LAVORATO & DARLING, INC.
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Business Owner
Articles
Starting a business
Advantages and disadvantages of self-employment
Choosing an entity for your business
Funding a business
Hiring your first employee
Qualifying for the home office deduction
Record keeping for your own business
Starting or buying a business
Tax planning for the self-employed
Decision Tools
Benefits and retirement plans
Building a retirement plan for your business
Individual 401(k) Illustration
Choosing an entity
Choosing a business entity
Comparison of LLCs, LLPs, and professional corporations
How C Corporations, Limited Liability Companies, and Limited Liability Partnerships Protect Personal Assets
FAQs
Incorporating a business
Can I change my business from a C corporation to an S corporation?
Can I change my business from an S corporation to a C corporation?
Should I incorporate my business?
Starting a business
Don't most small businesses fail?
How do I find good advisors such as lawyers and accountants to help with my business?
Is buying a franchise a good way to get into business?
Should I buy an existing business or start from scratch?
Should I buy or lease assets for my business?
What are the stages of business development?
What should I look for in a business location?
Education Planning
Articles
529 plans
529 plans vs. other college savings options
529 plans: The ins and outs of contributions and withdrawals
The ABCs of 529 plans
Decision Tools
Determining how much to save for college
College savings analyzer
Finding the funds to pay for a college education
Higher education figures at-a-glance
Financial aid
College application and financial aid calendar
Comparison of federal higher education loans
Financial aid calendar
Tax issues
Qualified education expenses defined
Summary of tax-advantaged college savings options
FAQs
529 plans vs. other ways to save for college
How does a 529 plan compare with a Coverdell education savings account?
How does a 529 plan compare with an UGMA/UTMA custodial account in my child's name?
How does a 529 plan compare with investing in a mutual fund in my name?
How does a 529 plan compare with using U.S. savings bonds for college expenses?
Choosing a 529 plan
Can I invest in any state's 529 plan, or am I limited to my own state's plan?
How do I know whether to choose a state savings plan or a prepaid tuition plan?
I've decided on a state savings plan, but how do I go about choosing one?
Financial aid
How can my child find scholarships for college?
How do I apply for financial aid?
How do I know if I'm eligible for federal financial aid?
How does the federal financial aid process work?
Is there anything I can do now so that my child can obtain more financial aid later?
What are the major federal financial aid loan programs?
Selecting a college
How should my child go about selecting a college?
Estate Planning
Articles
Assets
Estate planning and 529 plans
Transferring your family business
Beneficiary designations
Choosing a beneficiary for your IRA or 401(k)
Charitable giving
Life insurance and charitable giving
Estate planning basics
Estate planning--an introduction
Facing the possibility of incapacity
Trust basics
Life insurance
Life insurance: do you need it?
Medicaid planning
Medicaid planning basics
Probate
Understanding probate
Decision Tools
Business planning
Choosing a business entity
Charitable giving
How a charitable lead trust works
How a charitable remainder trust works
The best property to give to charity
Estate planning basics
529 Plan Federal estate tax calculator - (Consumer Version)
Common incapacity documents
Federal transfer tax exemption amounts under the Tax Act of 2001
Steps to estate planning success
Life insurance
Life insurance needs analyzer
Probate
The probate process: 3 to 9 months after death
The probate process: 9 to 12 months after death
The probate process: initial tasks
Types of post-mortem elections
Trusts
Advantages of trusts
FAQs
Estate and gift tax
How will estate taxes be paid if I leave no provision in my will?
I just made a gift. Do I have to file a gift tax return?
What is a family limited partnership, and will it help reduce estate taxes?
Will the value of my 529 account be included in my estate or my beneficiary's estate?
Estate planning basics
How often do I need to review my estate plan?
What makes up my taxable estate?
Life insurance and estate planning
Are life insurance proceeds income taxable?
What is a life insurance trust and why should I consider establishing one?
Planning for incapacity
What is an advanced directive for health care, and will it help me avoid court involvement during incapacity?
What is the difference between a power of attorney and a durable power of attorney?
Probate
Does property owned jointly avoid probate?
What is probate and why do I want to avoid it?
Trusts
Can an UGMA/UTMA account reduce my child's financial aid for college?
Should I establish a trust for my child's college education fund?
What is a living trust?
Wills
Can I disinherit relatives I don't like?
Do I have to accept a bequest I don't want?
Do I need an attorney to prepare my will?
I want my son to have my valuable collection of baseball cards when I die. How do I make sure he gets it?
