Articles of Interest

Credit card fraud is on the rise. Millions are hit with it each year, so most credit card users are more vigilant than ever, which is a good thing, except for when they fall for a fraud investigation.  Think about it, you’re now conditioned to watch over your carefully watch over your credit cards and react promptly if any signs of fraud pop up.

In the realm of financial planning, time is our most valuable asset.  It’s available to all of us, providing each individual with the same opportunity to optimize its value in building wealth. It’s the only resource we all have over which we have some degree of control.

There can never be enough law enforcement to protect everyone from those who are intent on perpetrating scams or frauds. At any one time, there are thousands of operators posing as legitimate businesses or investors offering the deal of a lifetime, and they are connecting with tens of millions of people each day on the phone, over the Internet and through the mail.

It’s a presidential election year and with that comes the invariable stock market correlations seeking to predict election results or forecast the market’s direction.  On one hand, the performance of the stock market during the two months leading up to the election has been somewhat of a predictor of who will win the race.

One of the best illustrated instances of indecision occurs in the story of Alice in Wonderland in which Alice comes to a fork in the road and must choose a path to continue her journey. She seeks the advice of grinning Cheshire cat which appears out of nowhere.

It’s happening with increasing frequency – people who finally get around to checking their credit card statements see an unusual charge or go to charge a purchase only to find out their credit card is maxed out when they have hardly used it. Credit card fraud is a $200 billion a year business affecting more than 10 percent of households.

The quick answer is “it depends.”  But, for the 33 percent of retirees who now rely more heavily on their Social Security benefits to sustain their lifestyle, the answer takes on even more significance.  Generally, your income from Social Security is not taxable on its own; but when it’s combined with other sources of income for tax reporting purposes, a porti