Avoiding PMI, if possible, is better for your long term finances. Here are three strategies to avoid PMI.
Read More...Budgeting
An important part of managing money is budgeting. We've collected blog posts with tips and advice on budgeting and saving money.
How to Set Endowment Spending Rates
Endowment spending rates can prove a catalyst for fulfilling or killing the life of the organization itself.
Read More...Wealth Management Is In Your Control
Many feel helpless to direct their own success, but nothing could be further from the truth.
Read More...
Do Children Need To File A Tax Return To Fund Their Roth IRA?
The IRS does not require dependents whose gross income is only earned income to file a tax return if the amount is less than a certain amount.
Read More...How Much Can I Withdraw in Retirement?
We have calculated safe withdrawal rates for ages 0 to 100 based on age-appropriate asset allocation mixes.
Read More...5 Reasons to Have Some Cash Equivalents
There are at least five reasons to hold cash. Without a good reason to hold cash, you may be holding too much.
Read More...Family Financial Lifecycle
Before the children arrive, squirrel away some money. When the children go out on their own you get one last chance to save for retirement.
Read More...Qualified HSA Funding Distribution
There is an obscure tax rule that allows a one-time Traditional IRA-to-HSA conversion called a Qualified HSA Funding Distribution (QHFD).
Read More...Testamentary Donor Advised Funds
An easy estate workaround is to set up a Donor Advised Fund as a Testamentary fund, meaning you aren’t funding it yet, but it will be funded upon your death.
Read More...Investing in a Donor Advised Fund
There are several strategies for using a donor advised fund which will help determine your asset allocation.
Read More...
Investing 101: Things to Think About Before You Invest
With a little preparation, you can save and invest over your lifetime to meet your financial goals and dreams.
Read More...Radio: Budgeting Benefits
Having a budget as a boundary for your spending gives you the freedom to work within that boundary, and keeps you on track to save for your goals.
Read More...What To Do With That First Paycheck
You probably know that you should spend less than you earn, but that is only part of the equation.
Read More...How to Pay Off Student Loans While Building Wealth
While your student loans may be a daunting sum, it is still possible to build wealth even while paying off student debt.
Read More...
Family Budgeting
If a budget isn’t a team effort, one member of the family will hold the purse strings and everyone else will be resentful.
Read More...
Inflation Illustrated
We tracked the price of a first class stamp over the last 130 years, noting the changes, to show the steady erosion in buying power during that time.
Read More...Gifts, Taxes, and IRS Form 709
Most people are unaware that giving a gift can be a taxable event because they themselves have not yet experienced the tax.
Read More...Financial Planning Beyond Your Wedding Day
In addition to registering for a blender and picking floral arrangements, make sure that your marriage has the financial accounts and monetary habits necessary to meet your shared financial goals.
Read More...
Streamline Your Finances with Schwab Checking
This Schwab checking account provides six impressive services not true for most local banks.
Read More...Reasons to Keep a Local Bank Account
Investment brokers like Schwab offer many services local banks offer but there are a few reasons why you might want to resist consolidating all of your accounts to a broker.
Read More...Millionaire Lifestyle: Drink Sodas at Home, Not Out
Changing where you drink soda is a small step, but enough small steps can make a huge difference in your savings.
Read More...Nine Unfortunate Facts of Health Savings Accounts
An HSA is one of many accounts used in comprehensive wealth management for tax optimization and planning.
Read More...Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) from IRAs
QCDs allow individuals age 70 1/2 or older to give directly to a charity from your IRA without counting the distribution as taxable income.
Read More...Why You Should Give Appreciated Stock Instead of Cash
Giving appreciated stock not only allows you to support your favorite charity but also avoid paying capital gains tax on your gifted stock.
Read More...
IRS Wants Charities To Collect And Report Sensitive Donor Identity Information
Late last year, the IRS proposed asking charities to collect sensitive donor identity information for any charitable gift of more than $250.
Read More...Radio: Financial Planning for Buying a Home
David John Marotta was interviewed on WINA’s “Real Estate Matters” show with Michael Guthrie, talking about how it is still a good time to buy a house.
Read More...Overfunded College 529 plan? No Problem!
No need to worry. You have many great options when managing an overfunded 529 college savings plan.
Read More...
Radio Interview: Financial Gift Giving
David John Marotta was interviewed recently on radio 1070 WINA’s Schilling Show discussing financial Christmas gifts.
Read More...Does Your College Saving Need a Christmas Gift?
Some years, we fall behind and I try to make a year-end contribution to get us caught back up again.
Read More...Gifting Appreciated Stock To Family Members
For children with lower incomes, there is an opportunity to give them appreciated stock to shift the capital gains to a lower tax bracket.
Read More...Mailbag: How Much Cash Should I Keep For An Emergency?
Being prepared is always a good idea, but so is knowing the costs associated with being prepared.
Read More...What is the Kiddie Tax?
The kiddie tax was first added to the tax code in 1986 for children under age 14. Now, it can burden them until they are 23.
Read More...Trust Protections from Creditors and Spendthrift Beneficiaries
The beauty of trusts is that they are very flexible, and an estate lawyer can help you craft a document that will follow your wishes and give you peace of mind.
Read More...Financial Christmas Gift Ideas
Financial Christmas gifts don’t need to be a piggy bank. They can be more serious and more meaningful than that.
Read More...Safe Withdrawal Rate Adjustments
Assumptions about these adjustments to your net worth should be made carefully and conservatively.
Read More...What Capital Gains Is Owed For The Sale Of Gifted Stock?
It is better to leave stock to a family member in your estate plan than to gift them the stock while you are alive.
Read More...How to Factor Social Security into Your Safe Withdrawal Rate
Carefully computing and adding your Social Security early retirement safe withdrawal rate can safely boost your early retirement standard of living without jeopardizing your future finances.
Read More...
When Should You Stop Funding Your HSA?
You’ve opened your HSA and funded it for several years. When should you stop funding it?
Read More...How to Avoid a Down Payment on a Mortgage
If you prefer to keep your down payment money invested in the markets for longer, there are two alternatives.
Read More...
