You may not mind if a legitimate robocall provides a helpful announcement from your child’s school or an appointment reminder from a doctor’s office. But sadly, criminals often use robocalls to collect consumers’ personal information and/or conduct various scams. Newer “spoofing” technology displays fake numbers to make it look as though calls are local, rather
The Tax Cut and Jobs Act substantially increased the standard deduction amounts for 2018 to 2025. It also eliminated or restricted many itemized deductions for those years. You can generally choose to take the standard deduction or to itemize deductions. As a result of the changes, far fewer taxpayers will be able to reduce their
You’ve saved for your child’s college education through the years, helped your child research schools, and supervised the application process. Now, thankfully, your child is in college. But you probably can’t disappear just yet–there are still bills to pay. Maybe you underestimated exactly how much financial aid would cover. Or perhaps you knew all along
No matter what your age or stage of life, targeting a goal for monthly retirement income can seem like a daunting task. The following are four considerations to help you get started. 1. When do you plan to retire? The first question to ponder is your anticipated retirement age. Many people base their target retirement
Your Social Security Statement provides important information about your Social Security record and future benefits. For several years, the Social Security Administration (SSA) mailed these statements every five years to people starting at age 25, but due to budgetary concerns, the SSA has stopped mailing Social Security Statements to individuals under age 60. Workers age
How much do you know about market basics? Put your investing IQ to the test with this quiz on stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. Questions 1. What does it mean to buy stock in a company? a. The investor loans money to the company b. The investor becomes a part owner of the company c.
What is it? If you move to a new home for job-related reasons (either new employment or a transfer), you may be able to deduct the unreimbursed costs of moving you and your family if you meet the distance and time requirements set by the IRS. You may qualify for the deduction whether you’re an
Here are 10 things to consider as you weigh potential tax moves between now and the end of the year. Set aside time to plan – Effective planning requires that you have a good understanding of your current tax situation, as well as a reasonable estimate of how your circumstances might change next year. There’s
Every quarter, the Statistics of Income Division of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) publishes financial statistics obtained from tax and information returns that have been filed with the federal government. Recently published reports reflect data gleaned from 2014 individual federal income tax returns. These reports offer a snapshot of how the U.S. population breaks down
Business succession planning — what is it? One of the important decisions a business owner must face is when and how to step out of the business — in other words, business succession planning. Do you expect to retire from your business? Do you have a plan in place? What would happen to your business
