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Personal Finance Tips
Date 09/06/2017
Should You Sacrifice Your Retirement for Your Children's College Education?
We can be so complacent about the security of our daily existence, that an event like this seems unrealistic. But, we're getting continued reminders, every year, of how fragile our modern world truly can be. But that doesn't mean you have to panic. With a few basic points of preparation, you and your family could be vastly more prepared than your neighbors, even giving you the opportunity to be ones who can support and assist your neighbors, rather than have to "ask" for support....Read More
Posted by Patrick O'Hara
Date 08/07/2017
How To Build a Better Personal Network
If you want to succeed in your career (or in life in general), then meeting people who've already succeeded before you is going to be a huge help. In fact, this could be the sole difference between success and failure. But how do you network effectively?...Read More
Posted by Patrick O'Hara
Date 07/24/2017
Checking Your Finances Against Your Heart
The goal here is that we would train our hearts to more clearly align with good stewardship and wisdom, when sometimes we aren't used to practicing it. Here are some ideas that might stir your thinking.........Read More
Posted by Patrick O'Hara
Date 07/10/2017
Smart Planning For Financial Independence
Reaching financial independence isn't always easy. It takes time and work. You cannot accomplish your goal of achieving it by wishing. It takes doing. It takes being committed and absolutely determined to act. One way you can act now, is to take a look at your personal expenses. Here's some tips to cut them...Read More
Posted by Patrick O'Hara
Date 07/03/2017
Yes, Financial Independence Is Possible
Often, as we strive to keep our heads above water in these culturally crazy times, it's easy to lose sight of why we're all working hard each day. What is the goal? What is it we're trying to accomplish by earning wealth? For me -- and for many others -- the answer is financial independence.....Read More
Posted by Patrick O'Hara
Date 06/27/2017
Financial Advice for Multi-Generational Caretaking
Time was, families used to be dealing with elderly parents, young children ... and everything in between, all in one house! This is less common now, and as a result, many families are actually unprepared for how to handle it -- simply because models are much less plentiful. The reason I highlight it now, is that we can help -- whether with specific practical assistance, or even just dispassionate advice. You might know somebody in this situation -- or you could be dealing with it yourself....Read More
Posted by Patrick O'Hara
Date 06/13/2017
For many people, worrying about things can become more vexing than the original problem they were grappling with...Read More
Posted by Patrick O'Hara
Date 06/05/2017
Six Good Reasons Everyone Should Have An Estate Plan
Many well-meaning (and very loving) parents haven't yet established an estate plan. That is a sad reality. Yes, perhaps they've downloaded a fill-in-the-blank will from a software service, but unfortunately, with many situations, these don't cover every important component of your wishes...Read More
Posted by Patrick O'Hara
Date 05/24/2017
Ohara's Guide To Keeping Records
This is a guide I send out every so often, because even in the days of cloud-document storage, it's important to have hard copies lying around -- in a safe place, of course. If you don't have a full safe, these are the sort of documents for which you may want to invest in a fire safe, at least. But here is what you should consider for how long to keep them ... and which ones you can safely trash....Read More
Date 05/16/2017
Thinking Clearly About Your Future
You'd probably be surprised if you sat in on some of the meetings I have with some of my other tax planning and preparation clients. This is by no means the majority of my clients, but there is certainly a good subset of people who have piled away a ton of financial resources ... but who are bored, tired and a little numb. They haven't taken the time to dream. And, more importantly, they haven't put concrete plan to whatever dreams they might have had in earlier days. They're dragged around by their nose by whatever circumstance comes their way...Read More
Date 03/21/2017
Setting up an IRA for your retirement is almost always a good investment, but it's not always a simple process...Read More
Posted by Patrick O'Hara
Date 02/13/2017
Add Estate Planning To Your Tax Preparation
Most of us spend a considerable amount of time and energy in our lives working for our families and accumulating wealth. But unless you're careful, much of it could go to waste...Read More
Posted by Patrick O'Hara
Date 02/06/2017
Great Love Gestures On A Budget
With Valentine's Day coming up (Tuesday the 14th), I thought I'd help my clients and friends make some romance magic, but do it in a way that saves them cash.Yes, America -- you can still be romantic on a budget...Read More
Posted by Patrick O'Hara
Date 12/28/2016
4 Last-Minute Tax Savings Ideas for 2016
Posted by Patrick O'Hara
Date 11/28/2016
Giving, With Or Without Tax Considerations
Why is it that those who are benevolent seem to be well-taken care of, even rich? I know many families of significant means who were NOT wealthy when they started to give in large percentages of their income....Read More
Posted by Patrick O'Hara
Date 09/26/2016
Dealing with a billing error can be frustrating. But giving up too quickly will only cost you money. I've learned this the hard way, and many of my clients and friends might benefit from what I've learned...Read More
Posted by Patrick O'Hara
Date 09/19/2016
Real World Identity Protection
Commonly-advertised identity theft protection services for regular families can seem like an easy button. But the problem is that many of these products are unnecessary or ineffective...Read More
Posted by Patrick O'Hara
Date: 09/06/2016
The Science of Financial Happiness
There is an emerging trend that is telling us that the happiness/money ratio depends far more on how you spend than it does on how much you have...Read More
Posted by Patrick O'Hara
Date 08/29/2016
A Brief Rundown of School-Related Tax Benefits
There are a bunch of resources for students that many of my clients and friends may not realize are available to them...Read More
