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For most Americans estate planning has always been somewhat confusing. The 2010 Tax Relief Act has elevated this confusion to new heights. There are two estate tax rules for 2010. The default rule imposes a tax rate of 35% and with an exemption of $5 million for individuals ($10 million for marrie...

Tax returns from 1983? Cancelled checks from the Clinton Administration? Phone bills from If you still have these kinds of documents lurking in your closet, your attic, or anywhere else, now is your chance to free up a little space.This Friday, May 20th, we will hold our second annual Shred Day from...

The financial media has plenty of coverage of the guilty verdict in the trial of billionaire hedge fund operator Raj Rajaratnam. Apparently Rajaratnam's wealth was due at least in part to trading on tips he solicited (and paid for) from a network of associates willing to break the law for bags of ca...

Back in 1980, the price of silver hit an all-time high of over $20 per ounce (gold was high, too). Jewelry and coin dealers were advertising heavily to buy precious metals - bracelets, silver dollars, what have you - offering high prices. Does any of that sound familiar? I had a small box of silve...

It's bankruptcy is past, it's arch-rival Toyota struggling, GM is now making cars that people are buying. The result: General Motors announced sharply higher earnings this morning. Looks like a higher opening for GM shares today. Our local phone company, Frontier Communications, also reported thi...

After this morning's welcome news that a detested terrorist has been killed, focus should now turn to how many of your hard-earned tax dollars are being sent to Pakistan. According to this morning's New York Times, the US plans to send $7.5 billion to Pakistan over the next five years. At $1.5 bill...

As I write this the wedding of Britain's Prince William and Kate Middleton is under way. They will probably be too busy for the next few days to read this post, but eventually I'm sure things will settle back down for them and they'll get back to walking the dog, making coffee, taking the car for an...

I am no happier than anyone else to pay $4 a gallon for gas. But I'll admit that years ago (many years ago) when gas first hit $1 a gallon, I was more chagrined than I am now. Partly it's because I am busy enough these days to have other things on my mind. But a big reason why is that some years...

You'll be hearing in the media about these indicators over the next few days: New Home Sales Consumer Confidence Durable Goods orders Fed Open Market Committee Interest Rate Decision Gross Domestic Product Personal Spending & Income Retail Sales Expect mixed signals. Expect earnest conce...

Tax filing deadline was yesterday; here's a shout-out to our Tax Dept., led by Joe Arena, which prepared many hundreds of returns this year, including nearly 100 for brand-new clients. I hope they are enjoying a well-deserved rest. They had better - it will be tax season again before we know it....