Taxes

Student loan debt has become one of the largest classes of consumer debt in the country. In fact, it affects as many as 43 million Americans. According to a report from Forbes, student loan debt reached almost $1.5 trillion in early 2019, with the average borrower from the class of...

Gifting is a great financial planning tool, especially at the end of the year. Alhambra's Bob Williams goes through the basics.

In 2012, the American Taxpayer Relief Act (ATRA) established, for the first time, a permanent estate tax and gift tax exemption. The exemption is the amount an individual can pass on at death without paying estate taxes. The legislation set the exemption at $5 million per person, indexed for...

Worried about saving enough for retirement? You can put away more next year. The IRS has just announced the new retirement plan contribution limits for 2023.   The contribution limit for employees who participate in 401(k), 403(b), most 457 plans, and the federal government's Thrift Savings Plan increases to $22,500, up...

The IRS wants its tax money and it wants it now. Even if you pay all the taxes you owe when you file your tax return for the year, you’ll be charged an underpayment penalty if you didn’t pay enough taxes during the year. The provision to hire 87,000 new...

Here we are again in the final quarter of the year when thoughts turn to Thanksgiving and Christmas and… reviewing your financial house. Oh, that’s not on your list? Well, let’s put it there because financial issues cannot be on automatic pilot. Things change and you need to keep...

If you’ve been gifting money each year to people you love, or using gifting as a planning tool, it’s about to get even better. In 2023, the amount you can give away takes a healthy jump and as long as your generosity doesn’t exceed the limit, you should stay...

You’re thinking about retirement. In fact, you’ve been thinking about it and planning for it a long time. One of the questions you have to answer is how much will it cost, not just to live, but to live the retirement lifestyle you’ve dreamed about. If you’re looking for the...

For approximately half of retirees, their Social Security check is just like the paycheck they received when working—they don’t get to keep all of it because it gets taxed by the IRS. If you’re single and your income is between $25,000-$34,000 you pay taxes on 50% of your benefit; above...

Woe to the person who inherits a Health Savings Account. Alhambra's Bob Williams describes the pitfalls and what to watch out for.