Make time your investing ally
How much money will you need in retirement?
Unless you’re able to predict the future, you probably can’t answer that question with absolute certainty. There are simply too many variables involved.
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Make your finances a powerful relationship enhancer
Couples are often counseled to discuss their finances in order to ensure a happy relationship. Certainly, money issues can be a significant source of stress in any relationship between spouses, parents and their children or even business partners.
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Emergency savings for life in the military
Type “emergency savings” into Google, and you’ll find hundreds of articles on the subject that all promote the same general message: you should save and maintain roughly 6 months’ worth of income for unexpected expenses.
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The changing terrain: Military families react to annual pay raise
When it comes to benefits, military families (commissioned officers and senior NCOs in pay grades E-5 and above with household incomes of at least $50,000) unsurprisingly rank basic pay as the most important.
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Four personal finance tips every servicemember should follow
It’s the most basic rule of personal finance: spend less than you earn. Of course, it can seem like everyone’s out to separate you from your hard-earned money, from the luxury purse vendor outside the exchange to the Harley Davidson dealer’s tent packed with salesmen ready to give you a “great” finance rate.
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Servicemember families reining in holiday spending
America’s career military families intend to tighten their belts again this holiday season, making gift spending a major focus of their frugality.
First Command’s annual holiday spending survey reveals that 94 percent of middle-class military families (commissioned officers and senior NCOs in pay grades E-6 and above with household incomes of at least $50,000) plan to cut back this year, statistically unchanged from the past three years.
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Planning ahead for the 2016 tax season
Compared to previous years, 2015 has been relatively quiet regarding tax law changes. Congress saw fit to extend a handful of tax breaks that threatened to expire annually in years past, but there are no significant changes to complicate the tax filing process.
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Prepare for the effects of DoD downsizing and sequestration with emergency savings
Defense downsizing means big changes for America’s career military. As a Financial Advisor for military families, I speak with folks daily who share concerns about what the future holds in terms of career advancement, involuntary separations and changes to benefits.
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Financial concerns prompt military families to trim Thanksgiving plans
Financial uncertainty and concern is prompting a record number of middle-class military families to kick off this year’s holiday spending season with a leaner Thanksgiving celebration.
First Command’s annual Thanksgiving spending survey reveals that 82 percent of middle-class military families say their Thanksgiving plans will change as a result of the current economic situation.
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Servicemembers saving more in face of sequestration concerns
Worries over sequestration and defense downsizing are continuing to drive a savings surge in America’s career military, with those who work with a financial advisor putting away the most dollars for both near- and long-term goals.
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