Planning Tools & Calculators Below you will find topics which will open into a variety of articles and some calculators on several subjects we feel are topical and should prove interesting and valuable to our clients.

Business Owner   Articles     Starting a business       Advantages and disadvantages of self-employment       Choosing an entity for your business       Funding a business       Hiring your first employee       Qualifying for the home office deduction       Record keeping for your own business       Starting or buying a business       Tax planning for the self-employed   Decision Tools     Choosing an entity       Choosing a business entity       Comparison of LLCs, LLPs, and professional corporations       How C Corporations, Limited Liability Companies, and Limited Liability Partnerships Protect Personal Assets   FAQs     Starting a business       Don't most small businesses fail?       How do I find good advisors such as lawyers and accountants to help with my business?       Is buying a franchise a good way to get into business?       Should I buy an existing business or start from scratch?       Should I buy or lease assets for my business?       What are the stages of business development?       What should I look for in a business location?   Education Planning   Articles     529 plans       529 plans and financial aid eligibility       529 plans vs. other college savings options       529 plans: The ins and outs of contributions and withdrawals       Choosing a state savings plan       Estate planning and 529 plans       Income tax planning and 529 plans       Making changes to your 529 account       Opening a 529 account       The ABCs of 529 plans     Education planning basics       ABCs of financial aid       Can I afford to send my child to college?       Education tax credits       Finding money to pay college bills out of pocket       Going back to school as an adult       Health insurance for college students       Helping your child make the transition from high school to college       How student loans impact your credit       Research tips when choosing a college       Saving for retirement and a child's education at the same time       Sticker shock--creative ways to lower the cost of college       Student loan basics       The best ways to save for college       The college application process   FAQs     529 plans: Choosing or changing a beneficiary or account owner       Can a 529 account have more than one beneficiary?       Can I change the beneficiary of a 529 account?       Can I open a 529 account and name myself as beneficiary?       Is there an age limit on who can be a beneficiary of a 529 plan?       Under what circumstances can the account owner of a 529 plan be changed?       Who can be a beneficiary of a 529 plan?   Estate Planning   Articles     Beneficiary designations       Choosing a beneficiary for your IRA or 401(k)       Designating a beneficiary for life insurance     Probate       Bypassing probate       Understanding probate   Decision Tools     Business planning       Business life insurance needs       Business succession planning alternatives       Choosing a business entity       How cross purchase plans work       How entity purchase plans work       Number of policies needed with a cross purchase plan       Planning for succession of a business interest     Estate planning basics       529 Plan Federal estate tax calculator       529 Plan Federal estate tax calculator - (Consumer Version)       Common incapacity documents       Estate shrinkage       Federal estate tax estimator       Federal transfer tax exemption amounts under the Tax Act of 2001       Steps to estate planning success       Table of federal estate tax brackets and exemption limits     Probate       The probate process: 3 to 9 months after death       The probate process: 9 to 12 months after death       The probate process: initial tasks       Types of post-mortem elections   Government Benefits   Articles     Medicare and Medicaid       Coordinating long-term care insurance with government benefits       Health insurance in retirement       Medicaid and nursing home care       Medicaid and the principal residence       Medicaid planning basics       Medicare     Social Security       Social Security disability benefits       Social Security retirement benefits       Social Security survivor's benefits       Understanding Social Security   Decision Tools     Medicare and Medicaid       Medicaid eligibility for nursing home care       Medicare figures at-a-glance       Medicare, Medigap, and Medicaid     Social Security       Disability income needs worksheet       How earnings affect Social Security       Social Security disability insurance (SSDI): awards and applications illustrator       Social Security figures at-a-glance       Sources of retirement income: filling the Social Security gap       What are your chances of becoming disabled?   FAQs     Medicare and Medicaid       How do I enroll in Medicare?       How does Medicare Advantage work?       I'm putting money into a 529 plan for my grandchild. But are the 529 assets subject to Medicaid spend-down requirements?       I'm thinking about placing my mother in a nursing home. Will Medicaid pay for her care?       If I'm covered by Medicare, should I have additional health insurance?     Social Security       Are my Social Security benefits subject to income tax?       Does my 16-year-old have to pay Social Security tax on her earnings?       How can I get an estimate of my Social Security benefits?       How do I get disability benefits from Social Security?       I'm getting remarried. How will this affect my Social Security benefits?       My husband and I are divorcing after 30 years of marriage. Will I still be able to receive Social Security retirement benefits based on his earnings record after our divorce?       Should I retire now at age 62 and collect Social Security benefits, or should I wait until age 65?       What happens if I start collecting Social Security after age 65?       What is SSI?       When do I have to apply for a Social Security number for my newborn?       When I retire, how much will I receive from Social Security?       Will my children receive money from Social Security when I die?   Investment Planning   Decision Tools     Creating an investment portfolio       Annuities       Asset allocation pie chart illustrator       Building an investment portfolio       College funding options analyzer       Common types of mutual funds       Exchange traded funds and mutual funds compared       Investing for retirement       Major asset classes     Taxes       Capital gains and dividends tax relief       Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003: Highlights   Personal Finance   Articles     Managing credit and debt       Choosing a credit card       Contemplating bankruptcy       Credit traps for the unwary       Debt consolidation       How student loans inpact your credit       Understanding your credit report     Owning a home       Applying for a mortgage       Buying a home       Buying a home both you and your insurer will love       Opening the door to homeowners insurance       Refinancing your mortgage       Selling a home       Tapping the equity in your home       Tax benefits of home ownership       Your home as a source of dollars in retirement   Decision Tools     Owning a car       Should you buy or lease your car?     