no easy answers, nor is there a one-size-fits-all approach. Since how much you need for retirement is based on your specific needs and spending habits, your
Getting your tax refund back on a prepaid card may sound convenient, but does it make financial sense? For those without bank accounts, a prepaid debit card may be the fastest way to get an income tax refund. It’s an option offered by all the major tax preparers. But for those with bank accounts or
(1) Talk honestly about your household finances (2) Open an investment account (can be set it up as a trust) (3) Get them a passport (4) Start a college fund (5) Start a savings account (6) Get them a library card (7) Check out books on coding or anything involving STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math
Set your children off on the right financial path by teaching them these three important ideas. Start young — it’s important to broach the subject of money with kids at a young age. There’s no way to expect a child at any age to understand money unless you talk about it and the conversation can’t
As Copts, we don’t subscribe to or have a doctrine surrounding a devil. However, if there be such a creature or idea, consider debt as your devil and don’t allow the devil to linger around you. Develop your financial plan and start your journey toward being devil-free. One approach worth considering to pay off the
Most of us are financially fragile and would not be able to come up with $2,000 in 30 days without having to resort to borrowing money or pawning/selling items that we own. Ask yourself how easy would it be for you to come up with $2,000 to pay for a necessary car repair or home
The author James Baldwin said it’s very expensive to be poor. We often pay more for everyday goods and services depending on where we live. In this age of predatory short term pay day loans and high interest credit cards we must be mindful of our credit. A few late payments to the mortgage company