The financial hardships of the Great Recession forced many people to start thinking outside the box. The “sharing economy” gained popularity in the late 2000s because it provided more affordable means to travel, maintain homes and access piecemeal work for small businesses. This was the beginning of Airbnb, Uber and other community-based platforms that enable…

It’s not just fine wines that get better with age. We also are always improving — growing more confident over time, having met challenges and overcome them. Our decision-making gets easier. We develop coping mechanisms to handle stress. And we grow wiser. Our knowledge and experience accumulate as a strong foundation we continue to build…

Here’s an idea for restless young adults and adventurous retirees alike: Get paid to live in Italy. The region of Molise, east of Rome, has more than 100 underpopulated villages that are fading away due to migration to larger cities. These communities — some are walled, medieval towns set among olive groves and green pastures…

Married or single, women are finding that taking an active role in their financial futures is critical. About 80% of married women outlive their husbands, and nearly half of all widows say they wish they’d been more involved in managing their finances when their spouse was alive.1 Whether you have a career or rely on…

As we head toward the end of the year, consider maxing out your contributions on tax-advantaged accounts to help manage your 2019 return. While some accounts, such as an IRA or Health Savings Account (HSA), allow you to continue making contributions up until April 15, 2020, most payroll-deduction plans such as a 401(k) will stop…

According to the United Nations, across the globe, people older than 65 now outnumber children under five for the first time in history. In 1960, the average woman gave birth to five children in her lifetime; by 2017, that ratio had dropped to 2.4 children per woman. Meanwhile, our life expectancy has increased around the…

According to the United Nations, across the globe, people older than 65 now outnumber children under five for the first time in history. In 1960, the average woman gave birth to five children in her lifetime; by 2017, that ratio had dropped to 2.4 children per woman. Meanwhile, our life expectancy has increased around the…

Sometimes it feels as though we don’t learn from our past financial mistakes. Back in 2008, as a contributor to the recession, consumer debt reached a record high of $12.68 trillion. As of the end of the second quarter in 2019, Americans surpassed that number by $1.2 trillion; we now stand at $13.86 trillion in…

Some hard-working, taxpaying Americans get angry when they hear Social Security called an entitlement program, perhaps because the word “entitlement” has come to have a connotation with welfare programs. The reality is that Social Security is, by definition, an entitlement program, along with Medicare, unemployment insurance and worker’s compensation. These mandatory programs are funded by…

Now that we’re in the fourth quarter, it’s time to think about what you can do to help minimize your liabilities for the 2019 tax season and position finances for next year. The following is a sample of the usual methods. However, if you’d like us to take a more personalized, comprehensive approach, we’d be…