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You
may link to the articles Barbara and Gloria have written for Today's Local News. Click on the
article of interest to read the full text. The following
documents require Adobe Acrobat to view them. This program can be added to
your computer by clicking on this link.
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12/03/06
- "Exit planning requires careful consideration"
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11/26/06
- "Planning now can save a lot of grief"
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11/05/06
- "Parental perils of the Sandwich Generation"
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10/29/06
- "Think you deserve credit? Think again"
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10/22/06
- "Tax harvesting bears fruit, too"
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10/15/06
- "Sitting on top of the world"
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10/01/06
- "Strategies for retirement"
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09/24/06
- "It's good to stretch"
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09/17/06
- "Mutual funds: a bucket of investments"
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09/10/06
- "Act makes it easier to save"
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08/27/06
- "What goes up may keep going up"
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08/20/06
- "What's in a street name?"
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08/13/06
- "A new way to invest in the market"
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08/06/06
- "Men, women and financial orbits"
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07/30/06
- "State encourages responsibility for long-term medical care"
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07/16/06
- "Wisdom from a teenager"
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07/09/06
- "What is your retirement style?"
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06/25/06
- "The next 'love letter' you need to write"
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06/11/06
- "From the trenches"
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06/04/06
- "A new twist to the old IRA"
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05/28/06
- "To heir is human to reinvest is difficult"
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05/21/06
- "Think before cashing in retirement savings"
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05/14/06
- "Get your ducks in a row"
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05/07/06
- "A plan for one: life as a single"
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04/30/06
- "The art of letting go"
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04/16/06
- "When romancing later in life, think with your wallet"
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04/09/06
- "Taxes: A rose by any other name is still a rose"
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04/02/06
- "Plan an exit strategy for retirement"
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03/26/06
- "March equals tax madness"
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02/26/06
- "Strategy is key to investing"
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02/19/06
- "What's in a title? A lot"
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02/12/06
- "Saving vs investing"
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02/05/06
- "A nickel isn't worth a dime today" (inflation)
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01/29/06
- "Secrets to effectiveness"
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01/15/06
- "Retirement plan: The times, they have a-changed"
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01/08/06
- "A new twist on a penny saved is a penny earned"
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01/01/06
- "Baby boomers still changing the landscape"
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12/18/05
- "Tax planning strategies - It's later than you think"
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12/11/05
- "ETF or index? That is the question"
·
12/04/05
- "Don't Let Christmas Red Last All Year Long"
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11/27/05
- "Financial Markets and Fairy Tales"
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11/20/05
- "Got Debt"
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11/06/05
- "Energizing Your Portfolio"
·
10/30/05
- "Managing Your Money The Second Time Around" - The
"Pre-Nup" Agreement
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09/25/05
- "Words Speak Louder Than Deeds" - The Investment Policy
Statement (IPS)
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09/18/05
- "Rates Shall Rise Again"
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09/11/05
- "To Have or Not To Have-That is the Question" (long-term care)
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09/04/05
- "Time To Hatch The Nest Egg "
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08/21/05
- "Fiscal Planning For 'Financially Shifting' "
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08/14/05
- "Fiscal Fitness For Your 40's"
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08/07/05
- "Planning For Thirty-somethings"
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07/24/05
- "Mortgage Reduction"
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07/17/05
- "Waiting To Save"
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07/1005
- "Learn the ABC's of Mutual Funds"
·
07/03/05 - "What's The Big Deal About 70 and
one-half?"
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06/26/05
- "Cash In On Real Estate"
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06/19/05
- "Choosing A Successor"
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06/12/05
- "Life Insurance - You May Need More Than You Think"
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05/29/05
- "Planning Parent's Long-Term Care"
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05/22/05
- "Cover Financial Bases Before Spouse's Death"
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05/15/05
- "Estate Planning? Tray a Roth IRA"
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05/08/05
- "IRAs Can Live On After You're Gone"
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04/24/05
- "7 Steps To Finding A Financial Advisor"
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04/17/05 - "Optimizing Company Stock
Options"
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04/10/05
- "Private $$ Management vs Mutual Funds"
·
04/03/05 - Charitable Remainder Trusts (CRTs)"
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03/27/05 - "IRA/SEP Contributions"
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03/20/05
- "Roll Over That 401(k)"
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03/13/05
- "Early Social Security Needs Careful Thought"
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View
our newsletters on-line by clicking on the following links:
- April
2006 Newsletter - Financial Markets and Fairy Tales,
Accessing Your Account, 2006 Tax Numbers, Making IRAs Live On
-
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The
following documents contain valuable information regarding various
financial planning topics. For more information regarding these topics or
any other financial planning need, feel free to contact
our offices. Please note, many of the following documents require Adobe
Acrobat to view them. This program can be added to your computer by
clicking on this
link.
