Law 2 – SMART Strategies

An Adviser Can Improve Returns

When people find out I am a financial adviser, usually the first question I am asked is what I believe the next best investment is or how my performance has been in the past. Getting a good return on your investment is important, but there are more important reasons to hire a financial adviser. There […]
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Teaching Children About Money

A middle-income family will spend roughly $250,000 to raise a child. For higher earners, it shoots up to $500,000! This is a large investment for anyone, but as any parent will tell you, an important one. A recent survey showed that 75 percent of parents believe their kids are “a little spoiled.” It is easy […]
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Tax Mistakes To Be Avoided

The average taxpayer spends 23 hours on their tax return, and 80 percent of them will hire a professional or use tax software – even though 64 percent of them will not owe any taxes. Taxes are becoming more and more complicated, increasing the chances of making mistakes on a tax return. There are more […]
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Tax Breaks For Homeowners

With taxes due April 15, it’s important to do tax returns properly, especially if you do it yourself. Tax planning is a very important part of the financial planning process. If you understand credits and deductions, you can save potentially thousands of dollars. If you own a home, you could qualify for great tax breaks. […]
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The Right Rate For Retirement

For years, people planning for retirement have used the 4 percent rule of thumb to determine if there is enough money saved to retire. To use the rule, you take the total value of your retirement accounts and calculate 4 percent of it. That amount is how much you can withdraw the first year and […]
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Tips For Refinancing Your Home

Mortgage rates today are at a 60-year low, giving many Americans the ability to refinance their mortgage. Home mortgage or home loan refinancing is basically taking out a new mortgage to pay off the existing one. Refinancing can be a good idea if you can get a lower mortgage rate to save on costs, lower […]
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The Other Ways Lenders Judge You

Your credit score is one of the most important numbers in your financial life. It plays a huge role in buying a house, a car, getting loans, credit cards and even, in some cases, a job! Your credit score is primarily made up of paying bills on time, credit history, credit mix, recent inquiries and […]
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Are You Living Beyond Your Means?

Many financially savvy people understand that how you spend money is more important than how much money you make. Here are some signs that you may be living beyond your means. Being aware of these signs can help you keep your financial goals and protect you in case of emergencies. You don’t have an emergency savings […]
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Top Mistakes For Investors To Avoid

Investing is an important part of your personal finances, and it seems simple: Buy low, sell high and keep the profits! Studies have shown, however, that a chimpanzee throwing darts picks stocks better than the average investor! The average investor in the past 20 years made only 2.4 percent, whereas the S&P500 returned 7.7 percent. […]
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Making Your Goals Even SMARTER

  About a year ago I wrote an article about the importance of setting goals, using the term S.M.A.R.T. as a handy acronym for five important components for well-designed goals. The simple mnemonic stands for: Specific: Create goals that are clear and well-defined. This helps you understand the why, what, when, where, who and how […]
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