This is part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that President Obama signed into law on March 23, 2010, also dubbed ‘Obamacare’. The fact that these health insurance marketplaces are government-sponsored does not mean the government will itself be issuing insurance as some…
Who? Participants in employer-sponsored retirement plans [401(k), 403(b), 457(b), profit-sharing plans] and/or IRA owners ([traditional, rollover, SEP, SIMPLE]. What? This is the minimum amount you are required to withdraw from your account each year. When? Distributions must start by April 1 of the year…
What Happened? On June 26th, in United States v Windsor, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was unconstitutional ab initio (from the start). The court decided that if the citizens of a state voted to recognize…
Advancements in technology have revolutionized how we live and communicate, with few technologies dominating more of our daily life than email. The convenience and ubiquity of email, however, has a dark side: as more of our personal and financial information finds its way to our email…
All beneficiary designations are the same, right? Unfortunately, that’s not the case. The language adopted by the financial institution that holds your IRA or other retirement account might cause you to unintentionally disinherit your grandkids. Most financial institutions treat multiple beneficiaries “per capita” rather than “per stirpes”…
You know the saying about the cobbler’s children having no shoes? I have to confess to being a bit of a cobbler. Okay, my children have shoes – real ones and the financial planning version: ROTH IRAs. But I was recently going through the mail,…
Marriage should be based on love, right? But does it seem as though you and your spouse are speaking two different languages? -Paul spent three hours building a bookshelf for Marcie. All she wanted was 10 minutes to talk. -Carol bought Dylan a brand new…
When planning a date night or weekend getaway, few people think to make a discussion of finances part of the event. However, with money frequently cited as one of top stressors in relationships and one of the main causes of divorce, allocating time to have financial conversations with your sweetheart…