Deferred Compensation is a strategy where a portion of an employee’s income is set aside, or “deferred”, to a later date. This strategy allows employees to avoid recognizing income in the current year, and instead defer that income to a future year. In many cases, the taxes due on the income are also deferred to the future period in which the income is received.
Read More“Save as much as you can for retirement.”
That’s the message that has been drilled into the mind of every American worker for decades. There’s something to be said for that, of course. Financial security is important to all of us.
Read MoreWhat does “SPY”, engineering during WWII, and spiders have in common?
If you have no idea, you are not alone. This is a tricky question. And the answer is a name you probably won’t recognize.
Read MoreOur culture and society may change slowly, but they do change. More families today feel less social pressure for both spouses to be employed outside the home. With the cost of childcare climbing ever higher, some begin to see the decision to stay at home as a strategic choice that makes financial sense.
Read MoreThere are two big problems with “nanny tax”.
One, most people who hire a babysitter don’t believe that they could be affected by “nanny tax”. It seems like it should only apply to families that have a live-in au pair or a full-time nanny. You just have a sitter cover an occasional date night and take care of the kids during the summer break. That doesn’t call for dealing with taxes, does it?
Read MoreHaving too much appreciated stock in your portfolio may look like a great problem to have. It validates your good sense for having chosen those investments in the first place. It gives you a warm and fuzzy feeling when you open the quarterly account statements. Why is that a problem, exactly?
Read MoreIt is that time of the year again when our team is fielding questions from clients and prospects who are confused about Required Minimum Distributions (or RMDs). As with anything that needs an abbreviation and relates to government regulations, misunderstanding abound.
Read MoreWhen should you start talking to your kids about money?
As parents, we know that it’s our job to teach our kids about the world. We talk to them about making friends, staying away from drugs, and looking left and right before they cross the street.
Read MoreThe tales of financial advisor fraud are like a car wreck: terrible to observe and impossible to look away. Here are 5 tips for avoiding your own financial wreck.
What is it about the stories of financial advisors gone rogue that captivates the imagination? Take this recent story in the news: a former New Jersey-based financial advisor was convicted of fraud for stealing his clients’ money and using it to pay his own mortgage, dine out, and buy sporting event tickets. In retrospect, the warning flags were there.
Read MoreBudgeting has a bad rep. Let’s try to rescue it.
What is the single best predictor of your ability to, someday, retire with a measure of financial stability?
If your guess is high income levels or winning the lottery, guess again. Research has demonstrated that consistent saving behavior is the ultimate key.
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