Please
be aware that these documents are for information purposes only. They are
not intended to replace a trained professional investment advisor. The
information contained within may not be up to date with the most recent
changes in tax laws, investment returns and/or your local securities
regulations. The results you receive from these documents should be confirmed
through a detailed financial and/or investment plan.
General Financial
Planning
- Budget
Worksheet – Open this document to help you itemize and calculate
your monthly expenditures.
- Net
Worth Worksheet – By accounting for your assets and liabilities
you can determine your total net worth. This document helps you
calculate your net worth.
- Document
Checklist – This document highlights the various documents you
will need to have available in order to complete the financial
planning process.
College Planning
- Education
Investing Plans – There are a number of tax advantaged methods of
saving for your children’s and grandchildren’s college education. To
see a comparison page highlighting the difference between 529 Plans,
UTMAs and the Coverdell IRA open this document.
Retirement Planning
- Social Security
Fact Sheet – Want to learn more about Social Security? Open this
document for more general information regarding Social Security
benefits.
- How
Much To Save For Retirement – This document contains a simple
worksheet to help you estimate the amount you should save for
retirement. Please be aware that the results from this document should
be used as a guideline only. A detailed Retirement Funding Analysis
should be completed before you make changes to your retirement savings
strategy.
- IRA
Guide – Want to know the differences between a Roth and a Regular
IRA? Open this document to learn more about these important tax
advantaged retirement savings programs.
Tax Planning
- Tax
Rules To Remember – Open this document to view an overview the
latest tax brackets, deduction amounts Social Security tax
information, and other important tax items.
- How
The Charitable Remainder Trust Works – The CRT is a powerful means
of selling highly appreciated assets in a tax advantaged manner. This
document provides a overview of how the CRT works.
Investment Planning
- The Asset Allocation
Style Box – This document gives you more information on how
investment professionals categorize various investments into groups.
Review this document to learn the difference between a Large Cap Value
investment from a Mid Cap Growth fund.
- The
Magic of Compounding – Want to see the impact of saving
$100/month? Open this document to view a table highlighting how
$100/month can add up to over a million given enough time and the
right interest rate.
- How To
Structure Your Portfolio – This document highlights the Investment
Pyramid. By structuring your investments in the manner shown in this
document you portfolio can benefit from the advantages of
diversification.
- Asset
Allocation Risk Worksheet – Are you a conservative or aggressive
investor? This simple worksheet will help you classify your risk
tolerance. Knowing your risk tolerance can be very helpful in
determining how to invest your funds.
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The following links will
take you to calculators that you may find useful. Please be aware that
these calculators are not maintained by Financial Focus or the members of
our firm. We cannot verify for the accuracy of the information generated
from these links.
- Social Security
Benefit Calculator – This link will take you to the Social
Security Administration’s Quick Benefit Calculator. By entering the
information they request you can obtain an estimate of your Social
Security benefit.
- Home
Loan Calculator – Use this link to help determine your total
monthly payment for a home loan.
- Monthly vs Biweekly
Loan Payments – Want to see the impact of making an biweekly loan
payments vs the standard monthly payment? This link will show you the
information.
- Auto
Loan Calculator – Use this link to calculate an estimate of your
monthly auto loan.
- College
Cost Calculator – Want to know how much it will cost to send your
child to college? Link to this site and see how college costs escalate
over years.
- Compound
Interest Calculator – The magic of investing is summed up in the
word "compounding." To see how interest rate impacts the
growth of your investment, link to this site.
- Lease vs Purchase
of Car – Should you lease or take out a loan on that new car? This
link will provide more data to help you make your decision.
- Rebate or
Special Financing – Should you take the rebate being offered for a
new car or should you finance using the dealer’s special rates? This
calculator can give you more data to help you make your
decision.
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