Content Provided Courtesy of Greenpath Financial Wellness
If you made a New Year’s Resolution to get out of debt, today’s a big day. By mid-January, most resolutions have fizzled.
But — YOU can say, NOT TODAY. If you feel yourself slipping, take a minute for a pep talk, remind yourself that you can do this, and check out our post on goals that stick. Retool that resolution, and get back on the bandwagon, friend. Continue reading
Nothing is more polarizing than presidential elections. People get very emotional when discussing the pros and cons of candidates and the future state of the country. And those very emotions can sometimes send the markets reeling.
The majority of Americans are growing more concerned about how companies and the government collect and use their personal information, according to a recent survey by Pew Research Center. Eight in 10 consumers believe that the potential risks of data collection overshadow any potential benefits.
This sentiment is not surprising, given the data breaches that have occurred over the last few years. To increase individuals’ privacy rights, legislators passed the California Consumer Privacy Act bill (CCPA) in 2018. The law became effective Jan. 1, although enforcement begins July 1, 2020. This will give companies adequate time to comply with CCPA requirements. It’s likely that other states will follow California’s lead with their own privacy laws in the near future. Continue reading
by Kathryn Hackney
For more than 30 years, Kathryn has been helping people work toward their financial goals. She takes pride in providing Members with an objective review of their current situation and helping them create long term goals. Kathryn likes to remind Members that retirement planning doesn’t end at retirement. “Members often think that once they retire things will take care of themselves,” she says. “There are a lot of opportunities that retirement presents for managing your retirement savings. Working with Members to make sure they are getting the most out of their plans is something I really enjoy.”
Kathryn is a fully registered financial advisor and licensed insurance agent. When she’s not working with Members, Kathryn loves to get outside, bike riding and spending time with her family and friends.
A new year typically brings new challenges. Maybe you have some financial resolutions you’re already working on. But what are the best ways to help you stick with them so your circumstances change for the better — permanently?
Here are some money moves that can help you stay on track this year.
As fraudsters become more sophisticated, they find more ways to separate consumers from their hard-earned cash. One of the ways they’re making inroads is via a caller ID “spoofing” scheme pretending to be a representative from the Social Security Administration. Other scams use email or snail mail. There are variations of all these tricks, but the goal is the same – to steal your money, identity or both. Here are just a few to guard against.
With so many financial obligations in life, it’s easy to put your own needs on the back burner. But saving for your retirement is one of the best things you can do to achieve lasting financial well-being. It won’t seem like a struggle once you get into the savings habit and stick with it.
Like going to the gym or eating a healthy diet, saving money is one of those concepts that’s simple to grasp but weirdly challenging to put into practice. We understand its benefits. We agree that it’s essential to our wellbeing. We know that it’s something we should be doing. But paycheck after paycheck, it’s the same routine: after the bills have been paid and the regular expenses have been looked after, there just isn’t quite enough left over for our savings goals.
It starts with your phone ringing — the most prevalent tax scam making the rounds this year. The caller claims to be from the IRS and demands your money NOW. Don’t think you’re the only one singled out for this tactic; aggressive, threatening phone scams occur regularly across the country. But, scamming also happens via email, U.S. mail or in person.
Face it — most of us spend more time planning our next vacation than we do creating a strategy to improve our financial well-being. According to research1, three in five Americans live paycheck to paycheck and just one in four have a written financial plan.
Whether it’s something as simple as picking a restaurant or as complex as deciding whether to have children, marriage requires lots of mutual decision-making.
Couples who tie the knot will have another choice to add to that growing list next tax season, as they can either file joint or separate returns. This choice can affect the amount of taxes they owe or the size of their refunds.
Here’s a closer look at these two options and how to determine which filing status is best for you and your spouse.
