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It’s Official… We Are In A Recession

This week we got our first estimate of the impact of the COVID crisis on the U.S. Economy. As expected, we’re now in recession. But the real ugly data is still to come. On Wednesday, the Commerce Department posted its estimate of first quarter economic growth for the U.S. The result? Economic activity contracted at…

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Fee Only Financial Advisor Deer Park Barrington Blank Slate

Financial Planner: Blank Slate [Video] 

When we get started working with a new client there are always three things as a financial planner we share with them.  And it’s always interesting the reaction we get from this, as a financial advisor we thing this is a common thing you would expect. Values So the first thing is we won’t push…

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Update Your Net Worth :Financial Review [Video] 

It’s that time of year again when we can look back at the progress you made from last year, and realize you really are making progress month by month. What we are going to talk about is your net worth and how that is increasing.  We are looking at three ways to update your net…

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Fill Up Those Bathtubs With Oil!

Monday witnessed one of the craziest events we’ve ever seen in financial markets. The price of crude oil dropped below zero, meaning that people would PAY you to “buy” oil. There’s actually a good reason why the price of oil can be negative, but there’s also a larger takeaway about how bad economic conditions are…

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Fee Only Financial Advisor Deer Park Barrington Cash Savings Rates Back To Zero

Cash Savings Rates: Back to Zero

Keeping cash in savings accounts for emergencies and other cash needs is a bedrock of sound personal financial planning. But there’s a trade-off: earning lower returns.  As we assess the post-COVID landscape, we turn our attention to the outlook for cash savings rates. Unfortunately, the potential to earn decent interest rates on our cash isn’t…

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Identity Theft: What You Need To Know [Video] 

So we are here today to talk about identity theft. It is near and dear to our hearts because we have both recently gone through something similar to this.  So at the end of 2019 as I was wrapping up our budget getting ready for 2020, I noticed that right around Christmas I had right…

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Investing: Why Are Bonds Important? [Video]

The Stockmarket has had a number of good years this past many years. So strong in fact it can be easy to forget the value of having bonds in your stock market portfolio. So why are bonds important?  The stock market tends to go up and and down, go from a bull to a bear…

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Where Do We Go From Here? Coronavirus Update fee only financial advisor deer park barrington chicago draft

Where Do We Go From Here? Coronavirus Update

A lot is happening in response to the spread of the coronavirus. As you all know, many of us are in lock-down, working from home and hoping that these actions help “flatten the curve” on the spread of the virus. The Response We are less than one month into stay-at-home orders and school shutdowns, but…

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fee only financial advisor deer park barrington chicago The CARES Act- Mortgage Forbearance Request draft

CARES Act: Mortgage Forbearance Request

CARES Act: Mortgage Forbearance Request Background:  Another provision of the CARES Act, for keeping more funds in your pocket, allows for individuals with a mortgage to defer their mortgage payments for 90 days, and as long as 180 days. Timing: This is an immediate benefit you can receive. Benefits: If you have a federally backed mortgage…

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CARES Act For Businesses: Payroll Tax & Net Operating 

CARES Act For Businesses: Payroll Tax & Net Operating Losses Loosened

CARES Act For Businesses: Payroll Tax & Net Operating Payroll Tax Payment Deferral Background:  The “CARES Act” which was recently signed into law allows employers as well as those self-employed the ability to defer payroll tax or self-employment tax payments.   Amount & Timing  The payroll tax payments which are eligible for deferral begin on the…

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The CARES Act For Businesses: Employee Retention Credit

CARES Act For Businesses: Employee Retention Credit

CARES Act For Businesses: Employee Retention Credit If you do not receive a loan from SBA as a result of the other portions of this law, you may be able to claim a very favorable tax credit. This is a refundable credit that goes against the businesses’ share of Social Security taxes, typically 6.2%. First hurdle:…

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fee only financial advisor deer park barrington cares act for busiesses paycheck protection program and forgivable loans

CARES Act For Businesses: Paycheck Protection Program & Forgivable Loans

CARES Act For Businesses: Paycheck Protection Program & Forgivable Loans To help protect small businesses and their employees, the CARES Act provides a new type of loan through the Small Business Administration, a portion of which would be forgivable if used for certain types of expenses. Background: The CARES Act, through the Small Business Administration (“SBA”),…

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