Owning a home       How to save money on your homeowners insurance       Is my home mortgage interest fully deductible?       Less common mortgage options       Mortgage payment calculator       Popular types of mortgages       Should you refinance your mortgage?     Saving, spending, and borrowing       Consumer price index inflation calculator       Credit cards--advantages vs. disadvantages       Deciding which credit card to get       Growth of annual deposits calculator       Loan amortization calculator       Net worth calculator       Personal cash flow worksheet   FAQs     Buying a home       Can I buy a house with no money down?       How much house can I afford?       How much money do I have to put down to buy a house?       Should I buy a home or continue renting?       We just bought our first home. What can we deduct from the settlement statement?     Credit basics       How can I correct errors on my credit report?       How can I figure out my net worth?       How can I get credit if I have no credit history?       How can I protect myself against identity theft?       How can I reduce my spending?       How can I repair my poor credit?       How do I get a copy of my credit report?       How long should I keep copies of my tax returns?       How much money should I keep in a savings account for emergencies?       I can't pay my bills. Should I declare bankruptcy?       Should I invest my extra cash or use it to pay off debt?       Will debt consolidation hurt or help my credit rating?     Refinancing a mortgage       Do I need to let my homeowners insurance company know that I'm refinancing a mortgage?       I refinanced my principal home last year and paid points. What are points, and can I deduct them on my tax return?       Should I refinance my home mortgage?     Selling a home       How do I figure the tax on the sale of my home?       I'm having a hard time selling my home. Should I take out a reverse mortgage?       I'm retired now and own my home outright, but I need money to live on. How can I use my home to raise some money without selling it?       Should I sell or rent out my present home?   Protection Planning   Articles     Long-term care insurance       Coordinating long-term care insurance with government benefits       Do your parents need long-term care insurance?       Five things to watch out for when buying long-term care insurance       If long-term care insurance isn't right for you: other options       Long-term care insurance: how does it work?       Should you buy long-term care insurance?       Tax tips: long-term care insurance       Understanding long-term care insurance       Understanding long-term care riders and options       Using life insurance riders to pay for long-term care       What do long-term care insurance policies cover?   Retirement Planning   Decision Tools     Retirement planning basics       Building an investment portfolio       Consumer price index inflation calculator       Growth of annual deposits calculator       How taxation can affect your retirement funds       Investing for retirement       Net worth calculator       Personal cash flow worksheet       Saving for your retirement       What is your risk tolerance?   Special Situations   Articles     Caring for an aging parent       Caring for your aging parents       Do your parents need long-term care insurance?       Facing the possibility of incapacity       Housing options for older individuals       Medicaid and nursing home care       Medicaid and the principal residence       Medicaid planning basics       The sandwich generation: juggling family responsibilities.   Decision Tools     Financial basics       Auto loan payment calculator       College funding options analyzer       College savings analyzer       Credit cards--advantages vs. disadvantages       Growth of annual deposits calculator       Loan amortization calculator       Mortgage payment calculator       Net worth calculator       Personal cash flow worksheet       Saving for your retirement       Should you save in a 401(k) or a Roth IRA?   Tax Planning   Articles     General tax planning       Am I having enough withheld?       Help! I can't pay my tax bill       Income tax planning and 529 plans       Tax benefits of home ownership       Tax planning for the self-employed       Taxation of investments     Tax credits and deductions       Education tax credits       Understanding personal tax credits     Taxes and insurance       Tax planning tips: disability insurance       Tax tips: health insurance       Tax tips: long-term care insurance   Decision Tools     General tax planning       Accelerating deductions/postponing Income       Accelerating income/postponing deductions       Federal individual income tax fundamentals       Remarriage with children: income tax considerations     Tax credits and deductions       Comparison of education tax credits and deductions       Is my home mortgage interest fully deductible?   FAQs     General tax planning       Am I having enough tax withheld from my paycheck?       Are my Social Security benefits subject to income tax?       Do I have to file a federal income tax return?       I don't have the cash to pay my taxes. What can I do?       What is the alternative minimum tax?       What is the basis of property received as a gift?       What is the kiddie tax?       What penalties and interest will I be charged for paying and filing my federal income taxes late?       Will I have to pay tax on my investment income?     Tax credits       Now that my child is in college, am I entitled to any education tax credits?       What are the Hope credit and the Lifetime Learning credit?       What is the child tax credit?     Tax deductions       Can I deduct premiums paid for long-term care (LTC) insurance?       If I work at home occasionally, am I entitled to a home office deduction?       We just bought our first home. What can we deduct from the settlement statement?     Taxes and home ownership       Can I deduct the cost of improvements or repairs I've made to my home?       How do I figure the tax on the sale of my home?       I refinanced my principal home last year and paid points. What are points, and can I deduct them on my tax return?       I rent my home out for two weeks each year. Do I have to show this rental income on my federal income tax return?       We just bought our first home. What can we deduct from the settlement statement?