Bil Lako, CFP®, explains that when people care about a cause, they donate regardless of the potential tax benefit. But, people still ask about charitable tax deductions because they want to know how to make the most of their finances.
Very few people think that starting a new business is easy. But at the same time, there are few first-time entrepreneurs who realize just how involved things are from the moment you start trying to bring that idea that previously only existed in your head into the real world. There’s a massive amount of commitment…
Recently, as part of the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act of 2018, Congress made several changes to credit rules that benefit consumers. Under the new law, consumers are now allowed to “freeze” and “unfreeze” their credit reports free of charge at all three of the major credit reporting bureaus, Equifax, Experian, and…
How long would it take you to determine: What your total expenses for this quarter are? Whether or not your business is profitable as of today? How much you’ve sold every month this year? Which invoices are overdue? If you’re using QuickBooks Online, you can get answers to all those questions—and more—in the time it…
The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) included a “shared responsibility payment,” which in reality is a penalty for not having health insurance. Along with this penalty came a whole slew of exemptions from the penalty, including some that were designated as “hardship” exemptions. However, the hardship relief from the penalty required pre-approval from the government health…
The biggest names in technology powered stock market gains and bouts of volatility in 2017, and the trend continued into 2018. The S&P Information Technology sector index posted a 13.19% total return from January through July 2018, compared with 6.47% for the broader S&P 500 index.1 Wall Street analysts and the business media often refer…
We explain that while getting the employer match is important, that should really be the bare minimum you save.
In the past, the business use of a vehicle was determined either by using the standard mileage rate for business or using actual expenses plus vehicle depreciation limited by the luxury auto caps. That continues to be the case, except the luxury auto depreciation limit has been substantially increased. In addition, there are other changes…
Ultimately, an employer is offering a good insurance benefit package if it’s one that appeals to you and meets your needs. But here are some specific things you might look for. Perhaps the most important piece is the health insurance offered. You’ll want coverage that adequately meets your medical needs. Hopefully, it will also allow…
This year’s wildfires, record rains, flooding, tornadoes, hurricanes and potential for earthquakes should all act as reminders that you should be prepared for a disaster. Sure, it will take some effort on your part and you may never be affected by a disaster, but if you are, you will sure wish you had been prepared.…
