Mobile payment apps like Apple Pay, Google Wallet, and PayPal give consumers the ability to make purchases from their devices both in stores and online, but the demand hasn’t caught up to the wealth of options. As more companies take aim at mobile payments, Apple may hope that its recent addition of reward cards and [...]
The very best way to project your tax liability is to work with a tax professional who uses professional tax tools. So, the first tip to calculating what you owe is to establish a relationship with a tax preparer that you see at least once a year for a consultation. Even if you prepare your [...]
When buying or selling a home, you may find that you are sharing more sensitive personal information than at any other time in your life. Aside from Social Security numbers and addresses, which are key pieces of information that an identity thief needs, you’re also handing out detailed financial statements, work history, tax information, a [...]
Life insurance and disability insurance are both important types of insurance to consider, especially if you have family members who depend on your earnings. Consumers might want to consider weighing these two different forms of insurance to determine if they want to purchase just one or if the benefits to getting both outweigh the costs. [...]
When you’re preparing for retirement, one of the many things people think about is retirement savings. You’ve worked hard and invested for retirement, but you want to help ensure your money lasts as long as you need it. One way some people extend the life of their savings during retirement is to plan their distributions [...]
Homeowner’s insurance coverage is designed to protect your finances if a catastrophe befalls your biggest asset. It can help you recover from unexpected—and expensive—damage to your home, and most lenders require you to purchase it before they will close on your loan. If you’ve been dropped by your homeowner’s insurance company, you may run the [...]
After years of working and saving, retirement can sometimes be a difficult adjustment, especially when it comes to how you spend your money. Once you’re no longer bringing in a paycheck from an employer, you’ll have to rely on Social Security, your pension (if you’re lucky enough to have one) and your retirement savings as [...]
When it comes to taxes, every little break helps, which may be why tax holidays are so popular. Each year, a number of states give consumers a break on paying sales tax, for a couple of days or up to a week, on items like clothing, footwear, school supplies, and even computers. In 2015, sixteen [...]
If you owe money or have filed for bankruptcy, you may be worried about creditors going after your retirement funds. Regardless of your financial situation, here is some essential information to know about both ERISA-qualified retirement accounts and non-ERISA accounts: ERISA-qualified retirement accounts Retirement accounts set up under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) [...]
When your debt is cancelled or “forgiven” by a creditor, you may owe taxes on that debt. This debt is called phantom income, named so because despite the fact that the IRS considers it income, it never appears in your bank account. Imagine losing the home of your dreams, either through a short sale or [...]