Posted by Patrick O'Hara
Date 08/22/2016
Five Simple Ideas For Establishing a Second Income
You see, when trying to save money, eventually you'll come to a point where you have cut as many expenses as you can and there are no additional steps you can take to free up money from your current income. The next step to saving more could be to look for other sources of income...Read More
Posted by Patrick O'Hara
Date 08/15/2016
A Basic Lifetime Plan for Your Finances
Making your money last long enough is a lifetime's work. And there are some basic "rules" that we can all follow, depending on what stage of life in which we find ourselves...Read More
Posted by Patrick O'Hara
Date 07/25/2016
Estate Planning: It's Not About The Money
It's an all-too-common misconception that smart estate planning is all about avoiding the estate tax. And, if that were the case, only the very wealthy would be affected by it. You may fall into that category, but even if you DON'T (and also if you do), you should be considering the following questions as a family...Read More
Posted by Patrick O'Hara
Date 07/18/2016
Getting Your Credit Score Fixed, Fast
If you want to fix your credit score, you need to know what your current score is. Most creditors rely on the three-digit FICO credit score...Read More
Posted by Patrick O'Hara
Date 07/11/2016
Planning Wealth Around a Child With Special Needs
Here is the standard thinking, in regards to setting up your affairs with children who have special needs. Families realize that they have to support these children for the rest of their lives. So, they typically write wills and take out significant term life insurance policies. They are careful to name a trust as the beneficiary...Read More
Posted by Patrick O'Hara
Date 06/27/2016
My Dad said a lot over the years, giving me some valuable lessons. I'm attempting here to summarize his thoughts...so call this a paraphrase of Dad's Life Financial Wisdom...Read More
Posted by Patrick O'Hara
Date 06/20/2016
Protecting The Hearts (and Wallets) of Your Kids
While it is impossible to completely shield kids from all the hard things that go on around them, I happen to believe money worries are one of those things we shouldn't share with kids...Read More
Posted by Patrick O'Hara
Date 06/13/2016
How Not To Lose Financial Ground
I know life is hard. I know being single is expensive. I know being married is expensive. Having children is expensive. And there's no doubt that getting divorced can be a drain too. Yes, working two (maybe even three) jobs is exhausting. I haven't been all of these things. Maybe you have. But on the surface all these "reasons for losing money" are just the result of a much bigger problem...Read More
Posted by Patrick O'Hara
Date: 06/06/2016
So begins "vacation season". June is here and school is pretty much out, and many families have already planned for their time away. But when following your vacation itinerary, the last thing you want to do is worry about any financial loss that might occur as a result of a missed flight, an injury or illness, lost baggage, or any other unforeseen incident...Read More
Posted by Patrick O'Hara
Date 05/31/2016
What Really Happens To An Estate
There is some occasional confusion about what happens when someone passes away, and what happens to their assets. If they have over $100K in assets, it is will be handled in one of three ways...Read More
Posted by Patrick O'Hara
Date 05/17/2016
The Social Security Election Decision
Like most government law, Social Security is not a simple piece of legislation. Since the Social Security Act became law in 1935, hundreds of amendments have been piled onto it, and have thereby added to the complexity. So to make the best decision about how to file for it, you'll need to consider four things...Read More
Posted by Patrick O'Hara
Date 05/09/2016
with marriage happening later and later in our culture, this important savings period has been crunched. So here's some quick advice for those who are single...Read More
Posted by Patrick O'Hara
Date: 05/02/2016
Financial Wisdom From The Sage
Billionaires aren't hatched overnight. But there will be another generation of such men and women in the next few decades -- and chances are, they will tread the same path as those who have come before. So how did Warren Buffett do it? Here's some of the basic path...Read More
Posted by Patrick O'Hara
Date 04/04/2016
Right now, there are an infinite number of things you could be doing. No matter what you work on, you're not working on everything else. So the question is not how to avoid procrastination, but how to procrastinate well...Read More
Posted by Patrick O'Hara
Date 03/28/2016
We can be so complacent about the security of our daily existence, that an event like this seems unrealistic. But, we're getting continued reminders, every year, at how fragile our modern world truly can be...Read More
Posted by Patrick O'Hara
Date 03/21/2016
An Open Accounting With Your Partner
Do you get a knot in your gut when your spouse asks you how the finances are looking? Do you practice a policy of "Don't ask, Don't tell"?...Read More
Posted by Patrick O'Hara
Date: 03/07/2016
Larger Thoughts On Consumption
Creating a budget really shouldn't be the place where financial decisions begin. Instead, a comprehensive look at what you most care about and how you want to live your life is the best place to start, even before budget categories are determined...Read More
Posted by Patrick O'Hara
Date: 02/03/2016
Receiving a Large Refund or Inheritance (or Winnings)
According to recent data from the Federal Reserve (what do they NOT keep track of??), more than nine million households in the U.S. reported getting an inheritance of at least $100,000. And there is other data which suggests that baby boomers stand to receive over $8 trillion in inheritance over the next few decades. But sometimes such "blessings" end up as curses to those who aren't prepared...Read More
Posted by Patrick O'Hara
Date 01/20/2016
Hidden Fees Behind Popular Tax Chain Offerings
For various liability issues, I'm loathe to actually mention this company by name, but let's say (for the purposes of this conversation) that there's a big, popular company who made its fortune on the backs of lower-income taxpayers...Read More
Posted by Patrick O'Hara
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