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As we enter a new year, it’s time to start thinking about smart tax moves to help minimize what you’ll owe Uncle Sam on April 15, 2020. Given the fact that the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act went into effect only last year, taxpayers are still learning the ins, outs and potential undiscovered advantages…

Three pivotal economic events of 2019 were: (1) the prolonged trade dispute between the U.S. and China; (2) the series of three interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve; and (3) chatter about a possible 2020 recession. It remains to be seen whether a recession is on the way, but if you’re concerned about market…

Where there is internet, is there more prosperity? Generally speaking, yes. It costs much more to lay fiber to outlying communities than it does in larger metropolitan areas, which may contribute to the growing geographical discrepancy between income, education and even health care. Some places, like Indiana, hope to bring rural areas up to speed…

Can having your mind in the right place improve your health? It can’t hurt. We’re living longer, but we aren’t always prepared for what lies ahead. It’s easy to become disillusioned as new aches and pains crop up or our body doesn’t work like it used to. But just as we exercise and eat right…

According to a telecommunications study of 50 billion telephone calls over an 18-month period, nearly four percent of calls in 2017 were fraudulent. In 2018, that number jumped to 29 percent of all calls. At that pace, the number of fraudulent calls is expected to rise to 44 percent of all calls in 2019.1 You…

  Good news for retirees: Social Security benefits are scheduled to increase 2.8 percent in 2019, the biggest bump since the 3.6 percent increase in 2012.The average beneficiary – who received about $1,405 a month in 2018 – can expect to see just over $39 more each month, or about $468 more over the course…

Toward the end of 2018, before the midterms, Congress passed a proliferation of bills, many of which were bipartisan. The following is a roundup of recent legislation designed to provide economic stimulus and additional protections heading into 2019. The America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 directs the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to embark on…

To help combat chronic poverty, some think tanks and economists have pitched the idea of a universal basic income (UBI), issued by the government. In the words of the 1980s band Dire Straits, UBI is essentially “money for nothing.” Proponents suggest that if every American adult received $1,000 a month to do with whatever they…

Many Americans who enroll in original Medicare also purchase a supplemental insurance policy, colloquially known as “Medigap.” Medigap covers some or all of the out-of-pocket costs associated with original Medicare — deductibles, copayments and coinsurance — helping to reduce financial risk. However, there is a wide array of Medigap plans with a variety of different…

Every couple who decides to marry runs some risk of divorce in the future. The only way to definitively avoid divorce is to remain single, but plenty of people are willing to take their chances. Among the many unintended consequences of divorce is the toll it can take on a couple’s finances. Of divorced women,…