Saints, dogs and cash all play a role Cupid, candy hearts, flowers and chocolates are common items associated with Valentine’s Day. According to the National Retail Federation, Americans now spend more than $20 billion lavishing gifts on their kids, friends and significant others. But why? Who decided a day in the middle of February is…

The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act, also known as the SECURE Act, was passed by Congress in late December 2019. Here are some of the features in the new legislation that will help you save more for retirement:   Money can continue to grow tax deferred If you turn 70½ in 2020…

The IRS primer every voter should know: Every year the IRS publishes instructions to prepare your Form 1040, individual tax return. The publication for 2019 is a whopping 108 pages! On page 103 of the IRS booklet is a summary of collections (income) and spending (outlays) by the federal government. Given the election year, here…

Avoid Misclassification: Understand Independent Contractors The best way to avoid misclassifying workers is to understand the defining characteristics of independent contractors — and then treat them as such. Use this infographic to help you identify independent contractors and understand how they are different than employees.

Cash Flow: A Central Part of Your Business Plan When tracking and planning your business objectives, it’s easy to focus your analysis on two reports — the income statement and balance sheet. But one of the primary keys to your business’s success relies more on how you handle the money flowing in and out of…

3 Major Charity Scam Red Flags You’ve probably already received several letters and phone calls from charities asking for donations. Most requests are from legitimate organizations. Some, however, are bogus charities set up by con artists who use the holiday spirit to their financial advantage. Last year, Americans gave nearly $428 billion to charities, according…

Save More This Shopping Season This winter, the NPD Group’s 2019 Holiday Purchase Intentions Survey is reporting that Americans plan to spend an average of $740 on holiday shopping — a 7% increase since last year. The survey also found that more people started their shopping earlier than last year (even before Black Friday!). So…

Time for a Yearly Credit Report One way to head off fraud during tax season is to get your free annual credit report now. Credit reports often have errors in them; this quick checkup can be the first indication that some form of identity theft has taken place on your account. The good news is…

According to a recent Deloitte survey, 91 percent of people agree to terms and conditions without reading the legal agreement. While reading through the legally complex language may be slow and painful, it’s more important than you think. Here are four reasons why reading entire legal agreements make sense:   You miss a major technicality. Many…

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau recently reported in financial exploitation cases that older adults lost an average of $34,200. Unfortunately, these funds are often never recovered. You can ensure this doesn’t happen by learning more about scams and how to protect yourself. Here are some tips:   Recognize the scams.The best way to protect yourself…