Posts belonging to Category Financial Tips



Dependents can fund Roths, even if their parents can’t

I am a 20-year-old college student with a stable, part-time job. I haven’t contributed to a 401(k) with this company because I don’t plan to be working for it for two years, which is how long I’d have to wait for my contributions and earnings to be 100% mine. I’d like to open a Roth IRA, but I’m not sure I’m eligible. I’m listed as a dependent and our household adjusted gross income is between $145,000 and $155,000. Can I open a Roth?

Answer: The short answer is yes, although you may want to reconsider contributing to your workplace 401(k) as well.

As long as you have earned income that’s less than the Roth limits, you can contribute to a Roth account, said Mark Luscombe, principal analyst for tax research firm CCH Inc.

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Does a corporate blog help customer relations

A corporate blog is quintessential in today’s business environment. Back in the day, companies had a personal relationship with their customers. Over the years the customer relations were restricted to phone calls, emails and with the outsourcing boom, they were now talking to “hired” company representatives. All this changed when people began to voice their opinions online and the blogging age began.

Take a quick look at the Google blog. The idea is simple, if there must be information circulating in the world wide web about you and your company, would it better if you wrote that information or someone else? Your customers would know about it, whether you like it not. A corporate blog ensures that it’s YOU who tells the world the way it is, and not someone else with our own personal agenda.

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$2.5B Greystone adviser jumps to HighTower

Mr. Pupillo manages $2.5 billion in institutional and high-net-worth retail accounts, according to HighTower, and his signing gives the firm its first office in the Southwest. He and fellow financial advisers Brian Hein and David Brasfield, along with two other colleagues, Aaron Brasfield and Darren Evans, work in Scottsdale, Ariz. Hightower did not provide a breakdown of the team’s institutional and retail business.

“I looked at several vendor platforms to support us if we went completely independent, but none provided anything close to the comprehensive platform at HighTower, Mr. Pupillo said in a statement. We joined HighTower because it represents the very [best of breed] solutions, supporting sophisticated independent advisers and harnessing the competitive power of Wall Street for the benefit of our clients.”

Mr. Pupillo was not available for an interview.

The departure of Mr. Pupillo is a sizeable blow to Greystone and parent . A Barron’s Top 100 Adviser since 2006, Mr.

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Book giveaway! Free! Free!

I’m giving away two copies of the latest edition of my book, “Your Credit Score: How to Improve the 3-Digit Number that Shapes Your Financial Future.”

This is the fourth edition, rewritten from stem to stern to reflect big changes in the credit laws and practices since the financial crisis. If you need to improve your credit after big setbacks or you just want to know how to keep your scores high, this is the book for you.

To enter, leave a comment here on my blog (not my Facebook page). Make sure to leave your email address (which won’t show up with your comment, but I’ll be able to see it). The winners will be chosen at random.

The deadline to enter is midnight Pacific time on Friday Jan. 6. So–comment away!

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