By John C. Fales
Sometimes it’s hard to tell your spouse they’re spending too much money, to tell your friends you need to skip the annual trip this year, or to tell your child their new car needs to be a joint investment rather than a gift. However, wouldn’t it be easier to have a crucial conversation today rather than a really challenging one later that starts with, “We have a big financial problem”?
If you’ve ever felt a rush of excitement at making a big purchase or experienced feelings of shame at making a financial mistake, you know that our relationship with money isn’t completely rational. For most people, money comes with a lot of emotional and psychological baggage that affects the decisions we make.
Few things strike fear into a taxpayer’s heart like a letter from the IRS. Fortunately, the odds of you ever being audited by the IRS are lower than ever. Recent budget cuts have reduced the number of IRS auditors, and in 2014 the IRS audited less than one percent of the individual tax returns it received, the lowest level since 2004.
Tax season is underway and that means an uptick in tax-related scams. One particularly pernicious form of fraud is tax identity theft. Tax-related identity theft happens when someone uses sensitive personal information (like your Social Security number) and files a fraudulent tax return in your name to collect a refund. According to recent statistics, scammers filed over 5 million returns in 2013 using stolen information, costing the IRS $5.8 billion in fraudulent refunds.
Nothing can eliminate completely the stress most taxpayers feel when dealing with the IRS. However, there are plenty of ways you can make tax time easier on yourself. The filing deadline for 2015 returns is April 18, 2016, instead of the usual April 15. Because of Patriots’ Day, residents of Maine and Massachusetts will have until April 19 to file.
NAPFA-Registered Financial Advisor Overland Park: Searcy Financial Services
The National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) is the country’s leading professional association of Fee-Only financial advisors – highly trained professionals who are committed to working in the best interest of those they serve. After completing the vetting process, Searcy Financial Services is proud to announce that we have been accepted as a member by The National Association of Personal Financial Advisors and are now nationally recognized as a Fee-Only firm.
According to the Center for Retirement Research, two-thirds of baby boomers can expect an inheritance.
If you’re lucky enough to inherit money, you might wonder: how will an inheritance change my financial picture? For some, an inheritance could mean a drastic change in their finances. For others, inherited money might be a nice cushion against unexpected events.
By Michael J. Searcy
My company’s slogan in the 90’s promised, “Mike Searcy will put your life in a 3 ring binder.” The financial planning industry was just starting to become popular, and for many households who were used to stuffing receipts into shoeboxes, the idea of having someone organize their finances into a binder sounded promising. However, I found many were overwhelmed by the sheer volume of paperwork they had built up through the years, paralyzing them from taking action. Others who took action would receive their financial plan and then never look at it again. My company is now celebrating its 40th anniversary this year and I find that many people today are still overwhelmed with getting their finances in order and adjusting their plan along the way – are you one of them? If you are, and you haven’t taken a look at how the industry has evolved to help you with this process, keep reading.
Joe got excited about Apple and ordered his advisor to buy 100 shares; his advisor worried about the out-of-character behavior but wasn’t authorized to speak to Joe’s family. Sally thought she had won the lottery and wired $50,000 to a scammer; her bank questioned the large withdrawal, but Sally approved it anyway. Dennis gave his caregiver cash and expensive gifts that totaled over $100,000, leaving his family with no way to get the money back.
By Michael J. Searcy
Does the source of money you receive impact how you spend, save or invest that money? Do you treat money you earn differently than money you have won or received as a gift or bonus? If earned money feels more precious and worth saving, while the other types feel like “fun money” with which you can splurge, you may be practicing mental accounting. Beware – in mental accounting, all money is not treated as equal. You can stop mental accounting from hindering you from making the best decisions with your money, and by being aware that it’s happening, you have already made the first step.