Presented by: Marianna Goldenberg As you advance in your career and hold jobs at various companies, you may discover at some point that you’ve left behind valuable cookie crumbs: a trail of employer-sponsored retirement accounts. Leaving previous plans with former employers saves you from having to take any action, and you still have the ability to roll them over later. If you prefer the investment choices with your old plan or that plan has lower fees than a new 401(k) or IRA, you might want this option. Also consider that you won’t pay a tax penalty for taking a distribution from your employ ..read more

Presented by Marianna Goldenberg It’s beginning to look a lot like Thanksgiving . . . and then Hannukah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and New Year’s Eve will follow. These are prime holidays for family gatherings, which can offer in-person opportunities to have important conversations. You may be inclined to keep the chats light and stick to topics like television shows and the weather to avoid conflict, but there’s one subject you should be discussing, even though it might be uncomfortable: estate planning. Of course, the thought of your parents or relatives passing away is not a pleasant one. Still ..read more

As 2023 gets underway, one routine remains consistent: it’s time to start organizing your finances for the new year. Recent legislative changes and adjustment to higher inflation levels means there’s a lot to consider. This checklist highlights some key points to help guide you as you get started. 1) Boost Your Retirement Contributions Workplace accounts. Are you maximizing contributions to your workplace plan? If not, now’s the time to think about increasing your contribution to take full advantage of any employer match benefit. For 2023, the maximum employee deferral for 401(k), 403(b), and ..read more

Presented by Marianna Goldenberg Everyone needs an estate plan, no matter the size of the estate. An estate plan helps carry out your wishes after your passing and benefits you while you’re living. A good estate plan includes documents to manage your financial affairs and health care decisions in the event that you cannot. It can prove invaluable in easing the administrative burden for your family and friends during a time of emotional distress. With no formal estate plan, your survivors may not be able to access your assets until a personal administrator or guardian is appointed and the distr ..read more

The back-to-school season is an exciting yet financially challenging time for many families. From purchasing school supplies and uniforms to covering activity fees and extracurricular expenses, the costs can quickly add up. To alleviate the financial stress associated with back-to-school expenses, creating a sinking fund is a proactive and effective strategy. Let’s explore a sinking fund strategy - what it is, why it's valuable, and how to create one specifically tailored for back-to-school costs. What is a Sinking Fund? A sinking fund is a dedicated savings account or fund created to cover sp ..read more

1 - Have a field day! Create a competition at home! Use what you have to create fun obstacle courses and goofy games that the whole family will enjoy! Think: hula hoop contest, an egg race, water balloon war, or even a three-legged race to see whose got what it takes! Make it a friendly competition with homemade ribbons as rewards, or just have some treats waiting for your champions! 2 - Camp at Home! Break out the tent, find the sleeping bags (or grab your favorite blankets), and prep the scary stories for the best family sleepover! Camping at home can be fun, creates fun memories for the who ..read more

I wanted to take a moment to share an update on the news you are probably hearing regarding the debt ceiling agreement.   For weeks, President Joe Biden has been urging Congress to pass a deal to raise the government's borrowing limit, avoiding a potential default on US debt repayments. The negotiators from both the Democratic and Republican parties have finally reached an agreement.   If approved, this deal would allow the federal government to borrow money until well after the next presidential election in November 2024. This means that the government can pay its bills and meet its ..read more

In recent weeks, there has been much ado about the dollar. Questions and concerns have arisen about de-dollarization, central bank digital currencies, and what the government might do to your savings. The root of these concerns seems to be the notion that the value of the dollar will collapse sometime soon, making our savings valueless. Let’s address that core question, and then dig into similar scary headlines.   The Power of the Dollar Simply put, the dollar can’t collapse in the short to medium term. Why not? Let’s imagine a hypothetical scenario. Suppose I told you that Amazon would c ..read more

Sweep up old spending habits. Spring is a great opportunity to throw out the things that no longer serve you. How often are you shopping, eating out, and spending unnecessarily? Rinse off your trusty budget worksheet, and if you need an updated resource, I’ve linked one here for you. What are your financial goals for the next one, five, and ten years? Are you on target or do you need to make some adjustments? Spot clean your credit cards to be sure that their offerings still fit your current lifestyle and that the benefits create maximum opportunities for you to save ..read more

A big risk to businesses and individuals alike, social engineering involves exploiting bugs in our “human  hardware.” In person, over the phone, or by email, criminals draw on social engineering techniques to  evoke fear, uncertainty, pressure, excitement, and other emotions to get us to deviate from the way we typically behave. Their goal is to gain access to our sensitive information or to take advantage of us for financial gain.  Plan of Attack  Here are some common human tendencies that social engineers seek to exploit.   • The tendency to obey authority. Peop ..read more