Mistake to Avoid Holding US Savings Bonds After Interest Has Stopped
United States Savings Bonds have been one of the most popular ways for Americans to save for over 75 years. As a result of purchases or gifts, more than 55…
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The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was signed into law on December 22, 2017 with many of its provisions to take effect on January 1, 2018. The bill is quite…
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Maximizing Retirement Plan Contributions for Small Businesses
Along with making money with their business, most small business owners also try to minimize income taxes and grow their wealth. Qualified retirement plans present an excellent opportunity to accomplish…
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The following videos cover car loans. Car Title Loans Paying Your Car Loan
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The following videos cover debt and credit cards. Minimum Payments on Credit Cards Prepaid Cards
Read More Videos: Credit Reports and Scores
The following videos cover credit reports and scores. Credit Scores Your Source for a Truly Free Credit Report? AnnualCreditReport.com
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The following videos cover saving strategies to plan for your future. Saving Matters Bank Accounts Budgets Ways to Save During Tax Time Make the Most of Your Tax Refund
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Videos: Identity Theft and Protection
The following videos cover how you can protect your identity. What Is Identity Theft? Why Care About Identity Theft? Don't be an Online Victim Identity Theft Rapid Response Tips Protecting…
Read More Maximize the Value of Your IRA
Individual retirement accounts (IRAs) continue to be one of the most powerful ways to accumulate funds for a financially secure retirement, for several reasons: IRAs are convenient ways to save…
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Financial Factoids: Tax and Estate Planning Issues
Keeping Income Tax Information There is a general three-year statute of limitation for your taxes, meaning the IRS has three years from when you file your return to start an…
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Financial Factoids: Investing Issues
Are Your US Savings Bonds Still Paying Interest? Many people have accumulated Savings Bonds or received them as gifts. As patriotic as it may be to own the bonds, some…
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Financial Factoids: Issues for Parents
Automatic Savings Plans to Fund College The costs of attending college are high and they keep growing. Transferring $250 each month to a child’s custodial account will accumulate to almost…
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Financial Factoids: Retirement Issues
Automatic Savings Plans for Your Retirement Your IRA – Transferring $458.33 each month will fund your 2015 IRA contribution of $5500 or $541.66 for a contribution of $6500 if you…
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Financial Factoids: Home and Residence Issues
Tax Implications of Home Ownership Owning a home can provide financial and tax benefits as well as shelter and emotional satisfaction. Tax benefits can come from itemized deductions (for mortgage…
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Planning a Vacation – Save Now or Pay More Later
If a vacation is in your plans, you should consider the financial aspects along with all the details of your trip. Those issues are how much is the vacation going…
Read More Financial Test Q&A: Investment Questions
Financial Test Questions and Answers Investment Questions When interest rates rise, the value of bonds: a. rise b. fall c. stay the same b) The market values of bonds…
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Is a Roth IRA Conversion Right For You?
Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) are part of a financially secure retirement for many people. Regular IRAs became popular in the 1980s and the Roth IRA was created in the late…
Read More Are You Laddering Your CD Maturities?
Shorter-term certificates offer more flexibility, but usually with lower rates. You could get higher rates with longer-term maturities, but what happens if rates go up even more? Choosing a combination of maturities can combine the best of both…
Taking Advantage of Non-Deductible IRA Contributions and Roth Conversions
Roth IRAs are often more attractive than regular IRAs because distributions are tax free and there are no required minimum distributions beginning at 72. The most common drawbacks with Roth…
Read More When Should You Consider Starting to Take Social Security Retirement Benefits?
