Umbrella Policies - Extra Coverage and Peace of Mind

Umbrella Policies - Extra Coverage and Peace of Mind

Additional insurance to protect your assets and future

Why doesn’t anyone ever suggest that your shouldn't buy an umbrella liability policy? It seems like additional overall security for pennies. Sure, you can spend pennies paying for something you don’t need or will never use, but isn’t that the argument against all insurance? Let’s run some numbers and see if this kind of policy protects you.

As a financial planner we help people make wise money decisions, including protection of what you’ve accumulated over the years or are about to accumulate. To those ends, an umbrella liability policy adds another layer of insurance to your home and auto liability coverage. Umbrella liability usually comes in increments of $1 million and costs about…

Exiting the Correction and Other Thoughts

Exiting the Correction and Other Thoughts

As the calendar gets ready to turn, think about your original goals 

As we enter December, it’s important to keep the past 11 months in perspective and remember your original goals from the beginning of the year. Sure, it’s been an interesting year – more volatility, market corrections, new market highs, and tax reform – but unless something dramatically altered your circumstances, remember the basics.

Here are some thoughts for you to consider as you begin looking forward to 2019:

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Borrowers to See New FICO Scoring System

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Borrowers to See New FICO Scoring System

Goal is to account for a borrower's cash transactions and banking history

When it comes to our credit score, Americans are doing better than ever.

Since bottoming out with an average FICO Score of 686 in October 2009 – one year after the stock market crash of 2008 – scores have risen steadily since, including for the past 8 years.

Currently, the average FICO score in the U.S. has reached 704, a new record that will hopefully continue to rise.

New Credit Score Coming in 2019

In the fall of 2018, FICO, Experian, and Finicity announced a new credit score called UltraFICO Score, which is when the consumer – you and me – agrees to contribute information from our checking, savings and money market accounts in order to provide an “enhanced view” of our financial behavior.

How Bunching Expenses Can Enable Taxpayers to Continue to Itemize

How Bunching Expenses Can Enable Taxpayers to Continue to Itemize

In response to the significant changes to the tax deduction rules under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), many taxpayers are searching for ways to recover some of the tax benefits associated with itemizing deductible expenses that have been eliminated. Taxpayers who were previously able to lower their tax bills by itemizing may want to consider using a “bunching” strategy, which generally means either accelerating or deferring deductible expenses so that more of these expenses fall in a single tax year rather than in multiple tax years.

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What Does Aretha Franklin, Prince, and Abraham Lincoln All Have in Common?

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What Does Aretha Franklin, Prince, and Abraham Lincoln All Have in Common?

Another Famous Celebrity Dies Without a Will

When legendary singer Aretha Franklin died of advanced pancreatic cancer at age 76, she did not have a will or trust, according to documents filed in Oakland County Probate Court. And now the $80 million estate of the intensely private Queen of Soul is about to become very public – and possibly very taxing for her heirs.

"The decedent died intestate and after exercising reasonable diligence, I am unaware of any unrevoked testamentary instrument relating to property located in this state as defined under the law,” the form reads.

Aretha’s lawyer of nearly 30 years told the Detroit Free Press that he was constantly asking her to do a trust, but she just never got around to doing it.

"I was after her for a number of years to do a trust," Los Angeles attorney Don Wilson told the Detroit Free Press. "It would have expedited things and kept them out of probate and kept things private."

Wills Are for Everyone

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5 Principles That Will Sharpen Your Skills as an Investor

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5 Principles That Will Sharpen Your Skills as an Investor

Have you ever embarked on a home improvement project? …One perhaps that you are confident in completing, but unfamiliar with the details. A “how to” clip is usually available on YouTube, but there isn’t a practical way to reach out with follow-up questions. What you may need is guidance from a caring individual.

This is where your local home improvement store comes into play. I usually have good luck with Home Depot. The employees not only know their craft exceedingly well but are excited to share their ideas.  I'm always impressed with the greeter at our local store who welcomes guests and can direct them to the exact aisle of the item(s) that they're there to purchase. You can see it in their body language and the sparkle in their eyes when they explain the nuances of a project. Plus, they are happy to share any problems you might encounter and how to sidestep pitfalls.

They are, in one word, educators. What they have taught me and what I’ve learned through various projects in life is a fairly simple concept: “Experience isn’t the best teacher–someone else’s experience is.”