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Helpful Links and Documents
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Internal Revenue Service: (https://www.irs.gov)
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Form W-4 Employee Tax Withholding Allowance Form
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Sample IRS Special Tax Notice 402(f) - Special Tax Rules on Distributions (2020)
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IRS 1040 Instructions
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U.S. Federal Income Tax Rates history 1862-2013 (Nominal and Inflation-Adjusted Brackets)
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IRS Withholding Calculator (Updated for 2018)
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IRS - Life Insurance & Disability Insurance Proceeds
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IRS - Required Minimum Distribution Worksheets
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IRS - Retirement Plans FAQs regarding Hardship Distributions
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Form 1099-R
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Income and Outlays of Government Spending: (published every 2 years and found in 1040 instructions)
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CARES ACT (Coronavirus Relief) regarding IRS Retirement Plan access - IRS Notice 2020-50
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IRS Form 3125 - The IRS does not approve IRA investments (or investments of any kind)
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Anybody who claims otherwise is not marketing themselves appropriately or compliantly.
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IRS Form 5329 - Additional Taxes on Qualified Plans (including IRAs) and other tax-favored accounts
California Franchise Tax Board (https://www.ftb.ca.gov/)
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California FTB Tax calculator, tables, rates (currently unavailable; I wonder if this is on purpose?)
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Tax-Rates.org: California State Income Tax Tables and Calculator
IRS Publications:
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General Taxation:
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15 - Employer's Tax Guide (Circular E)
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17 - Your Federal Income Tax for Individuals
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501 - Exemptions, Standard Deduction, and Filing Information
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504 - Divorced or Separated Individuals
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505 - Tax Withholding and Estimated Tax
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525 - Taxable and Nontaxable Income
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529 - Miscellaneous Deductions
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555 - Community Property
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596 - Earned income Credit
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3995 - Recognizing ILLEGAL Tax Avoidance Schemes
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Form 6251 - Alternative Minimum Tax (Individuals)
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Children and Education:
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Retirement Plans:
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590a - Individual Retirement Arrangement (IRA) Contributions
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590b - Individual Retirement Arrangement (IRA) Distributions
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Trivia: Think about this: Who is your "arrangement" with? Who sets the rules? Who dictates how much belongs to them?
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IRS.gov - Retirement Plans FAQs regarding Substantially Equal Periodic Payments Under 72(t) and 72(q)
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560 - Small Business Retirement Plans (including SEP-IRA, SIMPLE-IRA, and 401(k) plans; The "age 55 rule" is on page 19-20)
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571 - Tax Sheltered Annuity Plans (403(b) plans)
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575 - Pension and Annuity Income (including 457(b) plans)
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939 - General Rule for Pensions and Annuities
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721 - Tax Guide to U.S. Civil Service Retirement Benefits
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915 - Social Security and Equivalent Railroad Retirement Benefits
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3998 - Choosing a Retirement Solution for your Small Business
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4012 - Form 1099 R Roth IRA
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Investments & Rental Real Estate:
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527 - Residential Rental Property
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534 - Depreciating Property Placed In Service Before 1987
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544 - Sales and Other Dispositions of Assets
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550 - Investment Income and Expenses
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551 - Basis of Assets
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925 - Passive Activity and At-Risk Rules
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946 - How To Depreciate Property
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4681 - Cancelled Debts, Foreclosures, Reposessions, and Abandonments
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1212 - Guide to Original Discount (OID) Instruments
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IRS Publication for Bitcoin/Cryptocurrency
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Homeowners:
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936 - Home Mortgage Interest Deduction
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Sample Tax Form 1098 Mortgage Interest Statement
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NOTE: For 2018, home equity loans/lines of credit will no longer issue these statements because home equity interest is no longer deductible!
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530 - Tax Information for Homeowners
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523 - Selling Your Home
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547 - Casualties, Disasters, and Thefts
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584 - Casualty, Disaster, and Theft Loss Workbook
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926 - Household Employer's Tax Guide (This can help you pay someone to care for you if you need care!)
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Business Owners:
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15 - Employer's Tax Guide (Circular E)
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15-b - Employer's Guide to Fringe Benefits
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334 - Tax Guide For Small Business (Sole Proprietors)
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463 - Travel, Entertainment, Gift, and Car Expenses
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535 - Business Expenses
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Note page 3 Introduction: "Business expenses are the costs of carrying on a trade or business, and they are usually deductible if the business is operated to make a profit."
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Note page 13 Interest: "Business interest expense is an amount charged for the use of money you borrowed for business activities."
