April is Financial Literacy Month
- 04/01/23
April marks the start of Financial Literacy Month, a nationally recognized movement to promote and support financial understanding in children and teens. For many, it's a fantastic opportunity to teach and connect with their children or grandchildren...
[+] Full Article 2023 Changes to Iowa's Retirement Taxes - 03/01/23
In March of 2022 Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed a historic Iowa tax reform bill. One of the biggest changes from the bill is that starting in 2023, Iowans aged 55 or older are exempt from paying state taxes on retirement income...
[+] Full Article
April marks the start of Financial Literacy Month, a nationally recognized movement to promote and support financial understanding in children and teens. For many, it's a fantastic opportunity to teach and connect with their children or grandchildren...
[+] Full Article 2023 Changes to Iowa's Retirement Taxes - 03/01/23
In March of 2022 Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed a historic Iowa tax reform bill. One of the biggest changes from the bill is that starting in 2023, Iowans aged 55 or older are exempt from paying state taxes on retirement income...
[+] Full Article
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September 11, 2015 Fall might be anything but calm on Wall Street. Volatility is back, in a big way: the CBOE VIX has risen more than 105% since the end of July. Additionally, 11 of the 15 trading days ending September 9 were “all or nothing” days in which more than 80% of the S&P 500 moved either higher or lower. In the last 25 years, the index has not had a 15-day period like this.
Contrast that with the first 159 trading days of 2015, in which just 13 such days occurred according to Bespoke Investment Group research. In fact, during the first half of 2015 the Dow Jones Industrial Average was never more than 3.5% up or down YTD, on pace for the most placid year in its history. This turbulence may persist for several more weeks or months. How does an investor cope with it? It helps to put all of this recent volatility into perspective. Read more »
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August 14, 2015 Besides the death benefit, it may also help you financially during your life.
As a recent Bankrate.com article noted, 43% of Americans have no life insurance. Some view it as optional; some have simply procrastinated when it comes to buying a policy. Others believe that they can’t afford it. In reality, life insurance is cheap today. If you just want term life coverage – essentially life insurance that you “rent” for X number of years – you may find it quite affordable wherever you live. A little comparison shopping online reveals... Read more »
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July 23, 2015 The earlier you start pursuing financial goals, the better your outcome may be.
As a young investor, you have a powerful ally on your side: time. When you start saving and investing for retirement in your twenties or thirties, you can put it to work for you. The effect of compounding is huge. Most people underestimate it, so it is worth illustrating. We will use reasonable annual return rates to do so – we will assume an investor can earn an average of 6-7% a year on his or her portfolio. Read more »
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July 9, 2015 When is the last time you received a raise of $1,000 per month? For adults with young children, the high cost of daycare could be a $1,000-a-month opportunity in waiting. The cost of child care averages $14,500 a year for an infant, $12,280 a year for a 4-year-old. It's understandable if parents aren't piling money into that same child's 529 college savings plan quite yet.
However, when your child "graduates" from daycare, there's going to be some money freed up, say, $12,280 a year. A thousand bucks a month. Read more »
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