Even if you’re not an investment expert, you’re probably familiar with the term “diversification.” It means not putting all your eggs in one basket. Diversification calls for choosing the right mix of investments to keep a balance between risk and return. Read more
Many of us are living close to our financial limit these days. We pay our bills on time, but there’s not a lot left over. But that’s a dangerous situation. If things go wrong, your financial situation can change very quickly from adequate to critical. Without a cash reserve, you could find yourself in serious trouble. Read more
If you’re planning to adjust your investment portfolio by selling some losing stocks at year-end, take a minute to review the wash sale rules. Read more
In a “2013 Summertime Tax Tip,” the IRS reminded taxpayers about the current rules on home sales. Here’s a quick review of those rules. Read more
When you borrow from your 401(k), you become both a borrower and a lender. Whether that’s a good idea depends on your personal financial situation – and in the process of making the decision about lending money to yourself, you may have questions regarding the tax consequences. Read more
After all the advice you’ve received about saving for retirement, taking money out of your traditional IRAs and other qualified retirement plans may feel strange. Yet once you reach age 70½, the required minimum distribution (RMD) rules say you have to do just that. Read more
A well-diversified portfolio spreads out your investment risk. However, you can easily end up with more eggs in one basket than you intended. Here are some investment tips. Read more
You only have to examine your paycheck to realize that certain income is tax-free. For example, health insurance premiums paid by your employer are generally not includible in your income. Read more
Losses can be hard to take – so if you think your S corporation will show a loss for 2013, now’s the time to plan to make sure you’ll get the full tax benefit. Read more
One way to kill your business is to grow it too fast. Many profitable small businesses have expanded at the wrong time and at the wrong level of increased costs. The result is that they never again make a profit. How does this happen? Read more