By Jess Stonefield, Next Avenue Contributor One of the most common complaints about senior housing is this: it’s too $%&! expensive. Depending on the community, and the types of amenities and services offered, residents of assisted living and memory care facilities, for example, can pay $6,000 per month or more to live there. This can, of course,
It’s that magical time of year, when the Federal Salary Council announces that federal government employees are underpaid by – wait for it! – 31% relative to both private sector workers and, less plausibly still, employees of state and local governments. The Salary Council’s official figures aren’t plausible, and you get the feeling that at
Tax reform affects every person’s tax return in 2018. Before you file this tax season, here’s what you need to know about the tax law adjustments to be prepared. 1. The tax rates changed for everyone. The tax rates you previously knew are no more. Almost every rate has changed in 2018. In fact, the
The Internal Revenue Service provided initial guidance Friday on a provision of last December’s tax overhaul enabling qualified employees of private corporations to defer paying income taxes for up to five years on the value of qualified stock options and restricted stock units granted by their employers. However, the provision of the Tax Cuts and
The Children’s Place Inc.: “Children’s Place is in a bear market. There’s a big retail bear market going on. That quarter wasn’t that bad. This stock is now down 67 straight points. But I’ve got to tell you, it’s probably not done going down. But they are a good company, so if you want to
To all those who make the big decision to retire abroad, Cynthia and Edd Staton say, “Congratulations!” In 2009, a look at their battered retirement accounts made the Statons think hard about what their retirement might look like. They could stay in the U.S. where they’d lived all their lives, or they could find a
Today we’re going to discuss six “retirement maker” funds that pay dividends up to 10.8% annually. You will not find these types of yields in mainstream financial publications. Here’s why. It’s important for you to fade Wall Street’s advertising machine and buy value, not hype – especially when it comes to dividend payers. Stick with
Credit: Getty Royalty FreeGetty The 401(k) is a blessing for many people, as it allows them to build wealth over time using dollar-cost averaging. Still, sometimes it makes more sense to channel some of that money from the employer-based account into your own individual retirement account. The ever-astute Rick Kahler, the founder of Kahler Financial Group,
The IRS will raise most 2019 optional standard mileage rates used to calculate the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business, charitable, medical or moving purposes. On Jan. 1, the rates for the use of a car (also vans, pickups or panel trucks) will be: 58 cents/mile driven for business use, up 3.5 cents
Wall Street angst over a possible recession may be increasing, but one bull refuses to waver. Federated Investors’ Steve Chiavarone believes there’s nothing on the horizon that suggests the 2018 market corrections will become a massive downturn next year. Rather, he sees stocks hitting fresh record highs — citing labor market trends, inflation levels, the
Most people are feeling pretty good about their finances these days. There is, however, room for improvement. About one-third of all Americans intend to make a financial resolution for the year ahead, according to a new report by Fidelity Investments. “There’s a connection between overall financial wellness and happiness,” said Ken Hevert, senior vice president
Many retirement plans don’t cover one of the events most likely to occur during retirement. The failure to properly plan for this event diminishes the quality of life in retirement and causes many plans to fail, because the financial consequences often are significant. Most retirement plans fail to account for likelihood that one spouse will
Photo credit: GettyGetty A dad recently asked me if his 20-something daughter should save in her 401(k) and save into a Traditional IRA? I asked him if she was planning to save more than $19,000 (the statutory 401(k) savings limit in 2019). He said no. He, along with others I’ve spoken to, are unaware of how
You’ve probably been asked by your clients before: “Can I deduct my health insurance?” or, “How can I reimburse my employees for health insurance premiums without triggering tax consequences?” For small-business owners and sole proprietors, the most powerful and relevant options are Health Reimbursement Arrangements. There are two HRAs in particular that will be of
Financial technology startup Robinhood is re-launching a new savings account plan that came under withering scrutiny from regulators, and drew accusations about potentially misleading investors. In a blog post released Friday, Robinhood’s founders acknowledged that its new plan, which aimed to offer no-fee checking and savings accounts with no minimums, ATM fees, penalty charges or
“There was no way I could have gone to a university after high school,” said Emily Buckner, 20. “My parents were laid off during the recession and it set us back a lot,” she said. “When I finished high school, there was nothing.” Instead, Buckner took advantage of the Tennessee Promise — an offer of
Unless you married right out of school you probably went through a period of time when you shared housing with people who weren’t related to you. How well that worked out mostly depended on how similar you were in values, habits, interests, and the willingness to work out your differences. Once settled in a career
Layoffs may be coming. Person drawing layoff notice.Getty Last night Olivier Knox of “The Big Picture” SiriusXM interviewed me asking what I was worried about. Answer: “I worry about the coming recession and whether the government has the right tools to fight it.” Yesterday, the Financial Times spooked me (the article is behind a paywall so
An interview and Q&A with billionaire investor and founder of the world’s largest Hedge fund Bridgewater Associates, Ray Dalio.In this interview, Ray discusses how capitalism is not working for everyone and the midterm election. Ray also talks about China and how to structure your portfolio for the next financial crisis. 📚Books by Ray Dalio and
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act produced a lot of questions throughout the tax world. Most clients, however, probably just have one: Will I get to keep more money? “I will have several clients that are upset by the loss of certain deductions and yet pleased with the lower tax bill,” said Morris Armstrong, an