Double Tax Benefits for Mid to Low Income Households Who Contribute to Retirement Accounts

When you think about retirement, are you stuck in disillusionment somewhere between your dreams and the reality of an empty retirement account? Perhaps this is because you are currently (and have been) living paycheck to paycheck and any extra savings you squeeze out of the month goes towards putting out last month’s fires. All of [...]

Pensions and Social Security: Will Your Benefits be Reduced?

I work for the government and have a pension plan that I will be vested in after five years. Currently, I am almost at 3 years of service. The idea of receiving a pension for many years in retirement is an exciting one, and I almost see it as banking some of the extra income [...]

Can You Live Off of Your Estimated Benefits in Retirement?

Author’s Note: This article is geared more towards people not approaching retirement age who may be banking on Social Security to cover their retirement costs. Our culture has this obsession with youth. We shun aging and we are eager to push out one generation and move on with the next. Perhaps this is one of [...]

Annuals vs. Perennials: Where Would You Like to be One Year from Now?

I am in a greenhouse surrounded by pots of gorgeous blooming flowers stacked tightly against one another such that when I look ahead of me, all I can see is one long burst of color and energy. Spring has announced itself in Pennsylvania, coaxing the growth of plants from barren soil, the opening of blooms [...]

My Date with Suze Orman, and her Advice in These Hard Financial Times

One of my greatest dreams was realized last week when I got to see Suze Orman live, for free, at the Texas Conference for Women!! (This only comes second to meeting Kenny G…yes, I am a Kenny G fan, and probably one of the only ones younger than 40, as evidenced by the other audience [...]

Retirement Planning—Where Are You?

When you think about your retirement, what sort of things pop into your head? Perhaps you want to volunteer, work part-time, quit work all together and roam the world, spend time with your family and friends. I am here to tell you that whatever you are planning to do in retirement is going to cost [...]