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Talking Money With Mom and Dad: It's not an easy discussion, but for yours and your parents sake, find out from them where their money is, and how they're set for retirement.
A Plan for the New Year: How's that diet going? One New Year's resolution you can keep in 1998 with a few simple steps is getting your financial house in order.
For The New Year: An oldie but goodie from 1997: See the list of financial planning resolutions we've written for you.
Saving for College: The number of options for saving is rising, including some programs created by the new tax law.
Charitable Giving Made Easy: You don't have to be rich to take advantage of foundations. Here's our guide to charitable foundations.
Supporting Organizations: When donating assets to charity, creating a "supporting organizations" can be a better choice than private foundations.
Functions of a Will: Everybody needs a will, but a will doesn't cover everything having to do with your estate. See our guide about what other documents protect your estate.
Charitable Lead Trusts: This useful estate planning tool allows you to support a favorite charity and then help your loved ones.
Helping Family: There's a way to save on taxes when passing assets to children or grandchildren, but it may change soon, as tax law changes have been proposed.
A Foreign Spouse: Transfers of assets to a surviving spouse who is not a U.S. citizen takes some work. Here's what you need to know.
Generation Skipping: Skip a generation and you might save on estate taxes. But Congress has targeted this tax break, so make sure you know the rules.
A Trust For You: Charitable remainder trusts are a common estate planning tool. Here's our primer, with tips on how last year's tax bill affected these trusts.
Living Trusts: The living trust can have many benefits to both the grantor and the beneficiaries, and can offer much flexibility.
You Need a Will: Yes -- you. Without a will, the state will determine who gets what, and will make decisions that affect your children. Read our primer.
Split-dollar Life Insurance: Companies and their executives share in this high-value benefit. We tell you how it works.
Disability Insurance: Injury or illness that keeps you from working can wreak havoc with your finances. Here's our guide to disability insurance.
Too Little Insurance?: Many things affect how much liability insurance you need. Make sure you're adequately covered.
Life Insurance: Who needs it? Just about everyone. To get you started, here's information on some of the basics.
Medical Savings: Congress last year approved Medical Savings Accounts (MSAs), to help make health insurance more affordable. Are they right for you?
Review Your Auto Insurance: Auto insurance is the most common type of property insurance. Do you have too little? Too much? Here's what to look for.
Stock Option Basics: Stock options have become an important part of employee compensation packages. To maximize the benefits of options, employers and employees need to understand how different types of options are taxed and the methods for funding the exercise.
Investing Internationally: Americans are putting more of their investments overseas. At the end of 1997, foreign stocks accounted for almost 10 percent of all equity securities owned by U.S. investors. Do you know the risks?
After-tax Returns: So your mutual fund is doing great. But how much do you get to keep after taxes? Check to see how smart your mutual fund managers are.
Prolonging the Ride: After a three-year ride, investors may be wondering how long the market can go. What should investors do? Stay cool.
Tracking Basis: Last year's tax law made calculating capital gains more critical, and thus tracking what you paid for mutual funds becomes more difficult. Here's our guide.
Prospecting for Funds: Have a question about a mutual fund? The best source of information is the mutual fund's prospectus. Here's our guide to what to look for.
Mixing Investments Well: Studies have shown that the mixture of the types of the investments you own -- and not the specific investments -- has a great deal to do with your returns. That's called asset allocation, and it's something all investors should practice.
Understanding Stock Options: Do you know your NQSOs from your ISOs? Learn the ins and outs of stock options, and how to save on taxes when you exercise them.
An Investment Roadmap: Successful investing is much more than picking the right stocks. An investment policy statement can help keep your portfolio aligned with your goals.
REIT Stuff: Real Estate Investment Trusts can help investors diversify into real estate. Learn the basics here, including tax considerations.
Taking a Stock's Pulse: Investors can use financial ratios to gauge a company's financial health and its investment prospects. Here's the key ratios and what they mean.
Index Funds: What are they and how do they work? The concept is fairly simple, but they're not always the best investment.
Tax-Efficient Investing: Taxes aren't the first thing on most investors' minds. But putting taxes higher on your list of considerations can save money and improve returns.
Much About Zeros: Zero-coupon bonds are a good investment for many, but the tax consequences can be confounding. Here's our guide.
Picking a Mutual Fund: Investors are pouring back into mutual funds, but there are thousands to choose from. Our guide can get you started.
Telling Annuities Apart: Investors are pouring into annuities, to take advantage of tax-deferral features and those that invest in mutual funds. Know what you're getting before you invest.
Knowing Your Limits: This year, the stock market has been up, down, then back up again. Understanding investment risk -- and adjusting your investments to reflect how much risk you can stand -- can help you cope with the market's volatility.
Investing Internationally: Many investors are adding diversity to their portfolios by investing outside the United States. Before you do, be aware of the risks.
Keeping Up With Inflation: The new inflation-adjusted bonds raise questions: How do they work? When should they be used, and when shouldn't they? See our special report on these bonds, including a calculator to help you compare.
The Home Sale Exclusion: In 1997, the tax law changed to allow an exclusion for capital gains from the sale of a taxpayer's principal residence. Here's how it works.
