Blog Site: 2014

Obamacare Health Insurance Enrollment

Consumers continue to reach out to private health insurance market places such as www.MyHealthInsuranceUSA.com to learn about their plan options, to find out what financial help is available, or to select the plan that best meets their financial and health needs during the second week of Open Enrollment.

“Open enrollment’s momentum is building, and I’ve seen that firsthand as I traveled the country and talked to people - from Florida to New Jersey to Pennsylvania to Texas,” HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell said. “With less than a week left to sign up for coverage that starts January 1, we’re encouraging new and returning consumers to visit websites, call the call center or get in touch with a local assister by December 15.

Nov

Top Tips for Your 2014 Taxes

The end of the year will be here before you know it, but there’s still time to take steps that may help reduce your 2014 tax liability. Here are some ideas to consider.

Increase tax-advantaged retirement contributions. If you participate in a workplace retirement plan, the deadline to make 2014 contributions is December 31. Your employer’s plan may allow you to increase or decrease contributions at any time. IRA contributions for 2014 can be made up to the April 15, 2015, tax filing deadline.

Oct

ObamaCare - Health Insurance Advice

Whether you love ObamaCare or not makes no difference.

November 15th 2014 is a critical day that many people become eligible to buy an ObamaCare Health Insurance Plan. If you do not have health insurance in South Carolina, Florida, Georgia or North Carolina, you may face a significant penalty and fine from the government.

Where to buy ObamaCare Health Insurance plans?

You can register to buy an ObamaCare Health Insurance plan today.

Oct

Economic Outlook - October 2014

Concerns over an earlier-than-expected tightening by the Federal Reserve, increased geopolitical tensions and signs of a weakening global economy weighed on equity markets in September. Despite negative returns in July and September, U.S. large caps were able to post a positive return for the third quarter. Healthcare (+5.5%) and information technology (+4.8%) were the top performing sectors during the quarter while energy (-8.6%) struggled. Year to date, U.S.

Sep

Outlive the Odds

Timing Social Security and IRA Distributions

Retirees often claim Social Security before reaching full retirement age and leave tax-deferred IRAs untouched until age 70½, when they must start taking required minimum distributions (RMDs).

Sep

How To Guard Against Fraud

Bernie Madoff became infamous for perpetrating what may be the biggest Ponzi scheme in history — costing unsuspecting investors more than $17.5 billion in principal and $47 billion in phony profits.1

In a classic Ponzi scheme, the person committing the fraud usually pays investors their returns with their own money or with money from other investors, instead of any actual investment profits.

Aug

Be Careful When Cashing Out of Retirement Plans

Since the 2008, Americans have been keeping their jobs longer in Charleston SC, Charlotte NC, Miami FL and Atlanta GA. In 2012, the average tenure for U.S. workers was 4.6 years, up from 3.7 years in 2002.1 Even so, there’s a good chance you may move on to a new job in the not-too-distant future, and when you do you could face a decision about how to handle any funds you have accumulated in your employer-sponsored retirement plan.

Jul

Economic Outlook - July 2014

Equity markets continued to grind higher in the second quarter despite continued tapering by the Federal Reserve, a negative GDP print, and rising geopolitical tensions. All asset classes have delivered positive returns in the first half of the year, led by long-term U.S. Treasury bonds. There has been a lack of volatility across all asset classes; the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) fell to its lowest level since February 2007.

Year to date the U.S.

Jul

Six Tips for Keeping a Good Credit Score

The saying, “Give credit where credit is due,” should apply to personal finance, but sometimes the decision to extend credit is based on a single number: your credit score. Having a high score not only could make it easier to obtain credit but might reduce the interest rate you pay. It may also affect other financial transactions such as renting a home or buying insurance coverage in Charleston SC, Charlotte NC, Miami FL or Atlanta GA.

Jun

Housing Trends: New Rules Could Revive Recovery

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) that purchase mortgages from lenders and package them into securities that are sold to investors. The two companies currently back about 60% of all U.S. mortgages, and their infrastructure has made the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage widely available to U.S.

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