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Our goal is to keep you, your family, and your friends up to date on everything from finance to health care. We strive to help you make the most informed financial decisions to help you achieve financial success, so you can enjoy everything life has to offer. That’s what our blog is for!
How Legal Settlements and Fees Are Taxed

How Legal Settlements and Fees Are Taxed

Let’s say you are involved in a serious auto accident. You may sue the other driver to pay for damages not covered by the insurance companies. Perhaps you even receive a large settlement. Are you on the hook for taxes on that lawsuit payout? It depends. According to the IRS, monies received for personal injuries or illness are exempt from income taxes. If you receive a settlement for mental and emotional distress, that may also be tax exempt if it is directly related to a physical injury or illness.

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Balancing “Real Life” With Caregiving

Balancing “Real Life” With Caregiving

During 2020, more than 65 million American women provided unpaid care for their children, family members, and elderly relatives. It’s easy to imagine that many of them likely juggled caring for a combination of these types of dependents. If you’ve ever provided ongoing caregiving duties for a parent, partner, child, sibling or someone else, you may recognize common feelings of being overwhelmed, exhausted, out of your depth and even somewhat resentful — and then feeling guilty.

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Retirement Makeover

Retirement Makeover

Many babies born today in the developed world are expected to live nearly 100 years. Given the vast changes over the past two decades in medicine, technology and the ways we work, communicate and even entertain ourselves, it’s almost hard to imagine how different life will be in 100 years.

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Tax Notes

Tax Notes

This year, the official start date for filing 2021 income tax returns was Jan. 24, and the season ends on April 18 for most filers. According to the IRS, the typical period for refunds is three weeks or less. Be aware that you can speed up the process by filing electronically and submitting your direct deposit information.

read more
The 2022 Economy: Reasons To Be Positive

The 2022 Economy: Reasons To Be Positive

Year-end brought a resurgence of COVID-19 panic, led by the onset of the omicron variant in the United States. Families and friends met in large gatherings during the holiday season, the weather got cooler — sending people indoors — and hospitals became overwhelmed with new coronavirus cases.

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The Business of Influencing

The Business of Influencing

For centuries there have been leaders in government, companies, churches, and local communities that influence people through their opinions. Then advertisers took advantage of this phenomenon to influence consumers with print advertisements and commercials.

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This is Your Brain on Technology

This is Your Brain on Technology

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently announced that the company is rebranding as “Meta.” The initiative is designed to focus the company’s vision on virtual reality (VR) in the future, through what Zuckerberg refers to as the “metaverse.”

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U.S. Health Care in a Post-COVID Era

U.S. Health Care in a Post-COVID Era

As many workers returned to their offices this fall, employers took on much of the expense of paying for weekly COVID testing, as well as insurance coverage and paid leave for sick and quarantined workers. These extra expenses may well lead to higher insurance premiums for everyone.

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Th Top 10 Things to Consider When Preparing For Your Retirement Guide
Top 10 Actions When Preparing For Retirement

Planning for retirement income may seem like a daunting task, but can help you get a handle on preparing for your financial future.

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How Legal Settlements and Fees Are Taxed

How Legal Settlements and Fees Are Taxed

Let’s say you are involved in a serious auto accident. You may sue the other driver to pay for damages not covered by the insurance companies. Perhaps you even receive a large settlement. Are you on the hook for taxes on that lawsuit payout? It depends. According to the IRS, monies received for personal injuries or illness are exempt from income taxes. If you receive a settlement for mental and emotional distress, that may also be tax exempt if it is directly related to a physical injury or illness.

read more
COVID, Life and Insurance

COVID, Life and Insurance

By mid-January 2022, the United States had recorded more than 865,000 deaths attributed to COVID-19. Once the vaccine was available in early 2021, life insurance companies expected COVID-related deaths to decline.

read more
Replenish Emergency Funds

Replenish Emergency Funds

Americans have largely been on one of two tracks since the beginning of the pandemic: Those who suffered income and net worth losses and those who gained wealth. A good example of this was the result of relief checks mailed out by the federal government.

read more
Tax Notes

Tax Notes

This year, the official start date for filing 2021 income tax returns was Jan. 24, and the season ends on April 18 for most filers. According to the IRS, the typical period for refunds is three weeks or less. Be aware that you can speed up the process by filing electronically and submitting your direct deposit information.

read more
The 2022 Economy: Reasons To Be Positive

The 2022 Economy: Reasons To Be Positive

Year-end brought a resurgence of COVID-19 panic, led by the onset of the omicron variant in the United States. Families and friends met in large gatherings during the holiday season, the weather got cooler — sending people indoors — and hospitals became overwhelmed with new coronavirus cases.

read more
How Legal Settlements and Fees Are Taxed

How Legal Settlements and Fees Are Taxed

Let’s say you are involved in a serious auto accident. You may sue the other driver to pay for damages not covered by the insurance companies. Perhaps you even receive a large settlement. Are you on the hook for taxes on that lawsuit payout? It depends. According to the IRS, monies received for personal injuries or illness are exempt from income taxes. If you receive a settlement for mental and emotional distress, that may also be tax exempt if it is directly related to a physical injury or illness.

read more
What’s Up With Real Estate?

What’s Up With Real Estate?

The U.S. housing market is still suffering from low inventory: too few houses available for the numbers of home-seeking buyers. Naturally, the capitalist principals of supply and demand kick in, meaning that prices inevitably rise when there are too few products available to purchase.

read more
COVID, Life and Insurance

COVID, Life and Insurance

By mid-January 2022, the United States had recorded more than 865,000 deaths attributed to COVID-19. Once the vaccine was available in early 2021, life insurance companies expected COVID-related deaths to decline.

read more
Replenish Emergency Funds

Replenish Emergency Funds

Americans have largely been on one of two tracks since the beginning of the pandemic: Those who suffered income and net worth losses and those who gained wealth. A good example of this was the result of relief checks mailed out by the federal government.

read more
Tax Notes

Tax Notes

This year, the official start date for filing 2021 income tax returns was Jan. 24, and the season ends on April 18 for most filers. According to the IRS, the typical period for refunds is three weeks or less. Be aware that you can speed up the process by filing electronically and submitting your direct deposit information.

read more