Managing Student Loan Debt A review of some options for federal and private loans. Are you dealing with student loan debt? Have you explored ways to try and restructure it or have it forgiven? No one wants to carry five figures of education debt into middle age or retirement, but some do. The burden is not just financial. Last fall, the Madison Capital Times asked student loan borrowers in the state of Wisconsin how they felt about their education debt. [...]
Why You Should Have an Online Social Security Account In monitoring your Social Security profile, you may help to thwart fraud. Could your personal information soon be stolen? The possibility cannot be dismissed. Sensitive financial and medical data pertaining to your life may not be as safe as you think, and thieves may turn to a vast resource to try and mine it – the Social Security Administration. Consider three facts, which in combination seem especially troubling. One, Social [...]
Will Giving Decline? The loss of the charitable tax deduction could hurt non-profits. Charities are wondering if they will lose out on millions this year. The federal tax deduction for charitable contributions has disappeared because of the recent tax reforms. The standard federal income tax deduction is now $12,000 – make that $24,000 for a married couple filing jointly. (The amounts rise to $13,600 for a single taxpayer 65 or older and $26,600 for joint filers 65 and older.) With [...]
Retirement Plans for Individuals & Businesses A look at some of the choices. Households are saving too little for the future. According to one new analysis, 41% of Gen Xers and 42% of baby boomers have yet to begin saving for retirement. In a recent financial industry survey, 35% of small business owners said they were planning to use the sale proceeds from their company for a retirement fund, an idea which comes with a flashing question mark.1,2 Do you [...]
How the Tax Reforms Will Take Effect Some of the impact of the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act will be felt later than January 1. President Donald Trump signed the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act into law on December 22, and on January 1, some key details of the Internal Revenue Code will abruptly change.1 There will be night-and-day change, both figuratively and literally. On January 1, the federal estate tax exemption will double; the standard federal income tax [...]
