The Justice Department recently announced the largest sweep of elder fraud cases in history. How can you, or a senior family member, avoid becoming a victim of fraud? WHAT ARE THE MOST COMMON EXAMPLES OF ELDER FRAUD? Mass Mailings Telemarketing Investment-related WHO ARE THE BAD GUYS? Global crime organizations A relative A fiduciary…
Tax season is in full bloom as we count down the days to the income tax filing deadline which is Tuesday, April 17. What are the most common filing errors? What if you’ve already made a mistake? WHAT ARE THE MOST COMMON TAX RETURN ERRORS? • Incorrect Social Security numbers: You, spouse, children. •…
Paul Fain of Asset Planning Corporation will be the keynote speaker at the Financial Planning Association’s Annual Retreat (https://fparetreat.org/) to be held April 23-26 at The Wigwam in Litchfield Park, Arizona. With his talk billed as “A Pioneer, A Profession, A Practice and A Planner,” Paul plans to share the highs and the lows, the…
In March, many employers, banks, and organizations promoted “America Saves Week.” The message was simple: Making an effort to save is vital to your financial health. Whether it is putting change in a piggy bank or contributing to a 401k plan at work it can mean big money down the road. WHY IS IT…
My family has Appalachian kinfolk who will predict your future by reading coffee grounds. Of course, you could just visit a fortune teller in Pigeon Forge. While I don’t know the track records of mountain folk divinations or palm readers, I do enjoy keeping an annual “Forecasting” folder to review the predictive powers of the…
The recent spike in market volatility has left many investors concerned about their portfolios and uncertain as to how a rise in interest rates impacts their bond investments. LET’S START WITH BONDS 101, HOW DO BONDS WORK AND WHY DO WE BUY THEM? Bonds are generally conservative investments and they produce income –…
It probably comes as no surprise but different generations have different perspectives about retirement planning. What about you? How does your age impact your plan decisions? HOW ARE THE AGE GENERATIONS DEFINED? Millennials (Gen Y): Born 1980 to 1994 Gen X (Baby Bust): Born 1965 to 1979 Baby Boomers: Born 1946 to 1964 Matures…
The U.S. stock market recently entered correction territory – dropping about 10% – for the first time in two years. The increased market volatility continues to rattle investors. What is causing the market decline and what should you do about it? Here are 8 tips for your investment strategy. WHAT IS CAUSING RECENT MARKET…
Let’s have a little fun – can the winner of the Super Bowl game predict the stock market’s next move? Well, the “Super Bowl Indicator” is a superstition that says that the stock market’s performance in a given year can be predicted based on the outcome of the Super Bowl of that year. WHAT…
The bad guys are always trying to take your hard-earned dollars. “Neighbor spoofing” is one of the latest strategies used by scammers. Forewarned is forearmed! HOW DOES “NEIGHBOR SPOOFING” WORK? Neighbor spoofing is designed to trick you into answering the phone. It is a form of caller ID spoofing used by scammers, telemarketers, and…