How to make combining financial assets in marriage work

June 20, 2011 – 1:09 pm

Most married couples don’t think twice about combining their assets once they become betrothed. However there are some couples who don’t see the point or benefit in having joint checking and savings accounts. Many couples contest that keeping their finances separate cuts down on arguments about overspending and budgeting. However, these couples may be missing out on some of the potential benefits that come along with combing assets after marriage.

When considering whether to combine financial assets, it is beneficial to take an objective view of the couple’s financial picture. Sometimes in the partnership, there are individuals who tend to spend more money than their partners. They may overspend on unneeded items and impulse buys and they may lack the budgeting skills to save up for an item instead of making immediate purchases. Another individual in the partnership may have strengths in the financial management area and may be excellent at paying bills on time, keeping track of money leaks and budgeting for future wants and needs. The f

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Tags: Assets, Assets Marriage

3 Ways Insurance Helps You Get Out and Stay Out of Debt

June 20, 2011 – 11:18 am

An insurance policy is a contract that protects you financially in case you are caught in an unforeseen situation. Thus, insurance policies are there to cover for all the times that you are involved in a risky situation. You should also remember that your insurance may also help you if the financial disaster that is affecting you is debt. Thus, if you are in debt, then you can make use of your insurance to provide you relief from it instead of using various debt solutions such as the consolidation of debt. 

So it is important for you to understand that insurance plays a major role in your life and you must be adequately insured in order to have a financially healthy life. In case you want to save yourself from falling into debts, then it is advisable that you buy adequate insurance. This is because then you will not have to pay for emergencies out of your pockets. However, you should also understand that insurance will not only help you to stay out of debt but also to get out of debt if you are into it.

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Tags: Insurance, Insurance Helps

Get debt help to avoid IRS wage garnishment

June 18, 2011 – 2:24 pm

Don’t expect the government to let you get away with not paying your tax bill. As many high-profile cases involving celebrities such as Wesley Snipes and Al Pacino and have shown, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) expects to get paid no matter what your sob story may be. If you don’t set up some type of payment plan with Uncle Sam, don’t be surprised if the situation escalates into an IRS wage garnishment.

What is wage garnishment?

The government can legally deduct a portion of your wages–up to 25 percent–to pay back what you owe. A wage garnishment usually results after repeated warnings and letters about unpaid tax debt. The IRS would rather work with you to set up some other type of agreement for paying your tax bill, so do whatever you can to avoid having a levy placed on your paychecks.

The biggest problem with wage garnishment is that you are likely to struggle even more to pay household bills and other expenses. If you ar

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Tags: Get, Get Debt

Medicaid Eligibility

June 17, 2011 – 8:56 am

Medicaid supplies medical assistances for specific types of low-income individuals. Medicaid pays medical bills with funds from federal, state, and local taxes. Patients with Medicaid may sometimes be responsible for making a small co-payment for services, but they don’t often have to pay anything for services.

Medicaid assistance is sometimes confused with Medicare, but the two are different programs. Medicare is a type of health insurance for individuals over 65 and those under 65 with certain disabilities. The eligibility requirements for Medicaid and Medicare vary.

Having a low income is not the only requirement for receiving Medicaid assistance. There are a lot of people who are poor, with incomes below the poverty level, who do not meet Medicaid requirements because they do not fit within the designated eligibility groups.

Generally these groups of people can receive Medicaid assistance: Pregnant women and children under 6 with family income at or below 133% of the federal poverty level. Read full article…

Tags: Medicaid, Medicaid Eligibility

Setting up a private family foundation

June 12, 2011 – 11:15 am

Setting up a private family foundation is not just for millionaires. It can be a great way to legally circumvent hefty estate taxes while contributing towards worthy causes. Depending on the amount of assets within your estate plan, it may be beneficial to consider the merits of setting up a private family foundation as part of your estate plan.

Private foundations offer many benefits including tax breaks, as well as the ability to control your gifts and share the causes you value with future generations. They allow you the flexibility of determining where your charity funds will be distributed as well as which causes you are choosing to focus on. The contributions needed to maintain a private foundation are not excessive and can one can be established with a minimum of $25,000 a year. These contributions can be sourced from outside donations, charitable gifts and endowments.

The funds deposited into a private foundation can be tax deductible by up to 30% of the donor’s adjusted gross income. I

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Tags: Family Foundation, Foundation, Private Family, Private Family Foundation