Indiana and the Right to Work Laws
The Indiana legislature is battling over putting the Right to Work referendum on the ballot. Right-to-work laws exist ins 22 states, which prohibit agreements between labor unions and employers that make membership, and union dues a condition of employment. What this means to worker’s personal finances in the short run is having to pay mandatory… Read More »
8 General Tax & Accounting Tips
A very important part of personal financial planning is tax planning. As you prepare for tax season, here some general things to consider: Be aware of the different types of taxes: Many people are not aware of the different types of tax systems that we have. The following are the most common systems that may affect you…. Read More »
Is Your Pension Secure?
Pensions are a little rare today, so rare most people don’t really know how they work. Pensions also known as Defined Benefit retirement plans, pay someone a percentage of their income when they retire, based upon age, years of service, wage history and the design of the plan. Millions of people still have them, typical… Read More »
11 Ways to Receive Income
A few days ago I was talking to a friend who was out of work, and considering several great opportunities. This reminded me that there are really many ways to earn an income today, and many financial experts believe in the years to come more people will have several income streams at the same time…. Read More »
Estate Planning for Blended Families
A marriage counselor friend of mine recently said that only 25% of households in some areas are made up of single people and traditional nuclear families of once married couples with their own children. The other 75% of households make up the rest of unmarried couples or remarried couples following separation, divorce or death, with children… Read More »
Estate Planning Documents Most People Need
The following are the most common and basic estate planning documents. If you don’t have them, plan now to get them. If you do have them but it has been several years since they were updated, update them now. If you don’t have properly drawn-up documents, your family members will have great difficulty in planning… Read More »
Year End Investment Results 2011 & Expectations for 2012
You may be wondering how your investments performed in 2011, and what that prognosticators are saying for 2012, here are some very good resources: “Mutual-fund categories and their benchmarks ranked by one-year total return. Yardsticks are based on categories compiled by The Wall Street Journal, based on Lipper, Inc. fund investment objectives. Performance for Yardsticks… Read More »
News about lenders: Post Bankruptcy Collections, Auto Loans, and Pay-Day Lenders
If you have had some difficulty with making debt payments recently, this article may be for you. It is has been reported in several places including the Wall Street Journal, that even though people declared bankruptcy, some lenders still tried to collect on the old debt. This is an illegal practice, where the lenders or… Read More »
Behind Every Great Woman?
While watching Jeopardy last night, one of the contestants was a stay-at-home dad. My wife and I discussed how we know more people doing this today. Today I ran across an interesting article at Business Week: Behind Every Great Woman. Many women today earn more than men, and during this recession, reports show that women’s… Read More »
Health Insurance Issues for the Elderly
Why this topic is so important. For individuals in the later years of life, health insurance and health related costs are often one of the largest expenses. It is critical that you consider and plan for these expenses and that you become aware of the details of your options. In addition, as a voter you should… Read More »
