Appropriate Witholding?

As tax time fast approaches you may have realized that your tax withholding was either too much or not enough. What are the best ways to assure this number is correct for future years? Visit irs.gov/witholding to learn more or watch this short video to get started.

Have You Checked Your Witholding Lately?

Make the Best of Black Friday

Want to get the best deals and save the most money on Black Friday?  Elissa Sanci for Smarter Living, The New York Times offers tips and shopping best practices in her article: 5 Things to Avoid on Black Friday
Black Friday is a money- and time-sucking vortex. Here’s what not to do this year.
  She highlights her list with entertaining anecdotes of those who fell victim to the seemingly needed purchases and makes recommendations for how to avoid these pitfalls.

Time-Banking

Ever wanted help with a project?  What if you could exchange needed services with your friends and neighbors?  This group did just that through the time-banking model.

Time-banking is a model for trading skills, goods, and labor instead of money—a sort of barter system where members “deposit” hours doing things like teaching, cooking, or repairing things, and “withdraw” hours of other members’ services. It’s been around in the U.S. since the 1980s, and there are close to 500 such banks across the country today.   No Price Tags: These Neighbors Built Their Own Economy Without Money

Most function on a one-hour to one-hour system that helps members meet their needs in non-monetary ways, often saving money.  This allows stay-at-home mothers, retirees, and business professionals alike to contribute.

Grandparent’s Gift

Are you interested in saving money for your grandchildren?  David LaMartina for ThinkAdvisor examines this subject in his article, Investing for Grandchildren (There are a few well-established ways advisors can help clients invest in their grandkids futures without putting client’s own retirements at risk.) In this article, he examines best practices for maintaining your own retirement and savings while setting aside specific funds for grandchildren in a variety of ways.  Everything from 529 plans to inventive uses of life insurance polices.

Saving Money Collectively

Just the other day, our garage door spring broke.  Putting out a request for suggestions on a Facebook group brought a great amount of feedback and ultimately a free, brand-new garage spring.  There are many of these sites available that can help you network with others who may have what you need or need what you’ve got.  Read more and learn about the best ways to save money in your community.   How to Save Money With the Help of Your Community

Close to Retirement? Questions to Ask Now

Health Insurance 3d concept illustration

 

 

Do you know at what age you will become eligible for medicare?  What is your sign-up       window, and can you defer enrollment if you are still working and covered by an employer insurance plan?  Turns out, knowing these answers is very important and may save you a good deal of money in the long run.

 

Ten Tips for Advising Clients About Medicare