Good News Abounds in the Housing Market
In March, average fixed mortgage rates moved lower than in recent months. In fact, they actually average even lower than this time last year. That’s particularly good news in light of the pick-up in the residential real estate market. This [...]
The Planning for Retirement Conundrum
In our personal lives, we approach large amounts of debt with a long-term timeframe. For example, the 30-year mortgage. So it stands to reason that the U.S. national debt – currently in the ballpark of $16.7 trillion – will require [...]
Health Care Deductions
With all of the attention given to the new tax provisions passed in the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, it may be tough to focus on last year’s laws in order to complete last year’s tax return. Whether you’re [...]
Sequestration Frustration
When did the word “sequestration” first penetrate our mainstream American vocabulary? It’s generally used in a trial when the jury is sequestered so they can’t talk to anyone about the case. Merriam-Webster’s dictionary has several definitions that don’t seem [...]
Why Does Health Care Cost So Much?
Do you know what a routine venipuncture is? That’s a fancy way of saying a nurse drew blood from your arm. Do you know how much one 325mg acetaminophen tab might cost you in a hospital? That’s the generic version [...]
The Toll of Education
Who knows what makes one child better able to grasp mathematical concepts than others? Is it genetic? Is it access to better education? Most of us know people who inherently seem to “get it,” but it’s likely we know [...]
Remodeling Your Finances
There are signs pointing to an invigorated residential real estate market in spring of 2013. Whether homeowners are gearing up to list their homes on the market or not, the signals are as evident as the crocus bulbs poking their [...]
On Working Forever
Indifferent to signs of growth elsewhere in the economy, the unemployment rate has been stalled at around 7.9 percent since September. While pervasive layoffs appear to have tapered off, the general feeling seems to be that unless a company utterly [...]
It Takes a Village
Baby boomers are giving new meaning to an established term. “It takes a village” – used in the title of Hillary Clinton’s 1996 book – comes from the African proverb “it takes a village to raise a child.” The idea [...]
401(k) News
A recent survey by HelloWallet revealed that currently, workers age 40 to 49 comprise the largest group making withdrawals from their 401(k) plans. Are they using this money for retirement expenses, as intended? No. More than 50% have used the [...]
