Credit unions are offering more private student loans, creating new choices for borrowers grappling with high college costs.Nearly 590 of the nation's 6,955 credit unions offered student loans as of December, according to the Credit Union ...
The pickings are growing increasingly slim for retirees looking to boost the income generated by their savings.To earn yields of 5% or more, investors—who once would have relied on the relative safety of bank certificates of deposit or ...
As college students close the book on another school year, they should consider selling their unwanted textbooks online.Students who sell back used textbooks traditionally do so through the campus bookstore, where they typically get back up ...
Q:In a recent column, you said the maximum earnings subject to Social Security taxes increased from $110,100 in 2012 to $113,700 in 2013. That is a 3.27% increase. Social Security recipients received a 1.71% increase in benefits from 2012 ...
Nearly half of all Americans split with their partners within the first eight years of marriage. Furthermore, the zeitgeist trend to marry later–the median age for brides is 26.5 years, for grooms, 28.7–means more assets are up for grabs, ...
LOVE HAS NO BORDERS, of course, which may help explain why it's not just the economy that's gone global. To hear estate and tax planners talk, cross-border marriages are skyrocketing—along with a host of international estate and ...
AS PROFESSIONAL EUROPEAN soccer teams go, Galatasaray has had a pretty strong 2013, finishing in the top slot of its league in Turkey and competing in the prestigious European Champions League with super teams like Real Madrid and ...
An independent commission reviewing New York's alimony laws recommended sweeping changes in a report issued Friday, including revamping formulas and throwing out a unique decades-old legal precedent that counts professional degrees as ...
$4,670 Buys You...Brunello Cucinelli Wool Peak-Lapel TuxedoFew looks strike the balance between dashing and daring as well as a navy tuxedo. This one, from Italian master of tailored luxury Brunello Cucinelli, is in lightweight wool—ideal ...
The recent Internal Revenue Service scandal — career officials deliberately delaying applications of certain organizations for tax-exempt status, and the IRS commissioner and acting commissioner are accused of lying to Congress about the ...
SWEDISH INVESTOR MARCUS Sahlé was looking for a new markets strategy when he read about foreign-exchange trading. Now, he's buying the dollar and the British pound with trades that last from a day to several weeks to time the market—and ...
ON MAY 21, 2001, a Taurus rocket carrying two satellites blasted into the sky from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. All went well at first, but when the second-stage booster ignited, the spacecraft veered off course and burned up in ...
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Here's another reason why Generation X might resent baby boomers.Typical Generation Xers now in their late 30s to late 40s saw their net worth drop by a larger proportion than older Americans during the financial crisis and came out of it ...
There are humble beginnings—and then there's Harold Hamm. Before becoming chairman and CEO of Continental Resources, a petroleum producer that has made him one of the richest men in America, Hamm grew up in Oklahoma as the youngest of 13 ...
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You don't have to be a Rockefeller to join a family office.Family offices are private firms that manage just about everything for the wealthiest families: tax planning, investment management, estate planning, philanthropy, art and wine ...
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How can wealth managers help keep an estate from winding up tangled in legal battles between the heirs? For one thing, encourage clients not to be too "fair" in the division of assets, say estate lawyers E. Patricia Chantler and Wonsun ...
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The federal government won't tax an individual's estate if it's worth less than $5.25 million.But many states will tax estates worth far less. For example, New Jersey's estate tax kicks in at $675,000--the lowest threshold in the nation.
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The 60-something client came into adviser Ross Gerber's office to help address a rift that was opening in his family.He had remarried and had young children, but both he and his new wife had adult children from their previous marriages. And ...
Mother's Day celebrates all that our mothers have done for us. But…no one's perfect, right?One mistake moms (and—let's get real—dads, too) sometimes make is failing to teach their children how to be smart about money.
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People are calling "family meetings" nowadays not only to deal with their parents' health issues but increasingly to sort out their finances as well.
What are the chances that the Internal Revenue Service will audit your income-tax return?At first glance, the answer appears simple: very low. The IRS has audited only about 1% of all individual income-tax returns in each of the past ...
Consumers appear to be struggling more with worries about access to health care, while even those with coverage are running into barriers to getting some treatments authorized by insurers. And many Americans have questions about the ...
Besides keeping some in an emergency fund, should the average investor have an allocation to cash and cash equivalents in an investment portfolio? The Wall Street Journal put this question to The Experts, an exclusive group of industry and ...
