Your Social Security Benefits
Social Security is one of the largest assets for most retirees, but very few understand its basic rules. About a third of all people claim social security at age 62, but there are many benefits that are left on the…
North Carolina Tax Changes – 2014
As you finalize your 2013 federal and state income tax returns you should be aware of the significant changes to North Carolina state taxes in 2014. In July 2013, the state legislature passed a material overhaul to the state tax…
Federal Reserve Taper Decision
The Federal Reserve (“Fed”) recently announced in its January 2014 meeting that it will continue to reduce (aka taper) its bond buying from $75 billion to $65 billion per month in 2014. The Fed has seven remaining meetings in 2014…
The Top 10 Economic Stories of 2013
As we did last year, Financial Symmetry has covered several current events on our blog throughout 2013, and here are what we think the Top 10 Economic Stories of the Year have been:
The Tooth Fairy is Rich!
What do you think is the average amount left by the tooth fairy? It’s a great time to be a kid with a loose tooth, because the answer is $3.70, according to a recent survey by Visa. This number varies…
Why you need a Financial Plan
Do you ever ask yourself, “At what age can I retire?” Or, “Am I saving enough to help pay for my child’s college education or buy a new home?” These are financial goals and the best way to answer these…
What are Healthcare Savings Accounts?
With the Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”) becoming law in 2014 it is expected Healthcare Savings Accounts (HSAs) will get more attention. An overview of HSAs are detailed below in the article from the Financial Planning Association®, but in summary if…
New Healthcare Exchanges
Do you buy health insurance on your own? One important piece of the Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”) is the insurance exchanges. If you get your health insurance through your employer or Medicare, it is likely little will change with your…
Buy High, Sell Low
Warran Buffett once said, “the investor of today does not profit from yesterday’s growth.” This is never more evident than with individual investor performance in mutual funds. Morningstar, the mutual fund research company, annually calculates the difference between mutual fund…
When Will Interest Rates Rise?
That is a question asked by many investors today. One way to analyze this question is look at previous situations in US history when bond yields reached levels seen today. As noted in the chart, the previous treasury yield low…
