| Articles |
 | Americans are still in love with plastic |
| Be careful about 401(k) loans |
| Benefit Plans for Small Businesses |
| Business Banking |
| Choosing a beneficiary for your IRA or 401(k) |
| Choosing an Entity for your Business |
| Clean up your credit report |
| Closing a retirement income gap |
| Creating an investment portfolio |
| Credit card debt leads to bankruptcy |
| Debt counseling |
| Do You Have a Side Business? |
| Getting Help from the Small Business Administration |
| Hiring Your First Employee |
| How long will negative information remain on your credit report? |
| Investing in stocks |
| IRA beneficiary disclaimers |
| Properly Insuring Your Business |
| Record Keeping for Your Own Business |
| Retirement plan options |
| Retirement Plans for Small Businesses |
| Short Checklist for Entrepreneurs |
| Small Business Statistics |
| Starting or Buying A Business |
| Surviving an Audit |
| Tax Planning for income |
| Tax planning for the self-employed |
| Taxation of investments |
| The fundamentals of disability insurance |
| The wrong ways to figure your life insurance needs |
| Transferring Your Family Business |
| Types of life insurance policies |
| Umbrella liability insurance |
| Understanding IRAs |
| Understanding long-term care insurance |
| Understanding Social Security |
| Working with Employees |
| Year-end tax planning |
| Your home as a source of dollars in retirement |
| Credit And Debt Management |
| Even successful businesses experience peaks and valleys in earnings and the careful use of credit, for personal and business expenses, is a skill every entrepreneur should develop. There may be times when going into debt is unavoidable. Knowing how to manage debt can be as useful as knowing how to avoid it. |
| Americans Are Still in Love with Plastic |
| Clean Up Your Credit Report |
| Credit Card Debt Leads to Bankruptcy |
| Debt Counseling |
| How Long Will Negative Information Remain on Your Credit Report? |
| Negotiating with Creditors |
| Insurance |
Factor insurance into your start-up and continuing business expenses. Whether you employ hundreds of people or work solo from a home office, you will need to protect your income from disruption by accident, illness or lawsuits. Make sure your business can sail across the rough spots by supporting your investment with the right insurance. And dont forget about protecting your assets with long-term care insurance for post-retirement peace of mind. |
| The fundamentals of disability insurance |
| The Wrong Ways to Figure Your Life Insurance Needs |
| Types of life insurance policies |
| Umbrella liability insurance |
| Understanding long-term care insurance |
| Investments |
| Your business may be your number one investment but wealth accumulation requires a balanced portfolio with the right amount of risk for your financial circumstances and personal comfort level. Heres the lowdown on blue chips, growth stocks and capital gains. |
| Investing in stocks |
| Retirement |
| It may seem a long way from planning a business to planning for retirement but the plan you choose for your business or yourself is one of the key decisions you will make. There are some basics about retirement funds and plans that it pays to understand. |
| Be Careful About 401(k) Loans |
| Choosing a beneficiary for your IRA or 401(k) |
| Closing a retirement income gap |
| Creating an investment portfolio |
| IRA Beneficiary Disclaimers |
| Retirement Plan Options |
| Understanding IRAs |
| Understanding Social Security |
| Your home as a source of dollars in retirement |
| Tax |
| Tax planning for income |
| Tax planning for the self-employed |
| Taxation of investments |
| Year-end tax planning |
| Tools |
 | Building a retirement plan for your business |
| Business Building Blocks |
| Business life insurance needs |
| Business succession planning alternatives |
| Business Valuation |
| Choosing a business entity |
| Comparison of LLCs LLPs and professional corporations |
| Credit Line |
| General business tax credits |
| How C Corporations Limited Liability Companies and Limited Liability Partnerships Protect Personal A |
| Line of Credit Payoff |
| Planning for succession of a business interest |
| What is your risk tolerance |
| Credit And Debt Management |
| Learning about loans and how they can help to grow your business is a good idea. Using credit wisely is another. When it comes to plastic, understanding credit card chargesor which card gives you the best rate for the types of service you need--is the first step. If youve gone considerably beyond the first step, taking care of credit card debt efficiently is your next move. |
