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Thursday, June 3, 2021

As part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, the IRS has expanded the Child Tax Credit. This is good news if you have kids and earn below $150,000 for married couples. This expansion is for the 2021 tax year only and will increase...

 

Tuesday, February 23, 2021

You’ve heard it before…“If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.” This rather proverbs‐ish saying comes from the Bible in Second Hesitations 13:6. Actually, Woody Allen, the not‐so‐proverbial and...

 

Tuesday, January 12, 2021

On December 27, 2020, Congress passed another shot for the ailing economy due to the coronavirus. Like the first Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, the most common questions we’ve received from clients...

 

Tuesday, December 8, 2020

December 2020 Hmm. Christmas. Pause with me to consider it. Immanuel, God with us. No mention here of the virus-which-must-not-be-named. Nothing but deflections of election-selection reflections. In our family Christmas mailing, we...

 

Tuesday, September 1, 2020

The IRS has announced that they will be issuing interest payments to taxpayers who filed their federal tax return for 2019 on or before July 15, 2020, received a refund, and the refund was not issued before the original April 15...

 

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Thursday, August 6, 2020

We lived in Florida for a few years and this ol’ Kentucky boy had to adjust to a new force of nature: hurricanes. After hurricane Ike hit in 2008, buildings were wiped out and $30 billion of damage occurred. An occasional house...

 

Wednesday, April 1, 2020

At the federal level, Congress passed federal tax relief and the stimulus bill called The Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. In my other blogs, I’ve...

 

Wednesday, April 1, 2020

Most any joke or comment about the certainty of death and taxes seems ill-timed and unsavory in our current environment. Fortunately, though, Congress and the IRS have shown some mercy by extending the usual due date of April 15 to...

 

Wednesday, April 1, 2020

Beyond the money offered and the tax filing deadline relief in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Congress included helpful additional flexibility provisions for IRAs and 401ks when it passed The Coronavirus Aid Relief...

 

Wednesday, April 1, 2020

In response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Congress passed The Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The CARES Act has many provisions from small business relief to changes in IRA distributions to...

 

Tuesday, March 24, 2020

I’m not going to add to the repetitive national chorus of how unusual this time period is or the easily-said-but-hard-to-do “Don’t panic.” Here are seven suggestions you likely won’t hear anywhere else....

 

Friday, November 8, 2019

Confused about 529 plans, how they work, and what expenses qualify for distributions? You are not alone. We help many clients navigate planning and paying for their children and grandchildren’s education expenses. Here are a few...

 

Monday, October 21, 2019

In part one of the ways to prepare financially for a baby, I suggested stocking up on diapers, using coupons and avoiding trendy baby items. Here are three additional money-wise steps for your recently enlarged family. Buy used instead...

 

Friday, October 11, 2019

After having two little ones in the past four years, I have learned a few things that can ease the financial burden for anyone. During the day at our office, we help clients with the big-picture financial planning aspects of a newborn,...

 

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

You always look back and think “if I had known then what I know now.” I know I certainly do when it comes to several areas of my financial wellbeing. I compiled a few tips to help younger adults get a jump start on their...

 

Saturday, June 1, 2019

Although I try to share with clients a biblical view of managing money, sometimes clients teach me or remind me of truths. A client recently said, “It’s taken me about 60 years to learn that I don’t need to cry over...

 

Wednesday, May 1, 2019

Noise-cancelling headphones are a game changer. You put these on and outside noises are muffled. I can’t explain the acoustical physics of how they work. But you’re able to focus better if needing to concentrate or sleep on...

 

Monday, April 1, 2019

An upcoming wedding has this father of the bride suddenly attuned to the wedding industry. I’ve just learned about wedding insurance policies and learned that you can insure against “cold feet” (no kidding). The...

 

Friday, March 1, 2019

In Proverbs 22:3, Solomon says, “The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty” (NIV). In a nutshell, Solomon gave the financial principle behind maintaining a reserve, or an...

 

Friday, February 1, 2019

It’s a snowy day in February and you’re ready to clean out your files. What should you keep and what to throw out? Do you really need the bank statements from 10 years ago? Is it really necessary to keep the retirement plan...

 

Tuesday, January 1, 2019

Because I’m a financial geek, people assume that I am also a cheapskate. I beg to differ. Although I do tend toward living “fiscally conservatively,” I’m extravagant in areas that are important to me. I like the...

 

Saturday, December 1, 2018

Employer-provided fringe benefits (insurance, 401K contribution, a company car, subsidized meals, etc.) may be a significant part of your overall compensation. The U.S. Department of Labor estimates the mix of compensation for the...

 

Thursday, November 1, 2018

Whenever I hear “conventional wisdom,” I’ve learned to be skeptical. It’s challenging to strike the right balance between timeless, principle-based wisdom and the accepted notions of the day. However, I think...

 

Monday, October 1, 2018

From working with many families, I have helped parents plan and prepare for the goal of assisting with their children’s college education. But much like a priest counseling someone toward marriage, I only had a technical...

 

Saturday, September 1, 2018

I love the title of a book in my library about the frantic pace of modern life, “Little House on the Freeway.” (Too bad that I’m too busy to read it!) With all the technology to save time and effort, it still seems...

 

Wednesday, August 1, 2018

When our daughters were young, we enjoyed celebrating their “half-birthdays.” We didn’t give any presents, but my wife would make one-half of a birthday cake. Then, our girls would no longer be six, but they would...

 

Sunday, July 1, 2018

Financially Married or Marred? After 69 years of marriage, I think my grandparents qualified as marriage experts. They survived as farmers, which is no easy task. They started with nothing, worked hard, gradually obtained farmland,...