Q: My child graduated college and we still have leftover funds in a Georgia 529 savings plan; about $5000. If I close the account out, do the leftover funds become income to me as the parent or to my child who did not need the remaining 529 savings plan funds? A: It must be really [...]
It’s still a good time to refinance. In fact, it’s a great time to refinance your mortgage. Interest rates remain at historic lows, and locking in a low mortgage rate could save you a lot of money—tens of thousands of dollars over the life of your mortgage. Refinancing now is a smart move, but it’s [...]
One of the universal truths about all New Year’s resolutions is everyone seems to find it hard to keep them. While it’s not the end of the world if you don’t stick to your resolutions, there are some that you may want to work extra hard to keep. The seven tax resolutions you should make [...]
Whether they’re on the Internet, the radio, or TV, there are a lot of tax tips floating around. Not surprisingly, many of them aren’t worth following. Many people accept tax advice from all the wrong places rather than spending the money to hire a professional. This is a prescription for disaster—listening to bad advice could [...]
Do you need to get your old tax records right now for a mortgage application, car loan or student financial aid? In the past, you had to wait days or weeks to get your tax records in the mail from the IRS. But now your tax records, including returns and other filing information, are available [...]
This article was written by guest blogger Jeff Rose. You don’t need to be wealthy to be a successful investor. No matter what your objective, whether you’re investing for retirement or funding your child’s education, you can meet your money-saving goals and achieve financial success. Everyone yearns for stability and financial security, but very few [...]
It’s essential to save money for retirement and a 401(k) is a great tool to achieve your retirement saving goals. But your situation may change if you experience financial hardship before you’re ready to retire. Or maybe you are retired but you want to get the most bang for your retirement buck. You might consider [...]
Home financing regulations have become a little more clear. New federal rules—which are intended to prevent the risky loans that sank the housing market—went into effect Jan. 10, and consumers may need to do a bit more work to get a mortgage. The QM rule is designed to ensure that lenders only make loans to [...]
Last year was the year of the housing recovery. Home prices increased almost 12 percent over in 2013—almost twice what they did in 2012—bringing some markets back up to pre-crisis levels, according to Santa Ana, Calif.-based real estate analytics firm CoreLogic. The housing market may not return to normal in 2014, and it may face [...]
Real estate brokers are looking for good homebuyers just as much as homebuyers are looking for good real estate brokers. When a homebuyer is looking to purchase a home, it’s important to practice good home-buying etiquette. For homebuyers to have a good relationship with their real estate brokers, they need to follow several rules of [...]