| Credit Assessment |
| Credit Card Pay Off |
| Debt Consolidation Calculator |
| Deciding which credit card to get |
| Rolldown your Credit Card debt |
| Insurance |
| Insurance can work for youand take care of you when you are not working. Learn how to select your insurance coverage for maximum protection. |
| Advantages and disadvantages of tax-deferred fixed annuities |
| Disability Insurance |
| Disability insurance waiting period |
| How insurance preserves assets |
| How universal life insurance works |
| How variable universal life insurance works |
| Likelihood of suffering a disability by age 50 |
| Noncancelable and guaranteed renewable disability policies |
| Personal liability umbrella insurance |
| Should you consider buying long-term care insurance (LTCI) |
| Understanding annuity expenses |
| What to avoid when buying a long-term care insurance policy |
| Investments |
| Don't be intimidated by investing. A portfolio can be a fascinating read, if it's yours. And learning about the potential wealth in stock options is a real page-turner. |
| Annual Stock Option Grants |
| Building an investment portfolio |
| Retirement |
| Know exactly what you can count on for retirement income. These tools help you to predict the future down to the penny. |
| 403(b) Savings Calculator |
| Advantages and disadvantages of 529 plans |
| Pension Plan Retirement Options |
| Retirement Income Calculator |
| Retirement Shortfall Calculator |
| Saving for your retirement |
| Should you save in a 401(k) or a Roth IRA |
| Traditional IRA Calculator |
| Traditional IRA future value calculator |
| Tax |
| Calculate or estimate your taxes and the tax advantages for different types of retirement savings. Knowledge is power and, in this case, it can make you penalty-proof. |
| 1040 Tax Calculator |
| Comparison of tax credits and deductions |
| Federal individual income tax fundamentals |
| How taxation can affect your retirement funds |
| IRA eligibility flowchart- 2006 |
| Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003- Highlights |
| Roth IRA Calculator |
| U.S. 1040EZ Tax Estimator |
| FAQs |
 | Are my Social Security benefits subject to income tax? |
| Can I borrow money from my wholly owned business? |
| Can I change my business from an S corporation to a C corporation? |
| Can I deduct home office expenses? |
| Can I get disability insurance if I'm self-employed? |
| Can I set up a traditional IRA? |
| Can I take money from my IRA without any penalty? |
| Can I take the tax credit for child care? |
| Can I transfer my business through my will? |
| Don't most small businesses fail? |
| How can I boost the morale of my employees without incurring huge expenses? |
| How can I correct errors on my credit report? |
| How can I determine what my business is worth for estate and gift tax purposes? |
| How can I find good employees for my business? |
| How can I get credit if I have no credit history? |
| How can I get free publicity for my business? |
| How can I raise capital for my business? |
| How do I find good advisors such as lawyers and accountants to help with my business? |
| How do I know where to advertise my business? |
| How does a limited partnership work? |
| How much of my portfolio should I keep in stocks? |
| How should I structure my retirement portfolio? |
| I am buying a business. Can I make the seller sign a noncompetition agreement? |
| I don't have the cash to pay my taxes. What can I do? |
| I get a lot of credit card offers. How can I tell which one is best? |
| I own a business. Are there any creative ways I can use life insurance in my business? |
| I rent my home out for two weeks each year. Do I have to show this rental income on my federal income tax return? |
| If I have long-term disability insurance coverage through my employer do I need my own policy too? |
| If I prepay next year's taxes this year can I deduct them this year? |
| Is buying a franchise a good way to get into business? |
| I've finally paid off my credit cards. Should I close the accounts or leave them open with zero balances? |
| My spouse and I are filing separate returns. Can we both itemize our deductions? If so, how do we split the deductions? |
| Should I buy an existing business or start from scratch? |
| Should I buy or lease assets for my business? |
| Should I incorporate my business? |
| Should I work with a stockbroker to buy individual stocks? |
| What are some financing options for selling my business? |
| What are the stages of business development? |
