Summer School for Kids

Summer can be a great time to teach your kids valuable lessons about money. Financial expert Phil Putney recently spoke with WDIV about financial summer school for kids and four valuable lessons to teach them.

  1. Money has to be earned
  2. Saving for the future
  3. Give Back – www.learningtogive.org
  4. Get them involved

www.learningtogive.org

 

Spring Cleaning Your Finances

Who said spring cleaning has to involve manual labor? Financial professional Phil Putney talked with WDIV about 5 ways to spring clean your finances:

  1. Do a Budget Inspection
  2. Declutter
  3. Go Paperless
  4. Dust Off Your Tax Plan
  5. Take Out the Trash

Click here to find out how long to keep financial documents

 

Money and Happiness

Debt Worksheet Friday (March 20th) is International Day of Happiness. The old saying goes, money can’t buy you happiness. But new research shows that is not exactly the case. Phil Putney talked with WDIV about spending tips to improve your mood.

  1. Experiences not Stuff
  2. Gift of Giving
  3. Buy Time

Debt is detrimental to your happiness. Organize your debt to pay it off with a debt worksheet found here.

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Kids & Allowance

In an effort to teach our kids financial responsibility, should we give them an allowance? Phil Putney talked with WDIV about some ways to talk to our kids about money now to help them build financial success down the road.

Click here for a guide with tips for talking to kids about money from ages 3 to 18..

 

Financial Quiz

You've probably heard it before, and there's research to back it up- couples argue more about money than anything else. Financial professional Phil Putney talked with AFS Wealth Management about what couples should be talking about at every age and stage of their relationship.

  • Dating: Talk it Out
  • Marriage: Pool your Money
  • Parenthood: Set a Baby Budget
  • Golden Years: Stagger your Retirement

Click here for a financial compatibility quiz to get the conversation started.

 

Top New Years Downloads

75% of people said they want to get their finances in order in 2015. Phil Putney talked with WDIV about the top 4 financial resolutions for the New Year.

 

Financial Inventory Worksheet

The Lions are headed to the playoffs! So now is the perfect time to look at how football can actually help your finances!

  1. Make a Plan
  2. Be Disciplined
  3. Make Adjustments
  4. Rely on your Team!

Download your financial inventory worksheet!

 

3 Ways to Improve your Financial Health in 2015

The most popular New Year's resolutions are getting healthy- physically and fiscally. Phil Putney talked to WDIV about the three things you can do to improve your health and wealth in 2015.

  1. Pay Down Debt Click here for a debt worksheet
  2. Save for Golden Years
  3. Focus on Gratitude

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Holiday Budget Worksheet

It’s easy to overspend around the holidays. Phil Putney talked with WDIV about how to survive last-minute shopping this holiday shopping season.

  1. Make a list & check it twice
  2. Shop around
  3. Give the gift card
  4. Think outside the box

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How To Survive The Holiday Shopping Season

It's easy to overspend around the holidays. Phil Putney shared with WJBK and WDIV tips on how to survive the holiday shopping season.

  1. Set a Spending Limit Click here for a holiday budget worksheet
  2. Go for the Gift Card
  3. Be Scrooge
  4. Avoid Hidden Fees
  5. Win Loyalty Points

Download the Worksheet

 

Money Savings Tips for Cyber Monday

Shopping online is growing in popularity. Financial professional Phil Putney talked to WJBK Fox 2 about 5 tips to save you money when buying online.

  1. Shop Around
    To comparison shop, use PriceGraber.com or Savings.com's PriceJump. Both will alert you with a message on your computer screen when you look at an item that is priced lower elsewhere.
  2. Hunt for Coupons
  3. Sign up for Emails
  4. Get Free Shipping
  5. Be Patient

 

How to Overcome the top 5 Financial Fears

  1. Losing Your Income
  2. Talking Dollars & Cents Click here for a checklist of topics to cover
  3. Credit Card Phobia
  4. Running Out of Money

Download the Checklist

 

Financial Cramming for College

Millions of parents are getting ready to send their babies off to college. But before they fly the coop, there is one more important thing to teach them- money management!

Financial professional Phil Putney talked with WDIV about the 4 steps of Money Management 101:

  1. Budgeting Click here for a budget worksheet.
  2. Checking & Savings Accounts
  3. Credit Cards
  4. Student Loans

Download The Budget Worksheet

 

Back To School Budgeting

Back-to-school shopping is the second biggest shopping season of the year. American families are expected spend about $670. Financial professional Phil Putney talked with WDIV about 4 tips to save this season:

  1. Get Organized Use our back-to-school budget worksheet (see download link below)
  2. Time it Out
  3. Do Your Homework
  4. Make it a Family Affair

Budgeting Worksheet Download

 

Quantitative Analysis of Investor Behavior

Do fiduciaries produce better returns? Is there investor irrationality being displayed?  Does this lead to inferior results?  Find out with this analysis of investor behavior.

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Fixing a Missed RMD in 5 Easy Steps

What is a missed Required Minimum Distribution?

RMDs must be taken by IRA owners beginning in the year they turn 70 1/2 and by IRA and Roth beneficiaries beginning in the year after the death of the account owner. RMDs not taken are subject to a penalty of 50% of the amount not taken each year.

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The Roth Conversion Decision Just Got Tougher

As much as we like Roth conversions and encourage individuals to convert, we do realize that Roth conversions aren’t for everyone. There have always been many factors to consider before doing a conversion. With the passage of the 2012 tax act on January 2, 2013 and with the healthcare surtaxes taking effect in 2013, there are now more factors to consider.

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The Last Dow Record

Remember the world on Oct. 9, 2007? That was when the Dow Jones industrial average last set a record high. It was a headier time back then: pre-financial crisis, pre-bailouts, pre-Great Recession. A lot has changed since then, but the Dow, a stock index that is followed as a gauge for the rest of the market, hit its highest close, 14,253.77, on Tuesday, March 5th 2013.

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Questions? Phil Putney, CPA PFS is a federally licensed fiduciary. Call 1-248-888-7530 or click here to schedule a no obligation initial consultation.