When you have long-term financial goals, such as helping pay for a child’s college education or funding your retirement, including stock investments in your portfolio provides opportunities for potential growth. But should you invest in individual stocks or stock mutual funds?1 What’s the Difference? When you invest in individual stocks, you are buying a small […]
Refinancing a Mortgage — What Is Deductible?
Many homeowners are looking at the historically low interest rates on home mortgages and are refinancing their mortgages before rates start creeping back up. If you recently refinanced your mortgage or are considering doing so, you’ll want to understand the general tax rules for deducting the costs associated with refinancing. Interest Assuming you refinance debt […]
Help if You Want It: Lessons From Your Account Statement
An account statement can provide investors with a wealth of information about their investments. How closely do you look at your brokerage account statement? Your statement can tell you a lot about your investments. The following key elements of your statement contain important information that can help you assess the health of your portfolio. Account […]
Charting a Long-Term Course
Stock market volatility can be a wild ride. If you follow the daily price movements of a stock market index, it’s enough to make you dizzy at times. If you watch the same index’s performance over longer periods, however, you may notice that things tend to smooth out. Unless you’re close to retiring and will […]
Tips on Tax Planning
You may not think about taxes often, but they can prove to be a large expense. That’s why it’s important to make the most of any opportunities you may have to lower your tax liability. Here’s a look at some of the factors you may want to consider in your planning. Standard Deduction or Itemizing […]
Tax Breaks for Elder Care
You may be one of the many people who provides some care for an elderly parent. The care may range from a simple daily check-in to more complex daily assistance with the basics of living. The stress involved in taking care of one or more parents can be significant. It can also impose a financial […]