When it’s time to prepare the next generation for a financial legacy, you might want to bring your family members together to talk about money. But sitting down together isn’t easy, because money is a complicated and emotionally charged topic. Rather than risk conflict, your family may prefer to avoid talking about it altogether. If
Americans gave almost $450 billion to charity in 2019, an increase of 4.2% over the previous year. Individuals accounted for more than two-thirds of this amount, followed by contributions from foundations, bequests, and corporations. Here is a breakdown of the recipients of this generosity, by percentage of total charitable contributions. Source: Giving USA 2020 Connect
Few business owners have escaped the financial effects of stay-at-home orders, new safety protocols, and consumer fears related to the pandemic. Even if you took advantage of temporary federal, state, or local relief funds to help you stay afloat during the worst months, you could be expecting significantly lower sales and profits for 2020 overall.
Many IRA and retirement plan limits are indexed for inflation each year. While some of the limits remain unchanged for 2021, other key numbers have increased. IRA contribution limits The maximum amount you can contribute to a traditional IRA or a Roth IRA in 2021 is $6,000 (or 100% of your earned income, if less),
If there is one thing the COVID-19 stay-at-home orders demonstrated, it was the need to find joy in simple pleasures. In fact, 43% of respondents to one survey said they had “changed their ways for the better” as a result of the lockdown. (1) By applying some of the lessons learned from pandemic purgatory to
As we approach the end of a very difficult year, this might be a good time to look at the state of the jobs recovery so far and consider its future prospects. In April 2020, the U.S. economy lost an astonishing 20.8 million jobs, by far the largest loss recorded in a single month dating
Here are some things to consider as you weigh potential tax moves before the end of the year. Defer income to next year Consider opportunities to defer income to 2021, particularly if you think you may be in a lower tax bracket then. For example, you may be able to defer a year-end bonus or
Every year, the College Board releases updated college cost data and trends in its annual report. Although costs can vary significantly depending on region of the country and college, the College Board publishes average cost figures, which are based on a survey of approximately 4,000 colleges across the country. Following are cost highlights for the
The U.S. homeownership rate jumped by 2.6% in the second quarter of 2020, the largest quarterly increase on record, bringing it to a level last seen in 2008. Part of this unexpected increase may be due to a change in the survey process because of the coronavirus, as well as a drop in the number
For adults with student debt and extra money on hand, deciding whether to pay off student loans early or put those funds toward retirement can be tricky. It’s a financial tug-of-war between digging out from debt today and saving for the future, both of which are very important goals. This decision is relevant today considering
