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Are you Paying Too Much in Hidden Costs?
There are many different ways in which costs are charged to your investment portfolio. Many of these are hidden and are basically untraceable. Today we are going to discuss a few of the hidden costs, and a few of the transparent costs. Costs you should know about Management Fee/Commission Whoever your investment advisor is is…
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Investing to Beat Taxes
It is tax time once again and no matter how much you hate taxes you should know about the tax advantages of IRA’s. Contributions to IRA’s can help you in many different ways at tax time. They can lower your taxable income dollar for dollar to reduce your tax burden, or even increase your refund.…
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Don’t Miss this Investing Tax Credit!
The Saver’s Credit: almost a well-kept secret? It’s becoming increasingly difficult for low to middle-income families to save; however, the IRS allows a Saver’s Credit that could mean a $2,000 tax credit per family. Of course, it depends on the tax filer’s status as well as their adjusted gross income, or AGI. The tax benefit…
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2015 Market Analysis
The market had a very bumpy 2015, with a few scary drops, and some quick climbs. The last quarter in specific stocks bounced back for most sectors after the downturn in quarter 3. If you didn’t panic and sell out after the big drop in August, you were rewarded as the S&P 500 index was…
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Health Insurance In Idaho 101
As the Open Enrollment Period for enrolling in a qualified health insurance plans comes close to an end for 2016, I thought it would be a good time to review some basics on how health insurance works these days. Open Enrollment Period If you do not currently have a health insurance plan you have until…
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5 Bad Money Saving Strategies
With 2015 now gone and the clean slate known as 2016 is here, many of us plan to save more money this year than we did last year. In order to be able to put money away money towards retirement, we have to be able to save some of the money we are bringing in. …
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What is an Investment Coach?
What is a coach? When it comes to investing, most investors (even Warren Buffet had a coach—Ben Graham) could benefit from a coaching relationship. However, for the coaching relationship to be a successful one, the individual must give permission for the coach to “coach!” Absent that permission the coaching experience will fail! A coach, aside…
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Are You Dollar Cost Averaging?
Today we are going to discuss dollar cost averaging (DCA) and how it is most likely helping your retirement portfolio. “Dollar Cost Averaging- The technique of buying a fixed dollar amount of a particular investment on a regular schedule, regardless of the share price. More shares are purchased when prices are low, and fewer shares…
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Is a Roth Conversion Right For You?
Many people are taking advantage of the tax benefits that come along with Roth accounts. No matter what your income or tax status is, you can take advantage as well. What is a Roth Conversion? A Roth conversion is when you convert a pre-tax account (Traditional IRA, 401k, 403B) to a Roth IRA. By doing…
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When is it Safe to Get In the Market?
Perhaps one of the biggest challenges that investors face is determining if “right now” is a safe time to invest (meaning not just the present, but any time). What makes it difficult for investors is a twofold issue: first, is a lack of historical knowledge and perspective, and second, their own emotions. Actually, if one…
