Jenn Incoming and Outgoing!
As you may already know, our beloved Jenn Kovalski is having her second child in November. She, John and her almost 2-year-old daughter Tessa eagerly await the arrival of #2. There is a possibility that this new child will be born on the birthday of her older sister, Tessa. Only time will tell. Effective the…
Making Cents: How Close Should You Watch Your Plans?
A financial plan is just that, a plan to help attain the financial freedoms you want while taking precautions so that the unthinkable doesn’t sink your ship. This requires diligent coordination of many moving parts. Those parts are, but not limited to, cash flow, inflation, earnings, investment performance, tax laws, estate plans, insurance plans, family…
Making Cents: Beneficiary Choices Need to be Reviewed
With certain assets, it doesn’t matter what your will says. Upon your passing, these assets will flow to whomever you elect as the beneficiary of each individual account. Beneficiary elections are made for retirement accounts and insurance contracts. Typically, these beneficiary elections are made when you establish the account. For certain retirement accounts, these elections may be…
And Then There Were 7
A little over 5 years ago, I wrote to you with excitement about expecting our first grandchild. Everything about that has been exciting including today’s first day of kindergarten. And while she was growing, she had the pleasure of witnessing the birth of two brothers and four cousins. For those good at math, yes, that…
Making Cents: Downsizing Doesn’t Always Mean Down Costing
If you are amongst the millions who have an extra bedroom or two, the thought of downsizing the home seems to be “the” topic at backyard barbeques. Now that the kids are grown and gone, or almost gone, you may be asking why you should continue to pay the property taxes, heat and other costs…
Making Cents: Do Your Homeworking When Picking A Financial Advisor
If part of your plan for the New Year is to hire or change financial advisors, it is never too early to start that process. Many people do not ask enough questions when vetting out a new advisor, and simply hope for the best. Ask is what the prospective planner feels is his or her…
Making Cents: Price Inflation May Be Higher Than You Think It Is
Calculating the rate of inflation seems rather simple. If you pay $10 for something today and one year later that item costs $11, you would think that the item has inflated by $1 or 10% over the past year. But when it comes to the rate of inflation, there is yet another variable to factor…
Making Cents: How To Pick A Trustee
A trustee is generally a person or a company who oversees the governance and maintenance of a trust. For some trusts, you may be your own trustee while for others, you may need or want an independent trustee. For simplicity sake, realize that if you are your own trustee and have the power to reach…
Making Cents: One Thing About The Internet, You Can’t Take It With You
Sometimes things that are designed to make life simpler seem to complicate matters further. Take the ever growing presence of the internet. How many websites, user IDs, and passwords can any one person endure? Especially in this world of changing passwords and identity protection. Mainly due to security reasons, the internet, which was supposed to…
Making Cents: Expanding Your Annual Financial Check Up
As the calendar marches toward the final quarter of the year, there are certain financial rituals that many astute investors embrace. They routinely scour their portfolios for gains or losses to harvest, see that their allocations align with their expectations and they plan for ways to reduce the income taxes that they’ll pay for the…