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F. Scott Fitzgerald wasn't entirely right. The very rich are different from you and me—but not by much.A new study offers a comprehensive look at the portfolios and investment decisions of several hundred of the wealthiest families in the ...
When was the last time you looked at your will? If you can’t remember, it is time for a review. Having outdated legal documents, such as a will or power of attorney, can wreak havoc on your health and your family’s wealth.
Don't sink your maintenance budget when opening up your pool in time for the Memorial Day holiday.A pool-opening service typically includes cleaning the pool area and equipment, removing the pool cover, activating the circulation system, ...
Some call it contingency planning while others refer to it as plain old risk management. But no matter what you call it, you’ll need to start thinking about ‘it’ if you’re saving for or living in retirement.
Private U.S. colleges, worried they could be pricing themselves out of the market after years of relentless tuition increases, are offeringrecord financial assistance to keep classrooms full.
As Rachel Zahn's three children were growing up, she liked to warn them, half jokingly, not to overstay their welcome. "Checkout time at this hotel is age 18," the 56-year-old nonprofit director would tell them.
Doing some spring cleaning? A garage or tag sale is a way to turn that unwanted stuff into cash. But many people don't know how to go about pricing their wares.
Don’t miss these top stories:10 things vitamin makers won’t say.Should you buy Apple bonds?5 things you can���t do if you’re gay.Retire Here, Not There: Kansas.
It isn't cheap to be the belle of the ball.Families with teens going to proms dropped an average of $1,139 on the event last year, according to Visa's annual survey of prom spending across the country.
Millions of workers saving for retirement risk losing part of their nest eggs if interest rates jump.The cause for concern: target-date mutual funds, designed for investors who lack the time or expertise to balance their investment ...
While college majors may seem irrelevant to employers who mainly want to hire young people who can think critically and communicate well, that doesn't mean all majors are created equal.
Don't let the sequester foil your trip to a national park or other site this summer.Under the automatic federal spending cuts that went into effect on March 1, the budget for each of the country's national parks and sites has been cut by ...
When it comes to our oldest daughter and college, we are in a place that most parents would envy. Jamie, a junior, is a strong student and is being wooed by a lot of colleges. But as the envelopes keep coming, they're all going straight to ...
Two weeks after the Boston Marathon bombings, rescue efforts for the more than 260 victims have largely pivoted from providing critical medical attention to raising funds to pay the bills that are already piling up—for everything from ...
If you work for yourself, I hope you already know about the deduction for self-employed health insurance premiums. It is allowed for sole proprietors (including single-member LLC owners who are treated as sole proprietors for tax purposes), ...
Do-it-yourself investing is gaining newfound popularity—but with a twist.Instead of going it entirely on their own, more investors are pursuing a kind of modified DIY approach, tapping an array of increasingly sophisticated online tools and ...
If you just discovered a costly mistake on those tax returns you filed recently, don't despair.Every year, millions of frazzled taxpayers make mistakes, ranging from forgetting to include some of their income to overlooking valuable ...
Higher airfares and overcrowded flights will boost your vacation bill this year, making it a good time to take the roads less traveled on summer retreats.
There's a lot to love about May. The weather is getting better, we're planning our summer vacations and, oh yes, there are those Memorial Day sales. This month, some practical items we all need, but hate to spend a lot of money on, will be ...
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As Rhode Island joins the swelling ranks of states that allow gay marriage, such places are grappling with a resulting complication: how to enable, and tally, gay divorce.
If you really want to curb your spending, dump those extra checking and savings accounts and consolidate them all into one.The traditional thinking is that having more than one liquid savings and checking account can help with saving, ...
Growing numbers of older borrowers with reverse mortgages are delinquent on these loans. But a little-known federal guideline can help steer such individuals out of financial trouble.
Purchasing travel insurance is a bet on disaster. But there are times when it's a gamble worth taking—whether you're hedging against cancellation, injuries, thefts or other calamities.
In less than five months, on Oct. 1, the Affordable Care Act's insurance exchanges will go live online. Millions of Americans will suddenly be able to log on to a website and choose their own heath-care coverage from a menu of subsidized ...
Q:What is the maximum amount of wages and self-employment income subject to the Social Security tax this year? What about Medicare taxes? How do they work?
It isn't often a business says, "Thanks, but no thanks," when you try to invest more money with it.But that is what a growing number of life insurers are saying to people who, years back, bought the retirement-income product known as a ...