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537 - Installment Sales
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541 - Partnerships (including Limited Partnerships and
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542 - Corporations
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550 - Investment Income and Expenses
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587 - Business Use of Your Home
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3402 - Limited Liability Companies (LLC)
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Medical Expenses:
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Charitable Contributions:
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Other:
Social Security (https://www.ssa.gov/)
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mySocial Security - Sign In or Create An Account
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Social Security: Information for Financial Planners
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Social Security Disability Planner: How You Qualify
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Social Security Retirement Estimator
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Social Security Retirement Planner: Plan For your Retirement
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Social Security Retirement Benefits: Up to 85% of Your Benefits May be Included in Taxable Income
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Social Security Retirement Benefits: Getting Benefits While Working (Earnings Limitations)
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Social Security History Taxation of Benefits
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Note: Income limits for including your Social Security retirement benefits into your income taxes haven't changed since 1983 and minor adjustments in 1993..
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CalcXML: How Much Of My Social Security Benefit May Be Taxed Calculator
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What Every Woman Needs To Know About Social Security
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Social Security - Information for Government Employees
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Social Security - IRMAA (Income-Related Monthly Adjusted Amount) Sliding Scale Tables that adjust your Medicare Part B monthly premiums based on higher retirement incomes.
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Social Security Retirement Benefits Planner: Deemed Filing For Retirement and Spouse's Benefits FAQs
FINRA Financial Capability Studies:
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PDF: Financial Capability in the United States 2018
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PDF: Financial Capability in the United States 2016
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PDF: Financial Capability in the United States 2012
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PDF: Financial Capability in the United States 2009
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Notice in all 4 the "willingness to take risks" and how the overall economy was doing at those times.
This would be considered "buying high to sell low" as people get more comfortable in investing only after markets increase, rather than buying in at the low. -
On page 22 of the 2018 report, you'll see: 2009: 12%; 2012: 17%; 2015: 21%; 2018: 19%
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Government Economic & Financial Data:
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Social Security Office of the Chief Actuary: Wage Statistics
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U.S. Debt Clock.org
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Truth in Accounting.org
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State Data Lab.org
The Trinity Study or "4% Rule"
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Trinity Study - Wikipedia
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Forbes: Wade Pfau: The Trinity Study and Portfolio Success Rates (Updated to 2018)
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PDF: Morningstar 2013: Low Bond Yields and Safe Portfolio Withdrawal Rates - Blanchett, Finke, Pfau
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Seeking Alpha: Is The 4% Rule Becoming the 2% Rule?
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ThinkAdvisor: Wade Pfau: Pandemic Tears Up 4% Rule (4% to 2.8% to now 2.4%)
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Morningstar Advises 3.8% “Safe” Withdrawal Rate, Balanced Portfolio
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MarketWatch: The 4% retirement spending rule may be too high. Could you get by on 1.9%?
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Advisor Perspectives: David Macchia: The Fiction of Safe Withdrawal Rates
Costs of Investing: Just because you don't see these costs on your statement, doesn't mean they aren't there.
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FINRA Mutual Fund Analyzer
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US Department of Labor: A Look At 401(k) Plan Fees
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Investopedia.com - Mutual Funds: The Costs
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This article discusses and breaks down the various costs: The Expense Ratio which includes portfolio manager hiring costs, Distribution and Service Fees (12b-1), account fees, and other expenses. Also discusses loads and shareholder fees.
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U.S. News: The Mutual Fund Fees We Don't Talk About
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Asserts that a portion of mutual funds are allocated to cash with an average cost of 1.25% mutual fund expense cost on that cash allocation and 1.44% on transaction costs. This does not include the other disclosed costs as outlined in your various mutual fund prospectuses.
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Forbes: The Real Cost of Owning Mutual Funds
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Asserts that Regulated Retirement Account mutual fund costs average about 3.17% and taxable brokerage account mutual fund costs average 4.17%.
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401(k) and Investment Considerations:
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Find your old 401(k)'s: Beagle
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MarketWatch: Everything You Need To Know About How Your 401(k) Works
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InfoPlease: The Biggest One-Day Declines in the Dow Jones Industrial Average (through 2011)
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REPORT: Capital Investment Advisors: Your Mutual Funds Are KILLING Your Returns! The Hidden Cost Burden of Mutual Funds
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REPORT: Milestone Investment Counsel Inc.: The Hidden Costs of Mutual Funds
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Forbes: New Report Shows Credit Card Debt is Hindering 401(k) Savings
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MarketWatch: The Inventor of the 401(k) says he created a 'Monster'
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LA Times: Here's why your 401(k) retirement plan is a failure
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Seeking Alpha: The Great 401(k) Experiment Has Failed
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U.S. News: 5 Future 401(k) Changes to Look Out For
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Time: Why It's Time to Retire the 401(k)
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Money: This Nobel Economist Nails What's Really Wrong with your 401(k)
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Newsday: 401(k) is a bad option for any worker
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PBS: Teresa Ghilarducci: Why the 401(k) is a “Failed Experiment”
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MarketWatch: More cuts to 401(k) matches are coming
Milliman Medical Index: Tracks the cost of medical care for a typical family of four. (http://www.milliman.com/mmi/)
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Milliman Medical Index: 2019 Annual Healthcare Cost for Family of Four Now At $28,386
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Milliman Medical Index: 2018 Annual Healthcare Cost for Family of Four Now At $28,166
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Milliman Medical Index: 2017 Annual Healthcare Cost for Family of Four Now At $26,944
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Forbes: 2016 Annual Healthcare Cost for Family of Four Now At $25,826
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Forbes: 2015 Annual Healthcare Cost for Family of Four Now At $24,671
Crestmont Research: Financial Market and Economic Research
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PDF: Impact Of Losses: Why The First Rule Of Investing Is Also The Second Rule
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PDF: CAPTURE!: "Achieve Returns", Not "Beat The Market"
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PDF: Waiting for Average: Why The Stock Market will NEVER Achieve the Long-Term Avg Return.