What is the difference between a living will and a living trust?
What will happen if I die without a will?
Who should I name as guardian of my children in case my spouse and I should die at the same time?
Who should I name as trustee?
Retirement Planning
Articles
Health care issues
Buying supplemental health insurance--Medigap
Health insurance in retirement
Medicare
Should you buy long-term care insurance?
Understanding long-term care insurance
Housing issues
Housing options for older individuals
Saving for retirement
Annuities and retirement planning
Borrowing or withdrawing money from your 401(k) plan
Deciding what to do with your 401(k) plan when you change jobs
Estimating your retirement income needs
Retirement planning--the basics
Saving for retirement and a child's education at the same time
Understanding IRAs
Social Security
Social Security retirement benefits
Understanding Social Security
Decision Tools
401(k) plans
Individual 401(k) Illustration
Health care issues
Medicare, Medigap, and Medicaid
IRAs
Comparison of traditional IRAs and Roth IRAs
Roth IRA future value calculator
Traditional IRA future value calculator
Traditional IRA required minimum distribution illustrator
Retirement planning basics
Building an investment portfolio
Growth of annual deposits calculator
How taxation can affect your retirement funds
Investing for retirement
Investor Profile and Asset Allocation Calculator
Net worth calculator
Personal cash flow worksheet
Saving for your retirement
Social Security
How earnings affect Social Security
Social Security figures at-a-glance
Sources of retirement income: filling the Social Security gap
FAQs
Employer-sponsored retirement plans
Does the federal government insure pension benefits?
How can I plan for retirement if my employer doesn't offer retirement benefits?
I teach at a school that has a 403(b) plan. Is this type of plan a good way to save for retirement?
My company has a profit-sharing plan. How do these plans work?
Should I contribute to my 401(k) plan at work?
Should I use my 401(k) to fund my child's college education?
What are my options if I inherit an IRA or employer-sponsored plan?
Evaluating an early retirement offer
Should I accept my employer's early retirement offer?
Health care issues
How can I pay for nursing home care?
How can I tell if a nursing home provides high-quality care?
Should I buy long-term care insurance?
What is long-term care insurance?
Housing issues
I'm having a hard time selling my home. Should I take out a reverse mortgage?
I'm retired now and own my home outright, but I need money to live on. How can I use my home to raise some money without selling it?
My husband just died. Should I accept my daughter's offer to move in with her?
IRAs
Can I avoid the 10 percent penalty tax for early withdrawals from a traditional IRA?
Can I contribute to a Roth IRA?
Can I set up a traditional IRA?
I need money--can I take funds from my IRA?
Should I withdraw money from my IRA to pay for my child's college tuition?
What are my options if I inherit an IRA or employer-sponsored plan?
What are the rules for IRA contributions?
Saving for retirement
How aggressive should I be when I invest for retirement?
How can we possibly save for retirement and our child's college education at the same time?
How much money should I save for retirement?
What are catch-up contributions?
What should I do if I determine that my income during retirement won't be enough to meet my retirement expenses?
Social Security
Are my Social Security benefits subject to income tax?
How can I get an estimate of my Social Security benefits?
I'm getting remarried. How will this affect my Social Security benefits?
Should I retire now at age 62 and collect Social Security benefits, or should I wait until age 65?
When I retire, how much will I receive from Social Security?
Special Situations
Articles
Career planning
Evaluating a job offer
Health insurance and COBRA: sometimes you can take it with you
Receiving unemployment benefits
Caring for an aging parent
Caring for your aging parents
Facing the possibility of incapacity
Divorce
Dealing with divorce
Loss of a spouse
Organizing your finances when your spouse has died
Social Security survivor's benefits
Marriage
Establishing a budget
Getting started: establishing a financial safety net
Merging your money when you marry
Planning for travel
Health insurance for travelers
Rental car insurance
Travel insurance
Raising a family
How much life insurance do you need?
Teaching your child about money
Teaching your college-age child about money
Teaching your teen about money
The best ways to save for college
When your child has special needs
Sudden wealth
Sudden wealth
Terminal illness
Life insurance and terminal illness
Viatical settlements
Unmarried couples
Financial tips for unmarried couples
Tax Planning
Articles
General tax planning
Am I having enough withheld?
Help! I can't pay my tax bill
Surviving an audit
Tax benefits of home ownership
Year-end tax planning
FAQs
Taxes and home ownership
Can I deduct the cost of improvements or repairs I've made to my home?