Hardship Withdrawals – What are the Real Costs?
Withdrawing money early from a retirement account is meant to be a last resort—and can come with consequences. Make sure you know these penalties and exemptions first.
Follow This Formula When Converting an IRA to a Roth
Here, we break down the IRS pro-rata rule—a calculation that helps distinguish pre-tax and after-tax funds.
Taking Inventory with Financial Tracking Apps
If managing your financial accounts feels clunky or time-consuming, a money management app can help you track spending, savings, and performance. Here are three to consider.
It Takes Planning to Reduce Your Medicare Premiums
With appropriate income withdrawal strategies, a retiree can lessen their exposure to IRMAA surcharges.
Evaluating Where to Retire: Pennsylvania Vs. Surrounding States
Affordability, access to healthcare, climate, and culture are just some of the important factors to consider before moving to another state.
Cost of Healthcare for Retirees: Saving Tax Efficiently Can Have a Big Impact
Retirees will need to pay close attention to means-testing levels to help contain healthcare costs. This requires careful planning before retirement.
The Potential Dangers of Rolling Your Company Stock into an IRA
If you own large quantities of company stock held within a retirement plan, rolling it into a tax-deferred IRA may not be the best strategy. Learn when a Net Unrealized Appreciation (NUA) transaction is the right choice to maximize your tax efficiency.
Contributing Too Much to Your IRA Can Cost You
Learn about contribution limits for traditional and Roth IRAs and get advice on how to minimize penalties if you’ve contributed too much in a given year.
As You Approach Retirement, How You Save is Extremely Important
In planning for retirement, how you save is just as important as how much you save. Learn how you can save tax-efficiently by diversifying your assets across accounts that are taxed differently.
Are Your Heirs Ready? 3 Lessons to Teach Children About Wealth Now
Steps you can take to help ensure that your wealth helps future generations.
Is Your Vacation Home a Residence or a Rental Property?
Understand how the IRS differentiates between these investments when planning how to use the property personally.
What We Can Learn from the Habits of Wealthy People
Not wanting to be poor when I grew up, I decided the best course of action was to study people who had money. This fascination set me on a lifelong course of studying wealthy and successful people.
Are You Due to Reevaluate and Switch Your Car Insurance?
Many advisers recommend shopping your automobile policy every two to three years. There are many factors that could have changed since you began insuring through your current carrier.
Thinking of Helping Out Your Adult Child(ren) Financially? You Might Not be Helping.
A recent study1 conducted for Northwestern Mutual found one in three Baby Boomers (33%), the generation closest to retirement age, have less than $25,000 in retirement savings.
How the Death of a Spouse Affects Taxes and Retirement Income
Many people mistakenly believe their expenses will be half as much as a widow(er) than as a couple. This is true of some expenses, like food and clothing. However, larger expenses related…
Roth IRAs
Roth IRAs are a great way to save for retirement. But what if you have more money to contribute than is allowed in a Roth IRA? We’ll provide important retirement savings tips…
How to Deal with the Death of a Spouse From a Financial Perspective
It will come as no surprise that the death of a spouse is consistently listed as one of the most stressful life events a person will face. Death is part of life…
Teach Your Children Well – Or They Are Likely to Waste Their Inheritance
Studies estimate the baby boom generation is set to inherit $11.6 trillion over the next 20 years from their parents. The baby boomers are expected to pass on as much…
Do You Hold Title Correctly for Your Real Estate?
Property title questions during financial planning interviews often draw blank stares. Yet, understanding the differences among tenants-in-common, joint tenancy and community property is important for creditor protection issues, estate planning,…