Want to be a smarter investor? Get in touch with your feelings.The usual advice tells us that we have to use reason, not emotion, when we make investment decisions. But even if we think we're being cold and analytical when we make a move, ...
Many financial advisers don't go out of their way to work with young investors. Young people typically don't have $250,000, much less a million dollars, lying around waiting to be invested, so some advisers don't think it's worth their ...
The vast majority of borrowers being compensated for mortgage-related abuses will get $1,000 or less apiece.About four million borrowers will share $3.6 billion in cash as part of a settlement between federal regulators and banks accused of ...
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The 66-year-old widow had been a client of adviser Jay Wertz since her husband died in 2007, leaving her with had an estate worth $30 million.
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Are you a man with a waist measuring 40 inches or more? If you want to work at Michelin North America Inc., that spare tire could cost you.Employees at the tire maker who have high blood pressure or certain size waistlines may have to pay ...
If you thought nothing could be more tedious than filling out your tax forms, just wait until you try to apply for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act’s new exchanges.
NEW YORK—More investors are taking the do-it-yourself route.It's well known that registered investment advisers are grabbing market share from traditional brokerage firms. But another trend appears to be encroaching on the business of the ...
Baby boomers with individual health plans stand to benefit big-time when public insurance exchanges launch on January 1. The centerpiece of the Affordable Care Act, these state-level marketplaces will improve boomers’ access to health ...
Funding the individual retirement accounts of family members before April 15 can boost their retirement security and potentially lower your tax bill.
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Unprecedented numbers of people in domestic partnerships—both same-sex and opposite-sex couples—are reaching retirement age and becoming eligible for Medicare and Social Security.
It's that time of year again. Many taxpayers who actually managed to get their tax returns in before last week's April 15 deadline, rather than filing for a six-month extension, are looking forward to their refunds.
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Wealthy taxpayers now can protect more of their estates from federal tax each year with a new strategy some advisers are starting to employ.
A worsening shortage of workers who take care of the elderly is starting to strain nursing homes and agencies that provide home-care services. Here are some resources and ideas for finding care.
When a wellness program offers incentives, what form should the rewards take? Cash? Gift cards? Discounts on health premiums?Or, rather than reward employees, should employers penalize those who don’t take action to improve their health?
Your state may have something that belongs to you.When property—including bank accounts, bonds, dividends, uncashed paychecks, utility deposits and contents of safe-deposit boxes—lies unclaimed for a period of time and the owner can't be ...
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As the April 15 filing deadline looms, it looks like some tax-protected retirement-savings vehicles might not be so protected after all.President Barack Obama's budget for fiscal year 2014, released Wednesday, is loaded with an unusually ...
Not long ago, as I was putting groceries away, our 7-year-old daughter noticed a work sheet of hers that I had proudly added to our refrigerator gallery.
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Voices is an occasional column that allows wealth managers to address issues of interest to the advisory community. Casey Murdock is a partner specializing in tax issues with WealthGuard Advisors in Placerville, Calif.
Microsoft Excel makes it easy for anyone to do the kind of number crunching once reserved for accountants and statisticians. But the world’s best-selling spreadsheet software has also contributed to the proliferation of bad math.
Earlier this month, President Barack Obama proposed to tweak the formula for calculating the cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, for Social Security recipients.
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Investing directly in property can be an attractive alternative to low-yielding bonds but isn't for everyone. Investors should know the real-estate market, be wary of what can go wrong and, because properties can be illiquid, have plenty of ...
If the warmer weather has you dreading a spike in your energy bill, there might be a way to even things out.Many energy providers offer so-called budget-bill or level-payment plans that allow you to pay a set monthly amount for energy.
When most of us think of April, we immediately think of paying our taxes.Indeed, April is probably the month we spend the least because we are holding off to see what we will be giving to Uncle Sam. But if you’re in a spending mood this ...
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MIAMI—When Hector Torres got divorced in 2001, he said he felt blindsided by the alimony a Florida judge ordered him to pay his ex-wife: $2,000 a month for the rest of his life. He was 34 years old at the time, meaning he faced the prospect ...
How do you keep heirs from losing their work ethic if they know they stand to inherit a lot of money? The Wall Street Journal put this question to The Experts, an exclusive group of industry and thought leaders who engage in in-depth online ...
When Pablo Picasso was told that the 1905-06 portrait he painted of Gertrude Stein didn't look like her, his response was, "It will." By that he meant that long after the writer died, the portrait—which now hangs in the Metropolitan Museum ...
