All small business owners want to increase sales, open new locations, obtain more customers, add employees and grow, grow, and grow some more. It sounds good, but is it really necessary? Is there an alternative? Necessity: It is necessary to grow your business as the alternative isn’t too appealing. You have financial obligations and people […]
Retirement
Is It Better to Pay Off Debts or Invest?
Almost everyone has some sort of debt and economic data shows that this is the case. Between mortgages, student loans, credit cards, business debts, and auto loans and leases (yes, a car lease is debt), many people find themselves allocating large portions of their income towards debt payments. When you are in a position to […]
5 Financial Truths
There is a lot of information out there about finances, and it’s hard to figure out what is exactly true or not true. Always seek the truth, especially from someone that is not trying to sell you something. Here are some examples: College: We are led to believe that all of our children must go […]
IRS and NJ Taxation Highlights
Yesterday I attended a continuing professional education seminar with speakers from both the IRS and the State of New Jersey. Here are some highlights after all of the recent Federal changes and also many New Jersey changes that most people are not aware of: Your paycheck may be under withheld: After the new Federal […]
Don’t Sell Your House
Usually your first house is a “starter” home that you purchased because it fit into your budget at the time. A few years later you then sell your house, move up to a bigger home, and may even repeat this process several more times. But what if you didn’t sell your home and rented it […]
Don’t Make These Easily Avoided Financial Mistakes
We are all not perfect and everyone makes mistakes. However, the key is to avoid these financial mistakes as much as possible: Penny wise and dollar dumb: The actual expression is penny wise and pound foolish, but I still remember a partner from my first job saying this to a client (maybe it’s the American […]
9 Ways to Reduce Your Money Worries
When we lack money it creates a lot of stress and anxiety, and can be a source of tension in relationships. But how can we make our money work for us? Here are several ways we can take more control of our money to reduce our stresses: Change your thoughts: Reframe the way you think […]
Do You Have Too Many Financial Accounts?
How many financial accounts should you have both personally and for your business? These days it is so easy to open up accounts, but if there is no strategy for having a lot of accounts, then it can create unnecessary chaos and even increase your accounting and tax preparation costs. Let’s look at the pros […]
Deadline Approaching: Should You Make a Retirement Plan Contribution?
The due date for your tax return is fast approaching and so is the deadline to make a contribution to your IRA or a SEP-IRA if you own a business. Should you make the contribution, save the cash, or pay off some debt? Reasons to Make the Contribution: Let’s assume that you have the extra […]
Lower Tax Brackets = Higher Taxes?
The recent tax law changes have lowered the tax brackets starting in 2018, but that does not necessarily mean lower taxes. This is due to the elimination or reduction of items that are no longer deductible. Deductions that have disappeared include, but are not limited to: Personal exemptions: This will have the most impact on […]