Search
401(k) Rollover-What not to do. Don't make this mistake.

What Not to Do With an 401(k) Rollover

The 401(k) Saga-Don’t do This! Financial professionals frequently suggest rolling over your 401(k) into an IRA when you leave a job. The down side of leaving your retirement account with the old employer means you’re subject to their fee structure and investment options. If you rollover your 401(k) into an IRA-you gain control! Advantages of a 401(k) Rollover into an IRA You choose: Where to house your money. Already have an account with Schwab, Fidelity, Vanguard, ETrade or another discount …

Read More »
401(k) #Retirement Advice-Stop Tinkering

Stop Tinkering With Your 401(k) to Keep Your Wealth

Keep Your Fingers Off the 401(k) Retirement accounts functioned very differently just a couple of decades ago. We had to mail in a deposit to our retirement accounts, or banks drafted deposits out of our bank accounts. To make a change in our asset allocation, we had to call a broker, and our broker had the option either to agree with us or try and talk us out of making a bad decision. Now, thanks to the internet, we can see our 401(k)s with the touch of a button. We can tweak and trade to ou…

Read More »
Become wealthier with mindful #money practices #mindfullness

Mindful Money

Financial Stability Through Mind Power Guest Contributor, Alexandra of Real Simple Finances.com Achieving financial stability and wealth takes dedication, a strong plan, and determination to stay out of debt. Overall, the secret to financial happiness is a strong mind game. With mindful money, you learn to incorporate the principle of mindfulness and being aware to how you handle your finances. Dedication and determination are created when something you are working on means a lot to you; ment…

Read More »
What to do with a pay raise? Turn your pay raise into thousands of dollars!

What to Do With a Pay Raise

Wages Finally Up-How to Supersize the Pay Raise After the 2008-2009 recession, it seemed like jobs and wages would never turn around. If you were lucky enough to have a job, then you were doing the work of two employees and afraid to ask for a raise. Working harder for the same money. And you wondered if this is the “new normal”. As this is not my first rodeo {I’ve been watching the economic markets for decades}, I knew eventually the deplorable job market would turn around. Wages are finally…

Read More »
secret to saving

The Saving Secret Worth $366,000

The I Hate to Save-Kick in the Butt Latest news just in from Sun Trust Bank Survey: “Many higher income households are living paycheck-to-paycheck” We are notoriously bad at imagining our future. In fact I remember playing with my Great Aunt as an 8 year old and thinking, “I’m never going to be this old, ever”. Then I remember thinking about how old I’d be when the new millennium came, and the same thought reoccurred, “I’ll never be that old”. This inability to image the future is a bit probl…

Read More »
how to handle a tax audit

How to Handle a Tax Audit; the IRS Says I Owe $25,000

The Dreaded IRS Tax Audit Letter The thick IRS letter arrived and I assumed it enclosed the tax forms I ordered. I was wrong. The letter contained a list of 5 sources of income that were not included on my 2010 tax return. Total bill due the IRS including penalties and interest, $25,000.00. Panic set in. Ironically, 2010 was the year I was exceptionally familiar with the tax law as I served as a VITA volunteer tax preparer for the IRS. What was going on?

Read More »
How to cut investment fees and save thousands of dollars

How to Cut Investing Fees + Increase Returns

Cut Investing Fees and Save Thousands I was pleased to receive this question important from Larry Russell an accomplished investor, software developer, financial planner and editor of The Skilled Investor Blog; “What should investors do once they understand that the financial industry takes over 1/3 of their gross investment returns every year, while it adds only a small fraction of that in value?” Not only is Larry asking this question, but so are many of my readers. If You’re Smart-You Can …

Read More »