Determining the value of an estate is a fundamental first step in estate management and a critical requirement for settling a decedent’s estate.1 How to assess the value of an estate Select the date of […] Read More

The real rate of return is an important personal finance concept to understand. It’s the rate of return on your investments after inflation. The real rate of return indicates whether you are gaining or losing […] Read More

Taxes are one of the biggest budget items for most taxpayers, yet many have no idea what they’re getting for their money. The average household spends more on taxes than on groceries, clothing, or healthcare. […] Read More

No one wants to see an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) auditor show up at their door. The IRS can’t audit every American’s tax return, so it relies on guidelines to select the ones most deserving […] Read More

Concerns over identity theft continue to grow, especially with the news of data breaches at major companies and financial institutions. Unfortunately, you have little control over when a company is hacked, but you do have […] Read More

When our parents retired, living to 75 amounted to a nice long life, and Social Security was often supplemented by a pension. The Social Security Administration (SSA) estimates that today’s average 67-year-old woman will live […] Read More

American actor Lee Marvin once said, “As soon as people see my face on a movie screen, they knew two things: first, I’m not going to get the girl, and second, I’ll get a cheap […] Read More

As parents, we encourage our children to work, so they can learn important values about work and independence. At what point, if at all, do children need to file an income tax return for the […] Read More

A money market fund, not to be confused with a money market account, is a type of mutual fund that invests in instruments like cash equivalents and short-term debt-based securities, which can also include U.S. […] Read More