Month: April 2018

Surging Tech Stocks Lead In Market Cap

In one of the strongest signs yet of the long-term effects of the economic recovery, for the first time since 1974, the world’s five largest corporations by market capitalization are both US-based and all in the same sector. While the last two years have been particularly bullish for tech stocks, the broader-market slowdown combined with

Should You Care About The “Hard Fork”?

One month ago, amid even higher than normal volatility, Bitcoin underwent a split known as the “hard fork”. While there were myriad technical reasons for this to happen, the most pressing issue was the Bitcoin network being too slow to process the much higher volume of trades developing as cryptocurrency becomes a viable investment. After

Medicaid and Your Estate: What Can Be Saved?

While Medicaid pays for 59% of long-term elder care in the US (its largest category of spending by far), when the program was created it was intended as a “payer of last resort” — a form of insurance that takes over for poor seniors or, as is often the case, senior citizens made poor by

What Is the Means Test?

If you have been considering filing for bankruptcy, you’ve probably heard about the “means test,” a requirement for filing Chapter 7 Bankruptcy in US courts. Bankruptcy, by definition, depends on not having enough money to pay off one’s debts, let alone money to save or spend. Therefore it is a function of total net income,

The New Tax Code And You – Deductions

As most of us know, there have been drastic changes to the income tax system taking effect this year, thanks to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, otherwise known as the Republican tax reform. This is the first in a series of special articles to guide you through the most important changes, and show you

The New Tax Code And You – Millennials

As tax time approaches, there are even more questions than usual this year. With the sweeping changes in tax law that passed in December, what used to be deductible might not be anymore, and what used to be taxed might be taxed differently, or not at all, now. The scariest change for millennials, the removal

Taxes and the Gig Economy

Like it or not, the gig economy is here to stay, especially for younger workers and job searchers. While, according to a study from Intuit, 34 percent of workers under 30 are working temporary and/or independent contractor jobs at any given time, and statistics from the BLS show about another 10 percent are permanently freelancers

Online Shopping Safe

You may have heard of one of the many credit card breaches recently, but do you know how to keep your online shopping safe? Despite the high-profile incidents in the news, online shopping is still at least as safe as shopping in brick-and-mortar stores, but it’s still a good idea to watch out for potential

Home Insurance Costs

Do you know how much your home insurance costs? Premiums and fees can vary widely from one broker or insurer to another, yet many homeowners simply accept the insurance included with their mortgage, paying more than they have to. Check out our tips to lower your home insurance costs by optimizing your deductibles, appraising your

Healthy Dessert

I’ve always loved to eat and drink sweet things, but I’ve learned that there are lots of food and drink options that aren’t so bad for you! Check out my healthy dessert blog to educate you on food and drink options that are healthy and taste excellent, and learn more information about food and drink