Are you planning on doing a project yourself because you think it will be cheaper?  Think again.  An article entitled “Your Money or Your Time” in the magazine Real Simple jumped out at me because it explores and explains this dilemma in a scientific fashion.  The article explained why three factors hinder you from making a [...]

August:  The time of year that you see extra-long twin sheets on sale, cars jam packed with stuff traveling down the highway, and now smaller and smaller laptops being bought at Best Buy.  Yes, August is the time for college freshmen to embark on a new stage of life called ”independence”  or at least “live outside of mom [...]

Most people understand that a well designed estate can help them leave their loved ones with the most assets possible.  They go through great lengths to develop a strong trust or will, get expensive life insurance policies or jump through hoops of other complex vehicles.  And when it’s signed and notarized, clients sit back and relax, mistakenly [...]

Now that the market is flood with “low” prices on real estate, people are looking for that great deal.  Buy low, rent or sell high and make quick money.  Seems easy, right?  Read this excellent article, “Real Estate Horror Tales” by Caren Chesler in Financial Advisor Magazine to find out why real estate  is not [...]

Have you ever wondered what the difference is between an investment representative, financial advisor, financial planner, wealth manager, or investment broker?  Most people who use these titles claim to provide financial advice, but the similarities may stop there.  The first step is to ask if your advisor has a fiduciary duty to you.  Some advisors are only held to [...]

We get asked about investing in gold from time to time and our advice is usually the same (see our 11/20/09 blog).  A recent article by The Economist entitled “Gold: Store of Value”, helps explain why the “value” of gold is  based on uncertainty of the major economies and currencies, not sound investing principles.  The article points out the following ideas listed [...]

Congress has made moves to retroactively extend the IRA charitable rollover for 2010. The rollover would allow IRA owners age 70 1/2 and older to make tax-free charitable gifts of up to $100,000. The IRA charitable gift could satisfy your annual minimum required distribution. A great resource for more information on gifting to an educational [...]

You’ve drawn up wills.  You have Power of Attorney assigned.  You may even have trust documents.   You’re all set and don’t need to do any more planning, right?
Not necessarily.  If the uncertainty of the estate tax laws (set to expire this year unless Congress acts to repeal or change it -again) teaches us anything, it should be [...]

Mark Berg was recently interview by Emily Brandon for a US News & World Report article on the first steps of good retirement planning for new graduates as they become employees.
Start Early. Money you tuck away for retirement in your 20s has decades to compound. Make savings automatic, beginning with your first paycheck, and try to [...]

Estate tax law has been a hot topic this year for the financial industry, but not many individuals are concerned about it because they assume it is a “rich person’s” problem, not theirs.  
Congress let 2009 finish without taking any action to address the expiring estate tax law.  No action in 2010 by Congress would mean that [...]