Six Keys to More Successful Investing
A successful investor maximizes gain and minimizes loss. Here are six basic principles that may help you invest more successfully.
Tax Planning For Annuities
The after-tax money you pay into an annuity (in the form of premiums) is nondeductible. By placing funds in an annuity, you will not realize any current income tax savings, which you might receive by putting money into a traditional IRA, 401(k) plan, or other employer-sponsored retirement plan.
Closing A Retirement Income Gap
Once you are within a few years of retirement, you can prepare a realistic budget that will help you manage your money in retirement. Think long term: Retirees frequently get into budget trouble in the early years of retirement, when they are adjusting to their new lifestyles. Remember that when you are retired, every day is Saturday, so it’s easy to start overspending.
Taxation Of Investments
To determine how an investment vehicle is taxed in a given year, first ask yourself what went on with the investment that year. Did it generate interest income?
How Much House Can You Truly Afford?
Unless you can afford to buy a house outright, you’ll probably need to get a mortgage to help you pay for it. So, determining how much house you can afford is often a case of determining how much of a mortgage you can afford.
Investing For Major Financial Goals
At some point, you’ll probably want to buy a home, a car, maybe even that yacht that you’ve always wanted. Although they’re hardly impulse items, large purchases often have a shorter time frame than other financial goals; one to five years is common.
Five Key Benefits For Military Families
Retirement is something you need to plan for, whether it’s far away or just around the corner. Even if you can rely on a military pension because you’ve stayed in the service for 20 years or more, it’s probably not going to provide all the retirement income you’ll need, and neither is Social Security. That’s why it’s important to save for retirement on your own.
Sticker Shock: Creative Ways to Lower the Cost of College
Even with all of your savvy college shopping and research about financial aid, college costs may still be prohibitive. At these prices, you expect you’ll need to make substantial financial sacrifices to send your child to college. Or maybe your child won’t be able to attend the college of his or her choice at all. Before you throw in the towel, though, you and your child should consider steps that can actually lower college costs. Although some of these ideas deviate from the typical four-year college experience, they just might be your child’s ticket to college — and your ticket to financial sanity.
Teaching Your Teen About Money
Your teen is becoming more independent but still needs plenty of advice from you. With more money to spend and more opportunities to spend it, your teen can easily get into financial trouble. So before money burns a hole in your child’s pocket, teach him or her a few financial lessons. With your help, your teen will soon develop the self-confidence and skills he or she needs to successfully manage money in the real world.
Evaluating an Early Retirement Offer
In today’s corporate environment, cost-cutting, restructuring, and downsizing are the norm, and many employers are offering their employees early retirement packages. But how do you know if the seemingly attractive offer you’ve received is a good one? By evaluating it carefully to make sure that the offer fits your needs.