Choosing The Right Credit Card, Real Estate Market, Minor as an IRA Beneficiary

In this episode of the Planned Solutions Incorporated Podcast, Picking the right credit card often depends on how a cardholder plans to use the card. For most people who pay off their credit card balances each month the interest rate charged by the credit card should be the last consideration. Instead, it is advisable to weigh the rewards that the credit card offers against the annual cost of the card, such as any annual fees that the card may charge. Also, The number of existing homes sold in February increased 14.5% from the prior months as the Spring buying season appears to be heating up early. Home prices remain resilient, down just 0.2% from the prior year. It appears that declining interest rates have unlocked some demand from potential homebuyers as the level of interest rates, and not prices, have driven home demand in recent months. And, It is common for retirement account owners to list their minor children as beneficiaries of their retirement accounts. However, there can be some drawbacks to this which should be explored before doing so as minors must be assigned a guardian who will oversee the funds until the minor comes of age. Therefore, it is important to think through how the funds will be transferred, managed, and distributed as well as explore other options that may be more in line with the account owner’s financial goals. Plus a look at the Planned Solutions Incorporated Office Bulletin Board- This probably goes without saying in this day and age, but don’t believe everything that you read, or even watch, online. One of the most common tax mistakes is a result of taxpayers not understanding how the tax withholding system works. To be fair, the tax withholding system in the US in so antiquated that it is extremely confusing as it reflects the US workforce from fifty years ago when one-income households were the norm. During the period of one-income households, the system was straightforward. If an employee was not married, they selected single and if they were married, they selected married. If they selected married the assumption was that their spouse did not work so their income would be spread across the more favorable married tax bracket resulting in less tax, and therefore less tax withholding. However, today where two-income households are more common this can create problems. If both spouses select married, they will have less income tax withheld based on the assumption that their spouse does not work, which is incorrect in this case. Therefore, married taxpayers in two-income households should select single, or married but withhold at the higher single tax rate if that option is available. This is counterintuitive as it requires that a married taxpayer select single on their tax withholding election, but unfortunately, that is how the system is set up. Chase Armer's book- Financial Planning Insights is now available at: https://www.amazon.com/Financial-Planning-Insights-Decades-Planner/dp/1098306279?ref_=ast_author_mpb To subscribe to the Personal Finance Review (the written form of all the content we discuss on the podcast) please e-mail [email protected] The Personal Finance Review is published and distributed biweekly by Planned Solutions, Inc. for informational purposes only. Please seek the advice of a qualified financial planner before taking any action. Planned Solutions, Inc.