Second marriages inevitably create estate-planning complications, warns attorney Martin Shenkman, CPA. The need to update beneficiary designations, powers of attorney and other documents to name...
Personal Finances
All Personal Finances Articles
How to Calculate Your Discretionary Income
Discretionary income is an intuitive concept, but it is worth more than a passing thought. Understanding your discretionary income can help you align your thinking...
What Is Equity? And How Does It Work?
The term “equity” is used in different senses throughout the finance world, so you may be wondering, What is equity? Bottom Line Personal asked Eric...
Fee-Only Financial Planners
Do you know whether your financial advisor is overcharging you? Or if the advice you get is always in your best interest? You’re not alone. ...
Credit Union vs. Bank: What Are the Differences?
Banks aren’t your only option when you need checking accounts, loans and other banking services. Credit unions offer similar services and do so with similar...
Family Estate Planning: Best Ways to Leave Property to Your Heirs
Older Americans have a total of more than $17 trillion of equity in their houses. Transferring that residential real estate to your heirs upon your...
Aging In Place: The Financial Challenge of Growing Old In Your Own Home
Home is where the heart is…and often where it wants to stay. Three-quarters of older American adults hope to remain in their homes for as...
Protect Yourself from Mortgage Fraud
In the past few months, several high-level politicians, including a US Senator, a Federal Reserve governor and the Texas state attorney general, have been accused...
Irrevocable Trusts—Do You Need One?
When most people think about trusts, they’re usually thinking about simple revocable living trusts—the kind that let you control and retain both legal and beneficial...
How Does Medical Debt Affect Your Credit Score?
A new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) rule intended to block medical debt from being included on credit reports was struck down by a federal...
Protect Yourself from Social Security Scams
Scammers pretending to represent the Social Security Administration (SSA) are making retirees’ lives a little less secure. Bottom Line Personal asked attorney Steven J.J. Weisman,...
Best Charities to Donate To
Not all nonprofits are created equal. Before giving your money to a seemingly worthy cause, it’s worth taking a few minutes to confirm that the...