How Do You Own It?: The ownership of property should be carefully evaluated. If not structured properly, it can lead to problems in the event of a sale, a divorce, or the death of the owner.
Mortgage Basics: Buying a house usually means shopping for a mortgage as well, and it can be just as confounding. Knowing some of the basics will make you a smarter shopper.
Take It Out Right: Taking distributions from your IRA can be tricky. Doing it right can save taxes. Doing it wrong can cost you. Read our guide.
Medicare+Choice: The Balanced Budget Act of 1997 created expanded options under Medicare. Here's what to expect.
All the Rage: Roth IRAs are becoming hugely popular. Make sure you understand their ins and outs before deciding they're right for your retirement savings.
Your Business and Retirement: Self-employed? You have options in planning for your retirement, and they can be smart tax planning tools as well.
Spending Your IRA: Someday you'll owe taxes on your Individual Retirement Account. Here are some factors that can affect that payout, and some strategies for minimizing your tax burden.
Paying for Health Care in Retirement: What are the options if you don't have a company-sponsored insurance plan?
Take the Money and Run?: The federal government has temporarily eliminated the 15% excise tax on excess distributions from qualified retirement accounts. Some see this as a windfall, but check the facts before jumping in.
Have a Nice Time: Don't let details ruin your vacation. There are a few financial planning angles you need to check before heading for the beach.
Plain-English Leases: There are dozens of ways to hide costs in car leases. New regulations will help you understand what you're getting.
Understanding Audits: The IRS is cutting back on the number of tax returns it audits. But don't feel too secure, but the agency audited 1.7 million forms in 1997. How does the IRS choose tax returns to audit? Our guide explains what the tax agency looks for.
E-filing Made Easy: The Internal Revenue Service is taking steps to expand the filing of income tax returns electronically. For taxpayers, benefits include fewer errors and faster refunds. See how it works, and how to use it.
Stock Option Basics: Stock options have become an important part of employee compensation packages. To maximize the benefits of options, employers and employees need to understand how different types of options are taxed and the methods for funding the exercise.
Taxes on Household Employees: If you have a maid, gardener, babysitter, or other household worker who qualifies as your employee, you may be responsible for collecting and paying certain federal taxes. See our guide.
Adoption Tax Breaks: Forming a family through adoption? The federal government offers several tax breaks, including up to $5,000 in tax credits.
People with Disabilities: The federal government offers a number of tax breaks -- from deductions to tax credits -- to help people with disabilities and their family, even help with the cost of renovating a home.
Cutting Higher Ed Costs: Hope Credits. Lifetime Learning Credits. Education IRAs. In many ways the government offers tax breaks on college costs.
Deferring Compensation: Delaying income can help cut your tax bill, but it's not always the best strategy. Here are the benefits and risks.
Valuing Donations: If you're donating something of value to charity, make sure -- for tax purposed -- you get it valued correctly.
Pay Now for Next Year: If you believe you'll owe more in taxes on this year's income, you may need to start paying now. Here are some guidelines.
Keeping Tax Records: Your first car is long gone, so why are you still hanging on to those old 1040EZ's? You need to keep tax records for a while, but not forever.
It's Not Too Late: Looking at a big tax bill this year? There are still a few things you can do to cut your 1998 federal income taxes.
At Home in the Office: The deduction for your home office has been expanded a bit, but make sure you know what the new rules are.
Tax Planning for 1999: The end of the year is a perfect time for a tax check-up. It'll help you save money now and in the future.
Tax Changes in 1999: There are no radical tax changes coming next year, but there are a few that will reach up and bite you if you're not aware. See our guide.
A Commuter's Tax Break: You have a flexible spending account at work for health care costs. How about one for the cost of parking and commuting? A new tax law makes this happen.
Figuring the AMT: More taxpayers than ever are subject to the alternative minimum tax. If you claim lots of deductions, you may need to check if you're subject to the AMT.
Tax Break for Conservation: If you own a piece of land that could be donated for conservation purposes, you're eligible for a tax deduction, called a "conservation easement."
A Moving Experience: Moving to a new home? Many costs are tax deductible, if you qualify. Here's our guide.
Joint or Separate? For married couples, there may be benefits to filing income taxes separately. Here's how to decide.
Charitable Giving: Your contributions should come from the heart, but minding some special rules will insure you get the tax deduction you're entitled to.
Navigating Divorce: For some couples, a divorce is a hard fact to face. Still, there are tax considerations that can preserve more of the assets to benefit both parties, and that can help the transition.
Never Too Late: Most people don't think about their taxes till it's time to turn in the return. Here are some strategies to help you save on your taxes -- even now.
Medical Savings: Congress last year approved Medical Savings Accounts (MSAs), to help make health insurance more affordable. Are they right for you?
Changes for 1996: Two laws passed in the summer of 1996 changed the picture for just about every taxpayer. Read our summary of the changes for individuals, and check our guide for more details.
Baby-Sitter's Rules: While someone's watching your children, who's watching your taxes. Hiring a baby-sitter and other domestic help invokes some specific tax rules you need to follow.
Leaving Friends a Loan: You can lend money to friends and family at below-market interest rates, but the IRS has rules to make sure it gets its share.
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