More boomers want—or need—to stay in the workplace longer. But staying on the job as you approach retirement age tends to makes you more expensive to an employer, because of your health-care costs. And that’s why workers now face a growing ...
Superstorm Sandy was a wake-up call for those concerned with climate change, those who live in flood zones and people with art collections.Art collections?
Don’t miss these top stories:10 things Coke, Pepsi and soda industry won’t say.Gold plummets, but not at jewelry store.How to find care amid a shortage of nursing aides.
Small-business owners across the U.S. are bracing for the health-care law that kicks in next year, fearing it will increase the cost of providing insurance to employees.
As the tax-filing deadline draws closer, beware of scam artists trying to lure you into handing over sensitive personal financial information that can be used to steal your identity and raid your financial accounts.
Roslyn Tanner Evans makes and sells jewelry online and at craft shows. She markets her handiwork through her own website, BeadzByRoz.com, as well as Facebook and Pinterest. And she accepts credit-card payments using PayPal.com and the ...
"Taxes:"Of life's two certainties, the only one for which you can get an automatic extension."This observation comes from "Buzzwords: The Official MBA Dictionary," a delightful book written about 30 years ago by John Freund and David ...
Money doesn't grow on trees. So you'll want to get the most out of the pros you hire to get your outdoor space ready for spring and summer blooms.
What's the best financial advice for young people just starting to make money? The Wall Street Journal put this question to The Experts, an exclusive group of industry and thought leaders who engage in in-depth online discussions of topics ...
What role should the government play in combatting obesity? The Wall Street Journal put this question to The Experts, an exclusive group of industry and thought leaders who engage in in-depth online discussions of topics from the print ...
Improving your health or changing careers may come with an added benefit: You could save on your life-insurance premiums.If you've made a significant health change—say, you quit smoking, lowered your cholesterol or lost weight—and have ...
What you don't know about your 401(k) could hurt you.Millions of Americans are counting on their 401(k) to fund their golden years. But financial advisers say some people may be making mistakes with their 401(k)s that could hurt them now ...
Getting health-care benefits from your employer in retirement? Count yourself lucky, then go and find some wood to knock. Those benefits have begun to undergo big changes, and are likely to change even more in the near future.
As working during retirement years has become commonplace, so has the desire among older Americans to strike out on their own and start a business for themselves.
As if adapting to health-care reform and curbing the “ nightmare bacteria” weren’t challenge enough, hospitals are increasingly plagued by another problem: bedbugs.
Each week in Curtain Raisers, we invite a local theater artist to attend a show of his or her choosing and discuss the work. On Thursday, playwright Lucas Hnath went to the Walter Kerr Theatre to see a preview of Colm Tóibín's "The ...
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You thought your estate plans were finally set? Not so fast.It turns out the "permanent" $5 million estate-tax exemption enacted earlier this year could change after all, sending families back to the drawing board to sort out their ...
An abiding lesson of the Obama Presidency is that no tax increase is ever enough. So it's not surprising that the President's new budget includes an increase in the death tax only three months after the last increase.
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As retirees look to squeeze the most from their Social Security benefits, financial firms and advocacy groups are offering more advice on maximizing payouts.
You may have shored up your finances by settling most nonmortgage debt with creditors in 2012, but there's no escaping the tax man: The Internal Revenue Service expects you to pay taxes on that dodged debt, which is now considered "income."
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As long-term-care insurance costs spiral higher, you might wonder if it makes sense to keep your coverage.Premiums for many policyholders have doubled over the past three years. Depending on a policy's features and your age, long-term ...
FOR MOST OF US, a toll road is just another expense. But for a family with vast resources and a long investment horizon, it can be something quite different: a source of income.
When a couple separates, money is often the last thing on their minds.It's understandable. Spouses can be more worried about the kids, and figuring out if the marriage will be salvaged or end in divorce. Dealing with finances seems like it ...
An important deadline is coming up soon for many long-term procrastinators.Nearly one million taxpayers still haven't gotten around to filing their federal income-tax returns for 2009, according to the Internal Revenue Service. If those ...
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Taxpayers who gave substantial assets to family members last year could be in for a nasty surprise this tax season: potential errors on federal gift-tax returns that could result in donors owing taxes on gifts they thought were tax-free.

With most couples waiting to marry and three quarters of marriage partners living together first, many celebrants are paying at least part of their wedding bill.
It’s never too early to start talking dollars...and sense.
Your grocery bill is your biggest weekly household expense, so keeping a lid on it will go far to stretch your dollar.