Top Four New Year’s Resolutions
Here are four top financial resolutions that will help you get on track in the new year. Follow these and by the end of the year you’ll be set for the future.
Ginita’s Blog
Seven Simple Secrets to Transform Your Financial Life
It’s never too late to transform your financial life. We wrote this article several years ago, but the advice is just as good today as it was back then, so we’re re-posting it. If you didn’t read it the first time it came along, or if you weren’t ready to implement this simple-yet-amazingly-effective advice, now …
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Are financial problems making you feel stupid? Scientists have figured out why.
Does your month last longer than your money? Don’t berate yourself for stupidity! When financial stress gets you down, your mind is slower as well, scientists have found. Most people tested lost about 13 IQ points when they were worried about money. That’s because stress slows your brain and makes thinking more difficult, the same …
Are financial problems making you feel stupid? Scientists have figured out why. Read More »
Is Divorce on Your Holiday Shopping List?
Eight Steps from the Experts on Handling the Holidays when Your Marriage No Longer Feels Like a “Gift” Thinking about shopping lists, presents, parties, and…divorce? Holidays are usually a time for reconnecting, but if you are married — and not so happily — seasonal preparations can put major strain on relationships that are already teetering …
A Man Is Not A Financial Plan
I’ve said it many times and I’ll say it again: A Man Is Not A Financial Plan® — Ginita Wall Many of the young women of the millennial generation fully expect to go to college and develop their own careers regardless of whether they get married and have children. In fact, the growing expectation of …
Want to save taxes? Buy carrots.
As Congress and the White House consider cutting spending and raising taxes, I hope they consider what creative entrepreneurs do when tax rates get too high. Here’s an example: When a special sales tax on theater ticket sales were raised to 21%, a theater owner in Spain put on his thinking cap. He noticed that …
Love is Grand – $30 Grand
February is the month for hopeless — and hopeful – romantics. Here is a roadmap to the courting process, courtesy of our friends at Turbotax. Love is grand, it’s true. But as you head down the road to everlasting love, you’d better start saving – the cost of a wedding averages almost $30 grand. It …
The Cost of Christmas is on the Rise Again
Ever wonder what the twelve days of Christmas would cost in today’s dollars? Well, believe it or not PNC Wealth Management has been tracking exactly that for 30 years. The cost of the gifts in song “The Twelve Days of Christmas” is $27,393.17 in 2013, almost $1,200 more than last year. Build the gifts from …
Don’t get taken in by the latest financial scam
Can you spot a financial scam. The new Financial Fraud and Susceptibility survey bets you can’t. About 40% of the 2,400 people surveyed recently said they’d be enticed by a fully guaranteed investment, especially if it offered an annual return of 110%. Really? Bernie Madoff’s guaranteed return rate was only 12%, and that was clearly …
Home transfers in divorce can render mortgage interest non-deductible.
There are three parties to every divorce: the husband, the wife, and Uncle Sam. Uncle Sam is very picky about interest deductions on home mortgages, and a misstep can cost your client a tax deduction. Here’s a common situation that can trip you up, and ways to get around it. Your client agrees to transfer …
Home transfers in divorce can render mortgage interest non-deductible. Read More »
Reverse Mortgages Can Be Dangerous
If an older cash-challenged client wants to borrow funds to buy their spouse out of the home, they are often told that if they use a reverse mortgage they’ll never have to make a mortgage payment again. Here’s how it works: A reverse mortgage converts equity into cash, as a one-time payout, ongoing monthly payments …
Higher Education Just Got Higher
College kids and their parents are having a tough time of it financially, and it’s going to get a whole lot worse with government cost-cutting, I’m afraid. Public colleges have always been the low-cost alternative to private schools (such as Harvard, Yale and Stanford), but the words “low-cost” don’t really apply any more. The tuition …
Should You file Taxes Jointly or Separately?
It’s tax time again, and many are wondering whether they should file jointly with their soon-to-be-ex-spouse. There are many factors that I consider when I meet with clients to determine their best course of action for filing taxes. If you suspect your spouse is cheating on taxes by under-reporting income or over-reporting deductions, you can …