Category: General
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The Forever Stamp Retirement Account
So, you may have heard that postage rates will be going up on May 12th. You may also have heard that the post office has a new little Forever Stamp that’s good for one first class letter, or what currently costs 41 cents (it will be going up to 42 cents). What this means is…
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What Is A Certified Financial Planner?
A Certified Financial Planner, or CFP, is someone who meets the qualifications specified by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc., and those qualifications are: Pass an Exam: They must complete the CFP Board’s certification examination. Years of Experience: They must have 3-5 years of financial planning-related experience. Adherence to Ethics: They must voluntarily…
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Rebalance Portfolio or Wait It Out?
If you’re like me, you’ve probably taken a look at your retirement assets and wondered if now is the time to re-balance your portfolio given all the blood-letting the stock market has done. I mean the name of the game is to buy low and sell high right? Stock market has gotten pretty low, with…
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Beware Refund Anticipation Loans
In the next few months you’ll probably get your tax done and one of the things that might tempt you is something called a refund anticipation loan. It’s so simple, you do your taxes, the preparer looks at your return, and offers you a loan in return for a signature. There’s no waiting period, few…
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Extra Standard Deduction for Seniors
If you are 65 or older, did you know that the extra standard deduction amount you get to add went up by $50 in 2007? It’s pegged to inflation so instead of an additional $1,250 on top of the standard deduction, you will be able to tack on $1,300 (for single filers). For those that…
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Nearing Retirement? Stock Falls Increase Dividends
Money has a great article out today in which they highlight the fact that recent stock market turmoil is opening up a great opportunity for near-retirees looking for some high yielding dividend companies. Falling stock prices are enough to make anyone a little wary of going into the market but seeing blue chip stocks fall…
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Federal Gift Tax
If you give someone a gift of over $12,000 dollars a year, you are required by law to pay the tax on that gift over the gift tax amount. The gift giver is responsible, not the gift recipient, which seems to go contrary with one’s expectations. What is a gift? A gift is anytime there…
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Carry Little to No Debt In Retirement
When you’re “retired,” you’re generally going to be on a pretty fixed income. You might take some odd jobs here or there to supplement your income and pass the time, you might try out paid volunteerism to put polished skills to work, but in general your income is going to be fixed. For that very…
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95th Festival of Frugality
My Retirement Blog is honored to host this week’s Festival of Frugality as the 95th edition finds its home here for the first time. Without much ado, here is the festival: Gems of the Week Alison presents Under the Weather and Over the Counter, a review of meds and how the generics will often do…