Watch These Two Market Indicators
While a roaring economy typically rewards equity investors, the GDP growth rate in the U.S. has continued to grow at that same 2.2% pace that we have seen since the recovery began in March 2009. When you compare that to the GDP growth rates of past economic expansions, some may classify the current growth rate as “sub par”. As in the tale of the
Can I Negotiate A Car Lease Buyout?
The short answer is "yes", but the approach that you take will most likely determine whether or not you are successful at purchasing your vehicle for a lower price than the amount listed in the lease agreement. When you lease a car, the lease agreement typically includes an amount that you can purchase the car for at the end of the lease. That amount is
Can I Use My 401K or IRA To Buy A House?
The most difficult part of buying a house is coming up with the down payment. This leads to the question, "Can I access cash in my retirement accounts to help toward the down payment on my house?". The short answer is in most cases, "Yes". The next important questions is "Is it a good idea to take a withdrawal from my retirement account for the down
Required Minimum Distribution Tax Strategies
If you are turning age 72 this year, this article is for you. You will most likely have to start taking required minimum distributions from your retirement accounts. This article will outline:
The #1 Question To Ask Yourself Before Selling A Stock
When is the right time to sell an investment? It's a tough decision that individuals have a difficult time making but it's one of the most important decisions that you will have to make as an investor. Often time the decision to "buy" an investment is much easier. You gather information on a given investment, look at the trends in the market acting on
Tax Deductions For College Savings
Did you know that if you are resident of New York State there are tax deductions waiting for you in the form of a college savings account? As a resident of NYS you are allowed to take a NYS tax deduction for contributions to a NYS 529 Plan up to $5,000 for a single filer or $10,000 for married filing joint. These limits are hard dollar thresholds so it
Social Security Loophole: Age 62+ With Kids In High School
There is a little known loophole in the social security system for parents that are age 62 or older with children still in high school or younger. Since couples are having children later in life this situation is becoming more common and it could equal big dollars for families that are aware of this social security filing strategy.
Who Pays The Tax On A Cash Gift?
This question comes up a lot when a parent makes a cash gift to a child or when a grandparent gifts to a grandchild. When you make a cash gift to someone else, who pays the tax on that gift? The short answer is “typically no one does”. Each individual has a federal “lifetime gift tax exclusion” of $5,400,000 which means that I would have to give
