Business Owner   Articles     Benefits and retirement plans       Benefit plans for small businesses       Disability income insurance for the self-employed       Group health insurance: a valued employee benefit       Group term life insurance       Health insurance for the self-employed       Key employee life and disability insurance       Life insurance for the self-employed       Offering group disability insurance       Retirement plans for small businesses       Split dollar insurance plans       Understanding individual 401(k) plans       What employers need to know about workers' compensation insurance     Insuring a business       Business automobile insurance basics       Business interruption insurance       Business liability insurance basics       Business overhead expense insurance       Commercial general liability       Do you need crime insurance?       Income tax tips: business insurance       Insurance tips for business travelers       Insuring your home business       Professional liability coverage       Properly insuring your business       Should you self-insure your business?       Understanding your business owners policy       Why insure your business?     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     Transferring or selling a business       Funding a buy-sell agreement with disability insurance       Funding a buy-sell agreement with life insurance       Transferring your family business   Decision Tools     Benefits and retirement plans       401(k) plans       Building a retirement plan for your business       Comparison of types of educational assistance       Individual 401(k) Illustration     Insurance planning       Business life insurance needs       Number of policies needed with a cross purchase plan     Tax planning       Accelerating deductions/postponing income       Accelerating income/postponing deductions   FAQs     Advertising a business       How can I get free publicity for my business?       How do I know where to advertise my business?       What is the best form of advertising?     Employee benefits and other issues       How can I boost the morale of my employees without incurring huge expenses?       How can I find good employees for my business?       What are health reimbursement arrangements?       What are incentive stock options (ISOs)?       What benefits should I offer to my employees?     Home-based businesses       Can I deduct home office expenses?       If I work at home occasionally, am I entitled to a home office deduction?     Partnerships       How does a limited partnership work?   Estate Planning   FAQs     Estate and gift tax       How can I determine what my business is worth for estate and gift tax purposes?       How can I minimize taxes on my estate?       How will estate taxes be paid if I leave no provision in my will?       I intend to make tuition payments directly to my grandchild's college, and I know this will reduce my estate. But would it be better to contribute to a 529 plan instead?       I just made a gift. Do I have to file a gift tax return?       If I am the account owner when I die, will the value of my 529 account be included in my estate?       The death benefit from insurance on my life will be paid to an irrevocable life insurance trust (ILIT). What if those funds are needed to pay my estate taxes?       What is a family limited partnership, and will it help reduce estate taxes?       What is the applicable exclusion amount?       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?       Isn't estate planning only for the rich?       What makes up my taxable estate?     Life insurance and estate planning       Are life insurance proceeds income taxable?       The death benefit from insurance on my life will be paid to an irrevocable life insurance trust (ILIT). What if those funds are needed to pay my estate taxes?       What is a life insurance trust and why should I consider establishing one?       When I die, is my beneficiary required to take a lump-sum payment of my life insurance death benefit?       Will my beneficiaries have to pay taxes on the proceeds of my life insurance policy?     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 Crummey power?       What is a life insurance trust and why should I consider establishing one?       What is a living trust?     Wills       Can I disinherit relatives I don't like?       Can I transfer my business through my will?       Do I have to accept a bequest I don't want?       Do I need an attorney to prepare my will?       How will estate taxes be paid if I leave no provision in 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?   Personal Finance   Articles     Managing credit and debt       Choosing a credit card       Contemplating bankruptcy       Credit traps for the unwary       Debt consolidation       How student loans inpact your credit       Understanding your credit report     Owning a home       Applying for a mortgage       Buying a home       Buying a home both you and your insurer will love       Opening the door to homeowners insurance       Refinancing your mortgage       Selling a home       Tapping the equity in your home       Tax benefits of home ownership       Your home as a source of dollars in retirement   Decision Tools     Owning a home       Homeowners insurance quiz       How to save money on your homeowners insurance       Is my home mortgage interest fully deductible?       Less common mortgage options       Mortgage payment calculator       Popular types of mortgages       Should you refinance your mortgage?   FAQs     Bankruptcy       Can I buy a house even though I declared bankruptcy?       I can't pay my bills. Should I declare bankruptcy?       What's the difference between Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy?     Credit basics       How can I correct errors on my credit report?       How can I figure out my net worth?       