Please take advantage of the planning tools, articles, and other valuable information listed below.  Many of your tax and other financial questions can be answered right here!

Business Owner   Articles     Benefits and retirement plans       Benefit plans for small businesses       Disability income insurance for the self-employed       Group health insurance: a valued employee benefit       Group term life insurance       Health insurance for the self-employed       Key employee life and disability insurance       Life insurance for the self-employed       Offering group disability insurance       Retirement plans for small businesses       Split dollar insurance plans       Understanding individual 401(k) plans       What employers need to know about workers' compensation insurance     Insuring a business       Business automobile insurance basics       Business interruption insurance       Business liability insurance basics       Income tax tips: business insurance       Insuring your home business       Properly insuring your business       Understanding your business owners policy     Starting a business       Advantages and disadvantages of self-employment       Choosing an entity for your business       Funding a business       Hiring your first employee       Qualifying for the home office deduction       Record keeping for your own business       Starting or buying a business       Tax planning for the self-employed     Transferring or selling a business       Transferring your family business   Decision Tools     Benefits and retirement plans       401(k) plans       Building a retirement plan for your business     Business planning basics       Net worth calculator     Choosing an entity       Comparison of LLCs, LLPs, and professional corporations       How C Corporations, Limited Liability Companies, and Limited Liability Partnerships Protect Personal Assets   FAQs     Home-based businesses       Can I deduct home office expenses?       If I work at home occasionally, am I entitled to a home office deduction?     Incorporating a business       Should I incorporate my business?   Education Planning   Decision Tools     Determining how much to save for college       College savings analyzer     Financial aid       Financial aid calendar     Tax issues       Comparison of education tax credits and deductions       Qualified education expenses defined   FAQs     College costs       What expenses are included in the annual cost of college?     Paying for college       I've heard that a grandparent can pay a grandchild's tuition directly to the college without any gift tax problems. Is this true?       Should I take out a home equity loan to pay for my child's tuition?       Should I use my 401(k) to fund my child's college education?       Should I withdraw money from my IRA to pay for my child's college tuition?     Student loans       Are my student loan payments tax deductible?       Is student loan interest deductible?   Estate Planning   Articles     Charitable giving       Charitable giving   Decision Tools     Business planning       Business life insurance needs     Estate planning basics       Steps to estate planning success     Life insurance       Life insurance needs analyzer   FAQs     Estate planning basics       How often do I need to review my estate plan?       Isn't estate planning only for the rich?       What makes up my taxable estate?     Trusts       What is a living trust?   Government Benefits   Articles     Medicare and Medicaid       Coordinating long-term care insurance with government benefits       Medicare     Social Security       Social Security retirement benefits       Understanding Social Security   Decision Tools     Social Security       How earnings affect Social Security       Sources of retirement income: filling the Social Security gap   FAQs     Social Security       Are my Social Security benefits subject to income tax?       Should I retire now at age 62 and collect Social Security benefits, or should I wait until age 65?       When I retire, how much will I receive from Social Security?       Will my children receive money from Social Security when I die?   Investment Planning   Articles     Investment basics       Investment planning--the basics       Six keys to successful investing       Understanding investment terms and concepts       Understanding risk   Decision Tools     Creating an investment portfolio       Annuities       Asset allocation pie chart illustrator       Investing for retirement     Investment planning basics       Simple rules for investing       Steps to financial planning success       What is your risk tolerance?   FAQs     Investing basics       How can I gauge my risk tolerance?       Should I invest my extra cash or use it to pay off debt?     Taxes       I have investment property. What does basis mean, and how do I determine the basis of my property?       Will I have to pay tax on my investment income?   Personal Finance   Articles     Owning a home       Applying for a mortgage       Buying a home       Selling a home       Tapping the equity in your home   Decision Tools     Owning a home       Is my home mortgage interest fully deductible?       Mortgage payment calculator       Popular types of mortgages       Should you refinance your mortgage?   FAQs     Buying a home       How much house can I afford?       How much money do I have to put down to buy a house?       We just bought our first home. What can we deduct from the settlement statement?     Buying, selling, or leasing a car       How much will my monthly car payment be?       Is there any way to get out of a car lease?       Should I buy or lease a car?       Should I pay cash for a car or finance it?     Selling a home       How do I figure the tax on the sale of my home?       I'm having a hard time selling my home. Should I take out a reverse mortgage?       I'm retired now and own my home outright, but I need money to live on. How can I use my home to raise some money without selling it?   Special Situations   Articles     Caring for an aging parent       Caring for your aging parents       Do your parents need long-term care insurance?       Facing the possibility of incapacity     Divorce       Dealing with divorce       Health insurance and divorce     Loss of a spouse       Claiming life insurance benefits       Organizing your finances when your spouse has died       Social Security survivor's benefits   Decision Tools     Insurance basics       Auto insurance analyzer       Comparison of types of life insurance       Disability income needs worksheet       Homeowners insurance quiz       Life insurance needs analyzer       Which health plan is right for you?   FAQs     Divorce       Are alimony payments considered taxable income?       How do I protect my assets in the event of a divorce?       My husband and I are divorcing after 30 years of marriage. Will I still be able to receive Social Security retirement benefits based on his earnings record after our divorce?       My husband and I are getting divorced. How do we decide whose health insurance policy will cover the children?       What are the tax implications of child support payments?     Loss of a spouse       How can I find out whether my deceased husband owned any life insurance?       My spouse passed away this year. When I file my taxes, what filing status should I claim?     Unmarried couples       Should my partner and I buy a house together even though we're not married?       Will my group health insurance cover my partner, even though we're not married?   Tax Planning   Decision Tools     General tax planning       Accelerating deductions/postponing Income       Accelerating income/postponing deductions       Federal individual income tax fundamentals       Remarriage with children: income tax considerations     Tax credits and deductions       Comparison of education tax credits and deductions       Is my home mortgage interest fully deductible?   FAQs     General tax planning       Am I having enough tax withheld from my paycheck?       Are scholarships and grants subject to federal income tax?       Do I have to file a federal income tax return?       Do I have to pay U.S. taxes when I work abroad?       I don't have the cash to pay my taxes. What can I do?       I received a state tax refund last year. Must I include that amount as income on my federal return this year?       What is my tax bracket?       What is the alternative minimum tax?       What is the basis of property received as a gift?       What penalties and interest will I be charged for paying and filing my federal income taxes late?       What's the difference between an "injured spouse" and an "innocent spouse"?     Tax credits       Now that my child is in college, am I entitled to any education tax credits?       What are the Hope credit and the Lifetime Learning credit?       What is the child tax credit?       What is the difference between the child tax credit and the child and dependent care tax credit?       What is the earned income credit and who qualifies for it?     Tax deductions       Can I deduct premiums paid for long-term care (LTC) insurance?       Can I deduct the cost of improvements or repairs I've made to my home?       I paid my mother's real estate taxes last year. Can I deduct this on my tax return?       I refinanced my principal home last year and paid points. What are points, and can I deduct them on my tax return?       If I prepay next year's taxes this year, can I deduct them this year?       My spouse and I are filing separate returns. Can we both itemize our deductions? If so, how do we split the deductions?