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Before, During, and After College: Resources To Help You Understand Your Federal Student Loans
By: Tom Melecki Few students and parents are familiar with their rights and responsibilities as student loan borrowers. Even fewer know of the resources available to help them obtain such information. The Federal Direct Loan Program makes 90% of all student loans so,...
Roth IRA Conversions: The Time Is Now
By: Daniel G. Mazzola Early estimates peg the cost of the CARES Act, the package providing economic relief to Americans impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, at $2 trillion. The government has run itself into an immense debt to give its citizens assistance, and the...
Before and During College: Help Your Student Avoid Credit Card Traps
By: Tom Melecki There’s nothing inherently wrong with college students having credit cards. In fact, 56% of them posses at least one. But help your student beware of all those offers from banks and other credit card providers at this time of year. After all, a credit...
Your Budgeting Worksheet
A budget is an important part of financial well-being. Knowing your monthly income and expenses creates mindfulness around your money. If you want to take control of your cash flow but aren’t sure where to start, we encourage you to read our budgeting guide and...
Seven Practical Tips to Manage Your Finances During the Covid 19 Crisis
By: Aimee L. Richter Don’t put your head in the sand. Sit down and list your monthly expenses and then make an action plan. See the budgeting spreadsheet. Call your credit card company. Many companies are being extremely responsive to people’s financial issues. They...
5 Financial Decisions to Gain Your Mental Strength
By: Catherine Burke You do not know what lies in the future for you, and nobody knows the after-effect of the corona pandemic will last for how much time. Your office may offer you a salary-cut, hour-cut from office duty, and God forbid you may face a job loss too. If...
Debt and Divorce: How You Can Get a Fresh Start
By: Veronica BaxterYou have decided to divorce, but before you finalize the property settlement agreement, make sure you know your rights and responsibilities regarding your debt, your ex’s debt, and your joint debt. Don’t be left holding the bag! Here are some...
Gathering and Leveraging Resources
by Elisa BalabramCurrently most if not all humans are facing stress, some are sick, some are overworked, some are unemployed, some businesses are closed or might close, some parents are homeschooling their kids unintendedly, some are mourning loved ones, some are...
Education Tax Credits: AOTC
by Ann Garcia Currently two tax credits exist to help defray higher education expenses, the American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC) and the Lifetime Learning Credit. Each is slightly different but for most families, the AOTC is the most beneficial. . Eligibility is...
EFC Formula Guide 2020-2021 & FAFSA Basics
by Ann Garcia Last week, the Department of Education released the FAFSA Formula Guide for the coming FAFSA. Before I give you that link, I want to share some basics about the FAFSA. I’ll also break out each section of it in depth in the coming weeks– hopefully before...
Creating a financial emergency plan in response to COVID-19
Balancing and understanding how to be savvy about juggling your money is essential in today’s climate when many businesses may be offering extensions to the monthly payments. Knowing what questions to ask, how to ask and confirming is going to be important and help...
Protecting Yourself and Your Loved Ones From Credit Scams
By: Marguerita M. ChengHow to Protect Your Credit from ScamsProtecting your credit from scams is an ongoing battle. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, you’re not alone. Research shows people aren’t as savvy at identifying scams as they think they are. Plus, you don’t...
How to Use Emotional Intelligence to Work From Home
By: Laura BergerThe Coronavirus pandemic has dominated, well, everything. But a not-so-small consequence is many employees being asked or forced to work from home. While a dream for so many, so many now realize how daunting this shift truly is.Generally, the...
Retirement Contributions and College
by Ann GarciaPerhaps the most frequently asked question we get is how to balance saving for retirement and college. And I can’t answer that in a blog post because the right way to balance depends on your specific circumstances. We have told clients to pause retirement...
The Year of Living Uncomfortably
by Kristina LeonardiI recently read that “a person’s success in life can usually be measured by the amount of uncomfortable conversations he or she is willing to have.” Many people begin the year by starting a new exercise or other routine that can have them feeling...
Five Questions For College-Bound Students
by Ann Garcia1. Have you talked with your parents about how much they’re willing to pay for college?Most families finance college through a combination of savings, cash flow and borrowing. A short-cut to how much you can afford is to add ¼ of your college savings, the...
Financial Wellness Checkup: How Healthy Are You?
Adapted from an article by Stacy Francis Especially in this tumultuous time, it's important to not only check up on your physical health, but your financial health as well. Use this checklist to make sure your finances are healthy.Do You…Use a budget: Such benefits...
Financial Tips for Moving Out on Your Own
By: Ted James Moving out on your own for the first time can be exciting, scary, and confusing all at the same time. And when it comes to your finances, there are several things you should be prepared to handle. Saving money, raising your credit score, building credit,...
Financial Planning & Divorce
By: Michelle Petrowski, CFP®, CDFA I recently read an article that hit home for me as a single divorced Financial Planner and raises the question, “Why isn’t the divorce scenario tested when creating financial plans? “. The current landscape Americans are living...
How to Stay Focused and Achieve What You Want
By: Laura BergerThree techniques for making strides in your personal and professional life.Creating goals keeps you productive, but it is important to make sure you don’t overload yourself with too many or unrealistic ambitions.What’s more, wanting to...
How to Protect Your Personal Finances in Divorce
by Stacy Francis, CFP®, CDFA Divorces are very complicated and can take a huge emotional toll on you. The last thing you need is for your divorce to be a financial disaster, on top of that. One of the biggest questions divorcing couples have is “how are we going to...
