8 Common Above-the-Line Deductions Anyone Can Claim

8 Common Above-the-Line Deductions Anyone Can Claim

Take these write-offs on your 1040, even if you don’t itemize your return Doing your taxes is a hunt for ways to minimize your income: The lower your income, the less tax you pay. For most retirees and pre-retirees, this means taking the standard deduction and moving...
12 Things to Tell Your Kids About Your Money

12 Things to Tell Your Kids About Your Money

You don’t have to tell them some things, but others are very important You’ve probably taught your kids a whole bunch about money over the years, like how to stretch an allowance through an entire week and how to balance a debit account — or, most challenging of all,...
7 Things to Know About Appointing an Executor

7 Things to Know About Appointing an Executor

And 7 ways to make things easier for yours Have you found an executor (also known as a personal representative) to handle your affairs should you become incapacitated or die? Planning for death-related events isn’t fun, so you may be procrastinating. Or you may be...
7 Money Leaks — and How to Plug Them

7 Money Leaks — and How to Plug Them

These stealthy cash drainers could be costing you big bucks Yes, you can save a lot by cutting out the little pleasures in life. Nonessentials like caffe lattes and premium channels can really add up. But life is too short for mediocre coffee! The good news is that...
Why Gen X Is Freaking Out About Retirement

Why Gen X Is Freaking Out About Retirement

Facing an insecure financial future, America’s ‘neglected middle child’ may have to chart a different path to post-work life For years, Mike Cundall Jr. thought he was on the proper path to retirement. A professor of philosophy at North Carolina...
5 Retirement Fears Keeping Us Up at Night

5 Retirement Fears Keeping Us Up at Night

Inflation, stock swings and more erode Americans’ confidence in future financial security When it comes to retirement readiness, many Americans are feeling disillusioned. A spring Gallup poll found that only 43 percent of nonretired adults expect to live out their...