The answer to that question is not necessarily simple. There are several factors to consider: What is your age? Do you plan to continue to work? How badly do you…
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Investing in Municipal Bonds
Investing in Municipal Bonds You may want to consider municipal bonds as part of the fixed income portion of your investment portfolio. States, cities, and other local authorities issue municipal…
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Financial Test Q&A: General Questions
Financial Test Questions and Answers General Questions The inflation rate for the past 10 years has averaged: a. less than 3% b. about 5% c. about 7% d. about 10%…
Read More Financial Test Q&A: Retirement Questions
The average monthly Social Security retirement benefit for a retired couple is: a. about $900 b. about $1000 c. about $1400 d. more than $2000 d) In 2020, at…
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Personal Financial Life Skills: Preparing for a financially secure future
Click here to download the Personal Finance Skills PDF Personal Financial Life Skills Preparing for a financially secure future Slide # Introduction 1 Objectives Discuss some of the…
Read More Financial Test Q&A: Income Tax and Estate Planning
Financial Test Questions and Answers Income Tax and Estate Planning Questions What is a living trust? a) A document that dictates life preserving wishes b) A trust established to…
Read More Funding Your IRA the Easy Way With an Automatic Savings Plan
Your Individual Retirement Account (IRA) is one of the four main components of a financially secure retirement. Anyone with wages under the age of 70½ can contribute, the annual contribution…
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Evaluating Combining Your Mortgage and Your Home Equity Loan
If you are like many, you have used an increase in the value of your home and the equity you have built up as a source of borrowing through a…
Read More Evaluating Debt Consolidation
If you are like most Americans, your mail box is filled with offers for credit cards, mortgage refinancing and home equity loans. Many of those offers stress the benefits of…
Read More Fund Your IRA the Easy Way With an Automatic Savings Plan (Calculator)
Your Individual Retirement Account (IRA) is one of the four main components of a financially secure retirement. Anyone with wages under the age of 70 ½ can contribute, the annual…
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Home Equity Loans: A Powerful Financial Tool (Calculator)
The equity you have in your home can be a powerful tool in managing your overall financial situation. Your equity, the value of your home minus your existing mortgage, can…
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Evaluating Your Mortgage Options Finding the Mortgage that Meets Your Objectives
Finding a mortgage can be a strenuous process. It can seem as though there are dozens of different types with different interest rates, different lengths and other terms. To find…
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Evaluating Refinancing Your Mortgage
It is more than rates, it is your objectives, too. If you are like most people, your home is your most valuable financial asset and your mortgage is your largest…
Read More Reduce Your Car Payments By Saving Now for a Larger Down Payment
If you are planning to buy a car, you can reduce your monthly payments by increasing your down payment. Increase your down payment with an automatic savings plan. Sample…
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Reduce Your Monthly Mortgage Payments By Increasing Your Down Payment (Calculator)
Reduce Your Monthly Mortgage Payments By Increasing Your Down Payment The size of your mortgage payment is determined by two factors – the interest rate and how much you…
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Replace Your Credit Card Debt with a Home Equity Loan
Credit cards can be a great convenience, but the interest rates charged on unpaid balances are usually much higher than those found with home equity loans. If you have significant…
Read More An Easy Way to Save for Any Reason (Calculator)
Having more money is better than having less money. You may be thinking of a vacation, a new car, an addition to your house, your retirement or just the peace of mind…
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Saving for College Made Easy (or at Least Easier)
The costs of sending a child or a grandchild to college are high and getting higher. Actual costs vary by school, but a general place to begin is to consider…
Read More Your Honeymoon: Save Now and Enjoy or Pay More Later
If a honeymoon is in your plans, you should consider the financial aspects along with all the details of your trip. Those issues are how much is it going to…
Read More Save for Your Retirement
Add $50,000, $100,000 or even $500,000 to Your Retirement Savings Your personal savings are one of the four building blocks of a financially secure retirement along with your company's retirement…
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Does Your Adjustable Rate Mortgage Still Make Sense?
Adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs) became very popular a few years ago (especially 2002 to 2005) because ARM interest rates, and resulting monthly payments, were significantly less than those found with…
Read More Your Next Vacation Save Now and Enjoy or Pay More Later
If a vacation is in your plans, you should consider the financial aspects along with all the details of your trip. Those issues are how much is it going to…
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Top 10 Tips to Financial Freedom
Spend less than you earn. Develop a savings plan and pay yourself first. Understand the power of compounding interest. Be mindful of the future. Save and invest regularly for the…
Read More Podcast: Shredding Personal Documents and When to Dispose of Them
https://financialfitnessassociation.org/wp-content/uploads/P8_ShreddingPersonalDocuments.mp3 Welcome to the podcast series – Take Control of your Financial Future. In this session, we are going to review some general rules on how long you should…
Read More Podcast: Protecting Your Mail
https://financialfitnessassociation.org/wp-content/uploads/P7_ProtectingYourMail.mp3 Welcome to the podcast series – Take Control of your Financial Future. In this session, we are going to discuss a few ways to keep you mail safe.…
Read More Podcast: Protecting Your Internet Activities and Electronic Data
https://financialfitnessassociation.org/wp-content/uploads/P4_ProtectingYourInternetActivities.mp3 Welcome to the podcast series – Take Control of your Financial Future. In this session, we are going to review some steps you should take to protect your…
Read More Podcast: Protecting Your Credit Card Activities
https://financialfitnessassociation.org/wp-content/uploads/P3_ProtectingYourCreditCardActivities.mp3 Welcome to the podcast series – Take Control of your Financial Future. In this session, we are going to review some ways to protect your credit card activities.…
Read More Podcast: Protecting Against Investment Scams on the Internet
https://financialfitnessassociation.org/wp-content/uploads/P5_ProtectingAgainstInvestmentScamsOnInternet.mp3 Welcome to the podcast series – Take Control of your Financial Future. In this session, we are going to review some ways to protect yourself from investment scams…
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