Tuesday, May 21, 2013 | 5:33 a.m.
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Atlanta Bargain Hunter: Wes Moss
8 things we don't pay enough for
There are things we pay too much for like a mediocre dinner at a restaurant you don’t really like. We just had to replace a garbage disposal. With installation, it was more than $500. I’ll never get much enjoyment from using this deluxe garbage disposal, so no matter what I ...
Wes Moss: What does Dow 15,000 mean for you?
As a financial planner, I spend a lot of time looking at charts. I’ve got pie charts and bar graphs and Gantt charts -- every kind of chart you can imagine. But there’s one chart so indispensable I actually pay for it every year. It’s my Morningstar® Andex® chart -- ...
Wes Moss: Avoid excess fees on retirement funds
A recent episode of PBS’s Frontline that detailed the impact fees can have on retirement savings, has led to a lot of questions. The show, titled The Retirement Gamble, starts out with the usual grim statistics: Half of all Americans say they can’t afford to save for retirement, and one-third ...
Wes Moss: The housing bust still going strong in Atlanta
We keep hearing about a housing recovery, but apparently it’s happening elsewhere. As this recent AJC article reveals, a huge percentage of metro Atlanta homeowners are still underwater in their mortgages. According to the real estate website Zillow.com, of the worst 1 percent of underwater housing ZIP codes in the ...
Wes Moss: The FHA Mortgage – going out of style?
If you are a first time homebuyer or trying to get into a home without putting down the usual 10 or 20 percent, the Federal Housing Administration is your go-to for a mortgage. As the housing market continues to improve, the FHA has become a big piece of the ...
Wes Moss: We’re not Greece or Cyprus
People have been jittery about the Greek economy for some time. But Cyprus, the tiny island country off the coast of Greece, recently sent people from all around the world into panic mode. It’s a bit like Chicken Little to be fretting over the finances of a tiny republic in ...
Wes Moss: DDS| Driving Us Crazy
What costs Georgia economy nearly $200 million a year? The DDS. That’s the Georgia Department of Driver Services (formerly known as the DMV). They may have changed their name, but that won’t be enough to help them escape a serious image problem. I’m venting, but we have a lot of ...
Wes Moss: Reducing your 2013 Tax Bite
You know what they say about death and taxes. And this time of year, many of us might consider taking the former over the latter. Finances are my business, and even I dread tax season. I find myself thinking about all the things I’d rather be doing instead of organizing ...
Wes Moss: Does the 4 percent rule still apply?
Financial planner William Bengen famously declared in the early 1990s that retirees can deduct 4 percent from their portfolios every year (plus adjusting up each year for inflation), and not run out of money for at least 30 years. Analysts and academics verified Bengen’s data and supported his assertion. All ...
Wes Moss: Say “I Do” to a Money Talk with your Betrothed
Ahh, love. There’s nothing like two people falling for each other and pledging themselves to each other until death doth them part. It’s truly cause for celebration. It should also be cause for a serious and ongoing conversation about finances. Many clients come to me with a scenario like this: ...
Wes Moss: How does Sequestration affect you?
Note to readers: In order to address this timely topic, this post replaces a previous article from Wes Moss about marriage and finances which will be re-posted next week. Economic Doomsday is here, thanks to the government spending cuts required by the sequestration that went into effect on Friday. Brace for ...
Wes Moss: Can your 401K keep up with the market?
Isn’t that always the question? We all want to feel like we’re doing as well as the market. But the more important question is: Should your account even reflect the market? In 2009, the market was up 26 percent. In 2010, it was up 15 percent. It was virtually flat ...
Wes Moss: What Not to Do When Technology Goes Down
Technical difficulties can drive us to do foolish things. I learned that lesson this week, and I hope to help you avoid the same mistake. I’ve owned Apple gadgets for years and have always been a fan of their products and support. I’ve called Apple support at least a dozen ...
Wes Moss: 4 money moves to make right now
If you’ve already mastered Personal Finance 101 -- you’re investing in your 401K, you’ve paid off your debt and you’re saving at least 15 percent of your gross income -- it’s time to move on to a graduate-level course. Make 2013 the year you resolve to do more. Start by ...
Wes Moss: Your 401K...has the train left the station?
Certified financial planner Wes Moss provides personal finance advice and accessible investment strategies. His guest post appears here weekly. When it’s time to choose your 401k fund options, you’re probably wondering which way to go: the S&P 500 index fund or the plain but stable value fund paying less than ...
Wes Moss: Budget for taxes, savings and life
Certified financial planner Wes Moss provides personal finance advice and accessible investment strategies. His guest post appears here weekly. Last week I shared the sobering news that when you add up the taxes you pay to the feds, payroll tax, Georgia state, etc., you’re probably paying more than 30 percent ...
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