| What benefits should I offer to my employees? |
| What is a family limited partnership and will it help reduce estate taxes? |
| What is a life insurance trust and why should I consider establishing one? |
| What is a mutual fund prospectus and how do I read it? |
| What is critical illness insurance? |
| What is no-fault insurance? |
| What is term life insurance? |
| What is the best form of advertising? |
| What should I look for in a business location? |
| What's a premature IRA distribution and what happens if I make one? |
| What's private mortgage insurance, and can my mortgage lender require me to have it? |
| What's the difference between chapter 7 and chapter 13 bankruptcy? |
| Why does the buyer of my business want me to sign a noncompetition agreement? |
| Will debt consolidation hurt or help my credit rating? |
| Will I be taxed on the growth of the cash value of my life insurance What if my policy pays dividends? |
| Will I have to pay life insurance premiums if I become disabled? |
| Credit And Debt Management |
| Using credit wisely and taking care of debt are important elements of your financial health and that of your business. This isnt the most exciting part of running a business but it will be if you dont pay careful attention to it. Don't let simple oversights create problems and limit your options. |
| How can I correct errors on my credit report? |
| How can I get credit if I have no credit history? |
| How do I get a copy of my credit report? |
| I get a lot of credit card offers. How can I tell which one is best? |
| I've finally paid off my credit cards. Should I close the accounts or leave them open with zero balances? |
| What's the difference between Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy? |
| Will debt consolidation hurt or help my credit rating? |
| Insurance |
| How much insurance do you need and what types should you get? Know the terms and the implications so you can make the right choices. |
| Can I get disability insurance if I'm self-employed? |
| Do I need to let my homeowners insurance company know that Im refinancing a mortgage? |
| If I have long-term disability insurance coverage through my employer do I need my own policy too? |
| What is a life insurance trust and why should I consider establishing one? |
| What is critical illness insurance? |
| What is no-fault insurance? |
| What is term life insurance? |
| What's private mortgage insurance and can my mortgage lender require me to have it? |
| Will I be taxed on the growth of the cash value of my life insurance? What if my policy pays dividends? |
| Will I have to pay life insurance premiums if I become disabled? |
| Investments |
| You've decided to build a diverse investment portfolio and youre ready to get started. Or perhaps, like many older women, you have an inheritance you want to grow. How much can you handle on your own? How many ways are there to invest? What are the choices that will help you reach your goals? Here are the answers to some typical questions. |
| Should I work with a stockbroker to buy individual stocks? |
| What is a mutual fund prospectus and how do I read it? |
| Retirement |
Retirement can be a long and rewarding stage of your life if you have prepared properly for it. It can be frightening and austere if you have no plan and no resources accumulated for the decades you will live after earning a living. The number of Americans who have little or no retirement income is alarming. Don't be one of them. |
| Can I set up a traditional IRA? |
| How much of my portfolio should I keep in stocks? |
| How should I structure my retirement portfolio? |
| Whats a premature IRA distribution and what happens if I make one? |
| Tax |
| What can you claim? What must you pay? Be knowledgeable about your taxes and be safetax mistakes can be costly. Learn about the capital gains tax and find your tax bracket. This is an area where an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. |
| Are my Social Security benefits subject to income tax? |
| Can I take money from my IRA without any penalty? |
| Can I take the tax credit for child care? |
| How did the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003 change capital gains tax rates? |
| I dont have the cash to pay my taxes. What can I do? |
| I rent my home out for two weeks each year. Do I have to show this rental income on my federal income return? |
| If I prepay next years taxes this year can I deduct them this year? |
| My spouse and I are filing separate returns. Can we both itemize our deductions If so how do we split deductions? |
| What is my tax bracket? |