Mid-Year Is a Good Time for a Financial Checkup
The first half of 2021 is behind us. As life emerges from the pandemic to a “new normal,” a mid-year financial checkup may be more important than ever this year. Here are some ways to make sure that your financial situation is continuing on the right path. Reassess your financial goals At the beginning of…
Read MoreWill I Have to Pay Back the Child Tax Credit?
Important changes to the Child Tax Credit will help many families get advance payments of the Child Tax Credit. Half the total credit amount will be paid in advance monthly payments and you will claim the other half when you file your 2021 income tax return. The first advance payment was made on July 15,…
Read MoreHostage Data: Ransomware and Protecting Your Digital Information
On May 7, 2021, the Colonial Pipeline, which carries almost half of the East Coast’s fuel supply from Texas to New Jersey, shut down operations in response to a ransomware attack. Colonial paid a $4.4 million ransom not long after discovering the attack, and the pipeline was reopened within a week. While there was enough…
Read MoreInvesting for Major Financial Goals
Go out into your yard and dig a big hole. Every month, throw $50 into it, but don’t take any money out until you’re ready to buy a house, send your child to college, or retire. It sounds a little crazy, doesn’t it? But that’s what investing without setting clear-cut goals is like. If you’re…
Read MoreFederal Student Loan Interest Rates Set to Increase for 2021-2022
After two years of decreases, interest rates on federal student loans are set to increase almost a full percentage point for the 2021-2022 school year.1 The interest rates on federal student loans are reset each year after the May auction of the 10-year Treasury note. The rates apply to new federal student loans issued on…
Read MoreRetirement Planning: The Basics
You may have a very idealistic vision of retirement — doing all of the things that you never seem to have time to do now. But how do you pursue that vision? Social Security may be around when you retire, but the benefit that you get from Uncle Sam may not provide enough income for…
Read MoreAmerican Families Plan Would Provide Benefits for Some, More Taxes for Others
On April 28, 2021, the White House released a fact sheet for President Biden’s American Families Plan (AFP), which proposes about $1 trillion in investments and $800 billion in tax cuts. There would also be tax increases for those making more than $400,000 per year. Major provisions proposed in the plan are summarized here, including…
Read MoreEnhanced Child Tax Credit for 2021
If you have qualifying children under the age of 18, you may be able to claim a child tax credit. (You may also be able to claim a partial credit for certain other dependents who are not qualifying children.) The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 makes substantial, temporary improvements to the child tax credit…
Read MoreClient Alert: Revised Maryland Tax Forms are Available
All individual tax forms have been revised and are ready to use for Maryland’s 2020 tax year. Taxpayers who have been waiting for the revision of forms to amend their taxes to take advantage of an unemployment insurance subtraction can now file or amend with Maryland Form 502LU. Tax returns are due for the state…
Read MoreQ1 2021 Stock Market Commentary
The market continued to surge higher as we said goodbye to 2020 and hello to 2021. Additional stimulus, mass vaccinations, and hopes for a return to a fully opened economy provided a nice backdrop for the market to further its gains. As rosy as that all sounds, we did run into some volatility late in…
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