If you didn’t get a chance to read my first article on this subject, Your Clients and Their Children: The Problems with Joint Bank Accounts, it may be helpful to review it as a means of providing context for this article. As noted in that first posting, if a client couple wishes to make their bank accounts into joint accounts …
Do you get the recurring question from clients that I do, from time to time, about bank accounts? I’m referring to the issue where an elderly mother or father wants to add their child’s name to one or more of their bank accounts. In simple terms, the logic makes sense, as most parents want to assure that their bills, mortgages, …
Now that I’ve finally come up for air after a daunting 2012 tax season, which kept me away from my writing my monthly column in April, I want to discuss whether you’ve ever explained or shown your clients their non-market related return on investment. The simplified method of looking at a monthly statement to assess whether their money has increased …
At our house over the past few weeks, it’s been candy, candy and more candy after a few days of local church-sponsored Fall Festivals and trunk or treat events (or trick or treat – depending on where you live). Like most parents of young children across the country, my wife and I, along with our “University of Alabama squad” – including …
My annual “wish list” usually coincides with the coming of Christmas, but this wish list is a little different, and one that I believe to be of dire importance for all Americans. So what do I (and my clients) wish for from our next president (and those elected to Congress) come November? 1. Simplicity We need a president that will …
Has anyone noticed the fantastic few weeks of college football we’ve had so far this year? If you haven’t, you must not live in the South or have the pleasure of experiencing SEC football, or better yet, Alabama football. With a mounting total of 14 national championships, the University of Alabama’s football history is like no other program, especially in …
Are we rationing gas? Seems to me that we might be. But some things just brother me and there does not seem to be a reasonable justification for it. Let me explain. I own a 1998 Toyota Land Cruiser; it’s paid for and has 275,000 miles on it. I love it, but it’s a V8 and requires premium gas. The …
As I take a summer vacation with my family, I tend to wonder if the multitudes of people on the beaches and at other vacation spots across the U.S. really comprehend the price of that luxury. I’m not talking about the literal cost of the trip, but more about having the personal and financial freedoms to even take a vacation. …
Last week, I helped a young man working to acquire his Eagle Scout status by mentoring him through the “Personal Financial Management Merit Badge Workbook”, which is just one part of many steps to which a Boy Scout has to complete in order to obtain his Eagle Scout recognition. Through this mentoring process I helped explain the natures of creating …
In May, Andy was invited to give a presentation to the UAB Dental and Periodontal Residents regarding financial tips and information beneficial to decisions they will face, both personal and professional, once they are out of school and working. Among the topics Andy explained were how to choose a mortgage and the options and benefits associated with each of them, …
