Tue, November 03, 2009
Today I found a nice article at Smartmoney.com that summarizes several indicators that can help you make an educated guess as to whether housing prices in an area are likely to go up. Read the full article
Sun, November 01, 2009
Economists at the University of Massachusetts believe the state’s economy may have bottomed, but the indicators remain ambiguous. Read the full article
Tue, October 27, 2009
Under the Worker, Retiree, and Employer Recovery Act of 2008, Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) for 2009 from IRAs were waived. People who inadvertently received a distribution were confused about their options, but the IRS has issued clarifying guidance. Read the full article
Sat, October 24, 2009
As the November 30th deadline for the $8,000 first-time homebuyers credit approaches, members of both the House and the Senate are floating ideas for ways to extend the credit. Read the full article
Fri, October 23, 2009
Today the House Financial Services Committee approved a bill establishing the Consumer Financial Protection Agency (CFPA). Read the full article
Fri, October 16, 2009
Despite a decline in the Consumer Price Index (CPI), major retirement plan limits remain unchanged. Read the full article
Thu, October 08, 2009
Yesterday’s second hour of the radio program “On Point” featured the author of “Buy Ketchup in May and Fly at Noon: A Guide to the Best Time to Buy This, Do That, and Go There.” Read the full article
Tue, October 06, 2009
At this time of year it’s a good idea to look for last-minute opportunities to minimize your taxes. Most opportunities require some action before the end of the calendar year; here are several ideas to consider. Read the full article
Thu, October 01, 2009
Bizjournals.com recently released its analysis of per capita income growth in the 100 largest US metro areas. Except for Bridgeport-Stamford, CT, Boston was the only metro area in New England ranked among the top 10 . Read the full article
Wed, September 30, 2009
Last week, the NPR show This American Life marked the anniversary of the housing-credit crisis by updating its entertaining report on the events that led to the collapse of the credit markets last year. Read the full article
Thu, September 17, 2009
Home mortgage interest has been a tax-deductible expense on Federal tax returns since 1913. But in a report issued recently, the General Accounting Office (GAO) has recommended that the IRS do a better job of enforcing the rules that apply to the mortgage interest deduction. Read the full article
Thu, September 17, 2009
Figuring out which cell phone plan to buy can be a huge pain. There's no point in paying for services that you don't use, and if you pick the wrong plan, you're stuck for as long as two years unless you pay a termination fee. Over at the Flowing Data blog, there are some graphs that help simplify the process. Read the full article
Mon, September 14, 2009
I don’t often write this sort of advice, but here’s my household risk management recommendation for the Fall: get your flu shots. Read the full article
Thu, September 10, 2009
The Federal Reserve’s latest “beige book” report offers a few encouragements on the state of the New England economy. Read the full article
Fri, September 04, 2009
Each year, contribution limits on 401(k)s, IRAs and other retirement plans are adjusted to keep up with inflation. However, because of a quirk in the rules that define how limits on 401(k) and pension plan contributions are calculated, it’s possible that 2010 limits on these plans could actually decline from current levels. Read the full article
Wed, September 02, 2009
About 50 million people own 401(k)-type retirement plans, and the percentage of workers with defined-benefit (pension) plans has been dwindling for years. One problem with 401(k) plans is that many plans don’t disclose their fees openly. That would change if Congress moves forward with a bill currently awaiting action in the House of Representatives. Read the full article
Fri, August 28, 2009
SIMPLE IRA plans give small employers an easy way to make employer matching contributions to an employee's retirement plan. The administration of these plans is much simpler for employers than most other retirement plans, but SIMPLE IRAs involve twists and turns that can be confusing for the employees who own the accounts. Read the full article
Fri, August 21, 2009
Announcements of new exchange-traded funds arrive in my e-mailbox almost daily, but today’s seemed ironically timed: a new inverse ETF tied to the performance of twenty-year Treasuries. Read the full article
Fri, August 21, 2009
The coming change in Roth IRA conversion rules has been discussed (seemingly) endlessly in the financial planning community, especially lately. What follows is a short summary of how the conversion laws will change. In future posts, I'll write more about the considerations that should go into a Roth IRA conversion decision. Read the full article
Wed, August 19, 2009
The SEC issued a joint warning with FINRA today about the risks of leveraged and inverse ETFs for retail investors. Read the full article
Sun, August 16, 2009
Yesterday the Bureau of Labor Standards provided a CPI update through July 2009. Prices seem to be firming, but no clear pattern has yet emerged. Read the full article
Mon, August 10, 2009
Last week I received an email that really annoyed me. It was an invitation to a seminar on how to use celebrity endorsements as a marketing tool. Read the full article
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