Montgomery Community Media

Many people assume tax planning is the same as tax preparation but the two are actually quite different. Let’s take a closer look: What is Tax Preparation? Tax preparation is the process of preparing and filing a tax return. Generally, it is a one-time event that culminates in signing your return and finding out whether […]

There is a growing realization that America’s youth are not prepared to make complex, or even some daily financial decisions. And in a world where private sector pensions are becoming rare, being financially literate, understanding the role of money, and being able to save for eventual retirement is becoming increasingly important. Fortunately, some colleges are […]

It’s tough not getting a paycheck. We have several clients who work for the government. Some of them have been furloughed as a result of the government shutdown. While some have ample emergency funds that they can use to tide them over, others don’t. About 29% of American households have less than $1,000 in savings. Their […]

In a matter of four weeks, the global stock market has dropped by about 10%. Should you be worried? Sam, one of our clients, called me the other day. He is typically calm, rational and not afraid of opportunities. But he sounded tense. He just saw his accounts drop in value in the thousands. He […]

Did you just start a new job? Congratulations! I hope you’ll get along with your new boss. With your higher salary and new benefits, here are four questions you might be thinking about, and tips on how to approach them. 1) What should I do with my higher salary? This is a great time to examine […]

Here are two cool recent personal finance developments that make my heart leap! 1) Credit Freeze Now Free Starting September 21, we can now freeze our credit for free! We can request a free credit freeze through Equifax, Experian and Transunion by going to their respective websites. Previously, these credit bureaus charged $5 or more […]

Samantha just got a new job. She’s excited! It’ll be a breath of fresh air she needs, after a recent breakup. Samantha will have to make decisions on her new 401(k), Employee Stock Purchase Program (ESPP), Restricted Stock Units (RSUs), and insurance coverage. She also needs to figure out what to do with her old […]

Many people wonder if the government will honor their word of eliminating their federal student loan debt under the loan forgiveness program. This year, we witnessed one of the first who successfully completed this program. Michael Mitchell is a 47-year old professional musician turned social worker and counseling pyschotherapist. He earned his master’s degree from […]

Two weeks ago, my client Carl (not his real name) asked me to put all of his $330,000 IRA retirement savings in Amazon. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I could not, in good conscience, implement this request. It is extremely imprudent to put all of our savings in a handful of stocks, let […]

We’ve heard many investment success stories. The Winklevoss twins are reportedly now billionaires through their early bitcoin investments. Our uncle who invested $10,000 in Berkshire Hathaway stock in 1965 would now have $88 million. What is the latest wealth generator out there today? We’ll give you four. They’re not the get-rich-quick schemes you may be […]