Here's your source for thoughts and observations on all things financial (and otherwise). Topics can range from tips on your personal well being to the well being of your investments. As always, we welcome your comments and feedback.
Disclaimer: Our blog posts are for informational purposes only and are not to be considered investment, tax, or financial advice. Cornerstone does not and cannot guarantee the accuracy or applicability of any information presented in our blog posts regarding your individual circumstances. Please review your personal situation with your tax and/or financial advisor.
When you are sitting around the Thanksgiving table this year, give thanks that the cost of the dinner you are about to eat actually went down from last year. The American Farm Bureau Federation, which publishes an informal price survey of items found in a classic Thanksgiving dinner, estimate the average cost of dinner for 10 people to be $49.04. This is down $0.44 from last year. The AFBF prices…
Read MoreThis is the time of year employees generally elect how much of their 2014 wages will be deferred to their employer-provided Flexible Spending Account (FSA.) It is always a challenge to estimate just how much of this tax-deferred money one will actually use throughout the year and under the old “use it or lose it” policy therewas a risk of forfeiture. The new rule that rolled out with the…
Read MoreLast week I attended the Association of Divorce Financial Planners (ADFP) 11th annual conference in Chicago. The ADFP is an interdisciplinary association whose members work on behalf of their clients to research and analyze personal, business and tax issues related to divorce. We explain financial options, help set priorities and lead our clients through the hard choices they face in a…
Read MoreWe all know college can be expensive, but did you ever consider the cost of your child’s senior year in high school? One of our colleagues did, and she was astonished at the total bill! Between SATs, college admissions, proms and parties your senior can cost you a bundle. See her article here.
Read MoreI recently came across a good financial planning book for young adults. “Coin”, by Judy McNary, goes over the basics of money management from learning to live within your means to paying off debt. It is geared towards the recent college graduate who is now out on their own for the first time, but could be useful for college students too. The book starts with a discussion on goal-setting and…
Read MoreInteresting article in last Sunday’s NY Times about investing in gold. The author notes that over the long-term gold has barely kept pace with inflation, earning an inflation-adjusted return of about 1.1% from 1836 to 2011. In comparison you can expect to earn 1.0% from Treasury Bills, 2.9% from long-term bonds and 7.4% from stocks over “the long term” (although it appears these returns are…
Read MoreWith the (seemingly always) bad news that daily comes across the wire – exploding oil-filled derailed train cars, plane crashes, Mid-East strife – it is refreshing and smile-producing to see a recent Portland Press Herald headline: “Readfield sues man again over cows in roads”. The Town of Readfield is 15 minutes west of Augusta (host to our turmoil-ridden legislature ever at arms with…
Read MoreJune 15th is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. First launched in 2006, its purpose is to raise awareness of the abuse, exploitation and neglect of older individuals by people they trust. Elder abuse happens across all races, ethnicities, social and economic circumstances. A recent study indicates 11% of seniors have experienced neglect or abuse in the past 12 months. One of the most common methods…
Read MoreWe long ago gave up our right to silence in doctors’, dentists’, and hospital waiting rooms. As if the varied array of magazine publications aren’t distraction enough. Recently while in Massachusetts my daughter and I stopped to fill the gas tank in the lovely and picturesque town of Groton. I have long lamented the loss of full service stations to begin with (my father, ever the gentleman,…
Read MoreI rarely mind waiting for service at the grocery store or bank or even while corralled in the airport body check queue; that is until someone comes along after me and by luck selects a faster moving line and finishes up first. What rankles many of us in such a situation, surveys indicate, is the distinct experience of unfairness – it isn’t so much about the wait as it is about equality. We…
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