The Season of Generosity

November 10, 2014

One of my favorite pre-holiday meetings involves gathering the kids together to discuss our holiday plans. In our household, it’s inevitable that kids will find that perfect moment of cute childhood brilliance to break out their Christmas wish list at a moment when they are polite and well-behaved. In the spirit of giving to others, my wife and I encourage them to also create a wish list for things they would like to give to others in need. Before you start donating online or breaking out those checkbooks, let’s review the basics of why, when, who and how. Continue reading “The Season of Generosity”

Surviving the Holiday Season

December 22, 2011

Opening gifts may be fun but opening the credit bills next month won’t be. No one wants to start off the New Year deeper in debt, but too often that’s exactly what happens. Here are some ways to survive the holiday season without turning into the Grinch: Continue reading “Surviving the Holiday Season”

Ho, Ho, Holiday Tax Tips

December 21, 2011

In the middle of the holiday season, it’s easy to forget that there are only two more weeks left in the tax year, and although April 15th is still four months away, you can reduce the amount you owe (or increase the amount you get back from) the IRS if you take the following steps before the ball drops on New Year’s Eve. Continue reading “Ho, Ho, Holiday Tax Tips”

Holiday Season: An Encouraging Sign

November 25, 2011

If you watch the news on a regular basis, it can get a little bit depressing.  Economic uncertainty, both here and abroad, seems to dominate the daily news cycle.  It feels like the stock market moves up and down (but the downs are far more noticeable!) because of news events in Greece or the failure of a Super-Committee (it never felt Super!) to reach a deal that was good for the fiscal state of the country.  In the midst of watching a bunch of pundits talk about how dire the consequences are for the Super-Committee’s failure, I hopped online to see if I could find a good news story.  Fortunately, I found this!  Continue reading “Holiday Season: An Encouraging Sign”