Many grandparents take joy in giving gifts of money to their grandchildren. Whether it’s paying for gymnastic lessons or establishing a college savings fund in their name, providing financial support for grandchildren can be a wonderful gesture, but it should be managed within the context of an overall financial plan. [...]
Over a period of five years “Jeremy,” a con artist now doing time, worked a number of gold coin scams. “We would tell people that gold would absolutely double in value in the next one-to-two years,” he said from his jailhouse cell. and “they would be able to rely on its making them far more money than any other investment [...]
While the best things in life are free, as the saying goes, some of life’s great experiences do have a price tag. If you’re considering fulfilling your childhood dream of hiking the Appalachian Trail or you’re offered tickets to see your favorite team play in the championship game, you know [...]
Doug Dickerson, State Director,AARP North Carolina All too often, North Carolinians are falling prey to scams and cons that are threatening both our financial and retirement security. The North Carolina Department of Justice (NCDOJ), just one of many state agencies handling consumer fraud complaints, received nearly 66,000 reports of identity theft and fraud according to recent information compiled by the [...]
Doug Dickerson, State Director,AARP North Carolina “How can North Carolinians foster savings and staff off a poverty crisis? “If you have a pension, you’re one of the lucky ones,” says a Duke economist, acknowledging that over the past few decades most employers have shifted away from maintaining a pension fund for their workers and former employees. Increasingly, it’s up to [...]
Nina Lloyd is a Certified Financial Planner® and Chartered Financial Planning Counselor®. She is managing advisor of the Triangle office of Opus Financial Advisors. Ever wonder how to take your retirement years from good to great? You can’t skimp on planning, saving, or diversifying. In addition to traditional retirement strategies, below you’ll find a few common practices we’ve found that [...]
By Jeff Zysik Co-founder of Charitable Entity Administration, LLC (CEA) There are many methods and platforms for carrying-out your charitable giving. In recent years, however, one charitable vehicle has zoomed to the fore-front of charitable planning — the donor-advised fund, or DAF. Why? Because in addition to offering the most attractive tax deduction rules, donor-advised accounts provide flexibility that other [...]
Linda P. Erickson Linda P. Erickson, CFP®, is the president of Erickson Advisors and a registered principal offering securities through Cetera Advisor Networks, LLC, 336-274-9403 lindae@ericksonadvisors.net. Just to review: What is a Roth IRA? A Roth IRA is funded with “after tax” dollars, grows free of all income and capital gains taxes, and produces no income tax upon withdrawal. [...]
Mike Palmer Managing Principal Ark Royal Management 3700 National Drive, Ste. 218 Raleigh NC 27612 919-710-8655 Wouldn’t most of us like to lose a few extra pounds or commit to a daily fitness routine? The challenge comes in actually doing what is required to achieve those goals. We start eating healthy, but can’t resist a late night bowl of ice [...]
When credit-reporting company TransUnion polled boomers recently regarding their credit score, nearly half thought it was no longer important. They were wrong. Your credit is a vital financial tool at every age because it predicts the likelihood you’ll pay your bills. Lenders use it when offering a mortgage, auto loan or credit card. Insurers also look at it to set [...]