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PDF: GDP & Population Growth
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(If population growth doesn't keep up, how will the Government pay for Social Security, Medicare, and other public service programs as the rest of the population ages? Sometimes this ends up being a political talking point as well regarding immigration policies.)
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Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) (https://fafsa.ed.gov/) and other Student Loan Information:
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FAFSA Changes for 2017-2018: Now Allows Aid Applications To Use Up to 2 Years Past Tax Returns (means to do more pro-active planning!)
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Expected Family Contribution Formula Guide 2017-2018
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CollegeBoard.org Expected Family Contribution (EFC) Calculator
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PDF: What Is Considered An Asset And Counts AGAINST You In FAFSA and For Financial Aid
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The College Solution: 10 Things You Should Know About Expected Family Contributions
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CBSNews: What College Financial Aid Officers Won't Tell You
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Home Equity May Count Against You For Private Colleges.
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California 529 Plan (ScholarShare College Savings Plan) has NO State Tax Deduction and IS Included in Financial Aid Calculations.
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FA-Mag.com: Paying Tuition Trumps Retirement Savings Survey Finds.
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(There may be much better ways to tackle tuition than this!)
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Roth IRA Distributions Count Against Financial Aid
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This Is What Happens To Your Student Loans When You Die
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Private Student Loans NOT Forgiven At Death of Student: Lenders Refuse to Forgive Dead Woman's $200K Student Loan Debt
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Kiplinger: Financial Aid Strategies With A Catch
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Kiplinger: College Savings 101: Arguments Against 529 Plans And Alternatives That Might Work Better
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How Much Will That Degree Program Be Worth? Before You Start, Check With The Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook.
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Peterson's College Search - Find A College That's Right For You
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Federal Student Loan Interest Tax Deduction
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Be careful that if you restructure your student loan with another kind of non-student loan, that you do so with cash flow and interest rates in mind.
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IRS Publication 970 - Tax Benefits For Education
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FA-Mag.com: Cash Value Life Insurance Could Be A Secret Weapon For College Savings
National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) Life Insurance and Annuity Buyer's Guides:
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Buyer's Guide for Life Insurance
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Buyer's Guide for Fixed and Variable Annuities
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Buyer's Guide for Deferred Annuities - Fixed only
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Buyer's Guide for Deferred Annuities - Variable only
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Buyer's Guide for Fixed Deferred Annuities
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Buyer's Guide for Fixed Deferred Annuities with Appendix for Equity-Indexed Annuities
California Department of Insurance:
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Annuities: What Seniors Need to Know
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It's time for Californians to rethink their retirement plans
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Checking License Status
Understanding Life Insurance:
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PDF: Why People Buy Life Insurance
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PDF: What Are Your Personal Financial Security Needs?
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PDF: What You Need To Know About Whole Life Insurance Dividends: Why the Dividend Rate is Only Part of the Story
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PDF: Ohio National: Life Insurance Retirement Supplement: Diversify Your Retirement Plan with Life Insurance
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PDF: United States General Accounting Office - January, 1990 - This SCATHING report about the Tax Treatment of Life Insurance and Annuity Accrued Interest (See page 27 (29 of the PDF) regarding how the IRS treats life insurance loan cash-flow) is one of the BEST reasons why Every American should own it!
Miscellaneous Articles and Web Links:
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PDF: Can Funds Be Transferred From a Traditional IRA to a Roth IRA?
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PDF: Don't Bet Your Retirement On History Repeating Itself by Dr. Wade Pfau , Professor at The American College for Financial Services
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PDF: How Safe Are Life Insurance Companies?
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PDF: ACLI 2019 Life Insurers Fact Book: Chapter 3 - Liabilities (see page 2 for Surplus Funds and Capital Stock
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NAIC Life Insurance Policy Locator Service
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MIB Policy Locator Service
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MarketWatch: Opinion: How to digest financial advisers’ alphabet soup of professional certifications
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Wall Street Journal: The Secret to a Happier Retirement: Friends, Neighbors, and a Fixed Annuity
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NAILBA Perspectives: Life Lessons (an industry article on why the cheapest or even "best rates" may not be in the consumer's best long-term interests)
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PDF: Columbus Business First: Congress waives surtax on large IRA withdrawals
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PDF: CapitalSmith Contact Info
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