Cost of Living: Where You Live Can Affect How Rich You Feel
You might make a lot of money, but the cost of living where you live affects how far your money goes. We explain in this week’s Financial Tip.
You might make a lot of money, but the cost of living where you live affects how far your money goes. We explain in this week’s Financial Tip.
Our experts discuss a case study involving a non-spouse inherited IRA and what the withdrawal options are for the beneficiary.
The week began with mixed results as the Dow Jones Industrial Average and NASDAQ added marginal gains, while the S&P 500 closed slightly in the red. Investors likely traded with caution in anticipation of comments coming from the Federal Reserve meeting that were due later in the week. Mixed results continued the following day as West Texas Intermediate crude dipped 2.3% to settle at $36.34 a barrel and a variety of economic news was released. U.S. retail sales decreased in February, falling 0.1%, which was in line with estimates. Sales for January were downwardly revised to a 0.4% retreat. Stocks were up midweek on comments from the Federal Reserve’s two-day meeting. Policymakers held interest rates unchanged and now anticipate two rate hikes this year versus December’s forecast of as many as four. Meanwhile, West Texas Intermediate crude tacked on 4%, providing a boost to Energy sector stocks. The Consumer Price Index dipped 0.2%; however, the core measure, which discounts food and energy, ticked up 0.3%. Thursday saw Energy stocks increase as crude oil touched $40.20 a barrel. The rally continued on Friday, spurred by a variety of economic news. In a preliminary measure, the University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index fell 1.7 points in March to a reading of 90, which was shy of the consensus forecast for a slight uptick. The rally from Wednesday to Friday was able to push the S&P 500 into positive territory year to date.
In today’s Marietta Daily Journal, Bil Lako, CFP®, explores accessing retirement funds through substantially equal periodic payments. Read the Article
Deducting business expenses is more complicated than it seems. Learn what is deductible in this week’s Business Tip.
The length of your waiting period affects the cost of your disability insurance premium. Read more in this week’s Insurance Tip.
Not all those hired to work in a taxpayer’s home are considered household employees. We explain in this week’s Tax Tip.
Tax season brings many things: shoeboxes of receipts, checkbooks, refunds, and unfortunately scammers and identity thieves. It’s not just the phony IRS emails either. This year the Georgia Department of Revenue has been flooded with phone calls regarding calls they didn’t make to many taxpayers. This article from the Atlanta Business Chronicle explains the latest…
If federal loans don’t cover the cost of college, many borrowers look to private student loans. Read all about it in this week’s Financial Tip.
Our experts discuss a method of accessing retirement funds before age 59 ½ that can help avoid incurring an early withdrawal penalty.