by Michele Cagan | Jul 16, 2026 | Protect Your Financial Future, Retirement Planning, Saving and Investing, You Need to Know This
Americans hold more than $19.2 trillion in IRAs (individual retirement accounts). So it’s likely you’ll end up inheriting one. And that’s definitely good news. The catch: In most cases, you have to completely empty the account within ten years. And depending on the...
by Michele Cagan | May 26, 2026 | Protect Your Financial Future, Saving and Investing, You Need to Know This
Everyone refers to 529 plans as college savings plans for kids. And that’s how they started out. But these tax-advantaged plans have evolved into so much more. You can benefit from your own 529 plan. Whether or not you’re in school right now. Even if you don’t have...
by Michele Cagan | May 19, 2026 | Making Ends Meet, Personal Finance, Protect Your Financial Future, You Need to Know This
I can’t sugar coat it. We are living through a disastrous affordability crisis. And it will probably get worse. Prices are soaring while wages remain stagnant. The costs of just about everything has risen to painful levels. And nearly half of all Americans can’t...
by Michele Cagan | Apr 30, 2026 | Personal Finance, You Need to Know This
Finances are a huge part of everyone’s lives. They figure into almost everything we do. And we’re all supposed to understand how every piece of the financial puzzle works. But there are so many terms that get thrown around in the financial world – and a...
by Michele Cagan | Jan 1, 2026 | Do Your Own Taxes, Personal Finance, You Need to Know This
This post was originally published March 26th, 2018. It has recently been updated to give you more recent information on MAGI and how it can affect your taxes. There’s an important tax calculation that will never show up on any of your tax forms, but it can make...
by Michele Cagan | Dec 31, 2025 | Do Your Own Taxes, Get Help When You Need It, You Need to Know This
We got a new tax law (2025 Reconciliation Legislation) this year, and many of its rules will affect your 2025 taxes. They call it the OBBBA, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, but I don’t. It’s not beautiful for most people. In fact, many people will see their...
