College

Saving for college isn't easy, but the earlier you start the better off you'll be. For example, if you save $60 a month for 17 years earning 8% per year, you will have over $25,000 by the time college begins! Taxes will reduce the amount of the portfolio.

There are several savings and investment strategies that can help you accrue money for college.

Consumer Finance

If you find yourself in trouble financially, there are usually no easy answers -- but there are many ways out for those willing to commit to changing their financial habits.

Your ability to pay your bills can be affected by situations beyond your control such as serious illness, divorce or the sudden loss of a job. Poor financial management can also threaten your economic security. You may be able to juggle your creditors for a time, but eventually you may come to realize you need help in resolving your financial problems.

Investments

No matter what type of investor you are, it is important to keep your plan on track. Revisit your asset allocation periodically (every year or two, depending on market conditions) and see whether it needs adjustment. You should also periodically re-examine your risk tolerance and investment profile, especially as you get closer to your goal. You may discover you need to tweak your portfolio’s risk exposure over time.

Finances

One well-known fact of economic life is that a dollar received today is worth more than a dollar received a year from now.

Time and Money

The relationship between time and money provides the foundation for virtually every financial decision you will make. Whether you are saving money for a future event or considering a loan to pay for a current financial need, you will be greatly impacted by the time value of money.

College

A 529 plan is a state-sponsored education savings program that allows an individual to save in a tax-deferred account to pay for a beneficiary's post-secondary education at any accredited school in the United States. Unlike Coverdell Education Savings Accounts, which excludes joint filers with adjusted gross incomes (AGIs) above $220,000 and single filers with AGIs above $110,000, there are no income restrictions on those contributing to the plan.

Estate Planning

A will is a legal document that transfers what you own to your beneficiaries upon your death. It also names an executor to carry out the terms of your will and a guardian for your minor children, if you have any.

Your signature and those of two witnesses make your will authentic. Witnesses don't have to know what the will says, but they must watch you sign it and you must watch them witness it.

Tax

How much of their home office expenses can be deducted is one of the most misjudged tax questions faced by home workers. The reality of home office expense deductibility is much more complex than the common perception.

Insurance

Once you have determined that you need life insurance, and calculated how much coverage you require, you will have to choose between several types of life insurance policies. There are two very different types of life insurance contracts -- term and permanent.

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