How can I get credit if I have no credit history?       How can I protect myself against identity theft?       How can I reduce my spending?       How can I repair my poor credit?       How do I get a copy of my credit report?       How long should I keep copies of my tax returns?       How much money should I keep in a savings account for emergencies?       I can't pay my bills. Should I declare bankruptcy?       Should I invest my extra cash or use it to pay off debt?       Will debt consolidation hurt or help my credit rating?     Private mortgage insurance       Can I use a piggyback mortgage as an alternative to private mortgage insurance?       What's private mortgage insurance , and can my mortgage lender require me to have it?     Refinancing a mortgage       Do I need to let my homeowners insurance company know that I'm refinancing a mortgage?       I refinanced my principal home last year and paid points. What are points, and can I deduct them on my tax return?       Should I refinance my home mortgage?   Retirement Planning   Articles     Saving for retirement       Annuities and retirement planning       Borrowing or withdrawing money from your 401(k) plan       Choosing a beneficiary for your IRA or 401(k)       Closing a retirement income gap       Deciding what to do with your 401(k) plan when you change jobs       Estimating your retirement income needs       Evaluating an early retirement offer       Retirement planning--the basics       Saving for retirement and a child's education at the same time       Taking advantage of employer-sponsored retirement plans       Understanding defined benefit plans       Understanding IRAs       What to do after you've been automatically enrolled in your company's retirement plan   Decision Tools     401(k) plans       401(k) plans       Individual 401(k) Illustration       Should you save in a 401(k) or a Roth IRA?     Retirement planning basics       Building an investment portfolio       Consumer price index inflation calculator       Growth of annual deposits calculator       How taxation can affect your retirement funds       Investing for retirement       Net worth calculator       Personal cash flow worksheet       Saving for your retirement       What is your risk tolerance?     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       Can I roll a retirement plan distribution into an IRA?       Can I still have a traditional IRA if I contribute to my 401(k) plan at work?       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?       What does the term "qualified plan" mean?       What is vesting?     Evaluating an early retirement offer       Should I accept my employer's early retirement offer?     Saving for retirement       How aggressive should I be when I invest for retirement?       How can I plan for retirement if my employer doesn't offer retirement benefits?       How can we possibly save for retirement and our child's college education at the same time?       How late is too late to start saving for retirement?       How much money should I save for retirement?       How should I structure my retirement portfolio?       I think it's time to start planning for retirement. Where do I begin?       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?       What happens if I start collecting Social Security after age 65?       When I retire, how much will I receive from Social Security?       Will my children receive money from Social Security when I die?   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       Tax planning for income       Tax planning for the self-employed       Taxation of investments       Year-end tax planning     Tax credits and deductions       Education tax credits       Personal deduction planning       Qualifying for the home office deduction       Understanding personal tax credits     Taxes and insurance       Income tax tips: business insurance       Tax planning for annuities       Tax planning tips: auto insurance       Tax planning tips: disability insurance       Tax planning tips: life insurance       Tax tips: health insurance       Tax tips: homeowners insurance       Tax tips: long-term care insurance   Decision Tools     General tax planning       Accelerating deductions/postponing Income       Accelerating income/postponing deductions       Federal individual income tax fundamentals       Remarriage with children: income tax considerations     Tax credits and deductions       Comparison of education tax credits and deductions       General business tax credits       Is my home mortgage interest fully deductible?       Tax credit sampler   FAQs     General tax planning       Am I having enough tax withheld from my paycheck?       Are my Social Security benefits subject to income tax?       Are scholarships and grants subject to federal income tax?       Do I have to file a federal income tax return?       Do I have to pay U.S. taxes when I work abroad?       How did the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003 change capital gains tax rates?       I don't have the cash to pay my taxes. What can I do?       I have investment property. What does basis mean, and how do I determine the basis of my property?       I received a state tax refund last year. Must I include that amount as income on my federal return this year?       My spouse passed away this year. When I file my taxes, what filing status should I claim?       What is my tax bracket?       What is the alternative minimum tax?       What is the basis of property received as a gift?       What is the kiddie tax?       What penalties and interest will I be charged for paying and filing my federal income taxes late?       What's the difference between an "injured spouse" and an "innocent spouse"?       Will I have to pay tax on my investment income?     Tax credits       Can I take the credit for the elderly or disabled?