In the story of Alice in Wonderland, Alice arrives at a fork in the road and wonders aloud which road to take. A smiling Cheshire Cat appears and asks her what her destination is, to which she replies, “I don’t know.” The toothy cat then proffers the only possible response, “Well, then it doesn’t matter.”
Most people think estate planning is only for wealthy people. Certainly, the 55% of Americans who died without a will thought so, even though all of their estates ended up in probate court subject to the laws of the state. Sadly, the surviving families were thrust into a situation that resulted in unnecessary distress, expense and, for many of them, devastating financial consequences.
While divorce may be hard on your emotional wellbeing, you shouldn’t let it impact your retirement plans.
Even if you're not ready to retire, understanding how you benefit from Social Security can help with your retirement plans.
Living on a fixed income can be difficult. Do you know how taxes will affect your financial health in retirement?
If you are the parents or grandparents of a child of any age chances are good that the escalating costs of higher education are on your mind.
The quick answer is “it depends.” But, for the 33 percent of retirees who now rely more heavily on their Social Security benefits to sustain their lifestyle, the answer takes on even more significance. Generally, your income from Social Security is not taxable on its own; but when it’s combined with other sources of income for tax reporting purposes, a portion of your Social Security benefits, up to 85 percent, could be includable as taxable income.
While you might have been planning your retirement for many years, there may come a time when you need to retire earlier than expected.
One of the best illustrated instances of indecision occurs in the story of Alice in Wonderland in which Alice comes to a fork in the road and must choose a path to continue her journey. She seeks the advice of grinning Cheshire cat which appears out of nowhere.
When it comes to investing, people can be their own worst enemy. Nearly all of the mistakes made by investors can be attributed to their behavior which is typically dictated by their emotions. Fear and greed have a way of driving even the most rational people to making investing decision which is why most investors typically under perform the markets.
