Claire Emory, MBA, CFA, CFP®, Author at FIGuide

Estate Planning for Blended Families

Oct 15 2019

If you do not leave a specific, legally executed estate plan with the appropriate documents, then you are leaving it up to your state to decide how your resources are distributed. This could make things quite difficult for your heirs (at least for the people whom the law determines are your heirs if you didn’t name any.)

And when you are becoming a stepparent or blending your family with another person’s family, it is especially important to consider estate planning. While it isn’t romantic, it can make things smoother down the road. As you can imagine there are a number …

Should You Leave a Balance on a Credit Card?

Oct 14 2019

Washington Post finance columnist Michelle Singletary took on the “counterintuitive” advice a reader wrote in about: The reader, who was trying to refinance a mortgage, was told to leave a small balance on her credit card (rather than paying the card off). That didn’t seem quite right and the reader wanted another opinion.

While there may have been a time when many Americans didn’t even know they were being judged using a credit score, that has changed. However, even though more people are aware of the credit scoring system, it still remains a mystery to some.

The overall advice …

Get Set Up for Less Stress at Tax Time Next Year

Oct 01 2019

While you perhaps breathed a sigh of relief that it was over, experts began tax planning for 2020 right after the 2019 tax season ended (if they hadn’t started before). It’s okay if you didn’t start thinking about next year’s taxes that early, however, are still things you can do during the last quarter of the year to set yourself up for a less stressful tax season next year and the “5 Ways to Boost Next Year’s Tax Refund Now” offers tips.

Look at your tax deductions: If you find yourself in a tizzy each year trying to get …

Back to School: Improving Financial Literacy

Sep 10 2019

It’s early September and while everyone is in back-to-school mode, why not take some time to hit the books and learn about some aspects of financial planning that you know little about? Once we can read, we give less though to literacy, however the need to improve financial literacy is ongoing.

While you can rely on a Fee-Only financial planner to deal with you fairly and not pressure you to spend or invest in ways that aren’t beneficial to you, it still might be a good idea to learn more on your own. Because while your finance planner can tell …

Set Boundaries When Adult Children Move Back In

Sep 03 2019

It’s back-to-school time: the point of the year parents look forward to sending their children off to school, knowing that another summer break is months away. However, some parents of adult children are in the opposite mode—instead of sending children away, they may need to welcome their adult children (and possible the child’s spouse and the grandchildren) back home.

In “Thinking about welcoming adult children back into the nest? Consider these tips before deciding,” Washington Post columnist Michelle Singletary offers some advice. Overall, she writes, “No matter how responsible and hard-working your adult child is, the best-laid plans …

Author - Claire Emory, MBA, CFA, CFP®