Where do you stand financially? When it comes to estate planning, figuring this out is your first step. And chances are, once you're done with this tool you're going to be surprised at how much you own. The idea of this tool is to total up all of your assets...
Sure, you know that your employer's 401k plan is a good deal. But how much of a good deal? And how much should it figure into your negotiations next time you think about changing jobs? Perhaps more than you realize. The worksheet will help you calculate how much you'd be...
Ever wonder how much your time is worth? British economics professor Ian Walker, of the University of Warwick, along with the folks at Barclaycard, came up with an equation to help figure it out: the so-called real hourly wage. It adjusts a person's nominal salary for taxes and cost of...
This calculator is designed to do three things: calculate a simple monthly payment; figure the effects of prepaying your mortgage; and analyze the composition of your monthly payments in the future. The latter is particularly helpful in projecting your mortgage-interest tax write-off in future years. The graph will show you...
So you've been browsing the real estate section, looking for your next home. Chances are, no matter where you live or what you're looking for, you're horrified by the prices and worried about rising mortgage rates. How much you can afford is a function of two things: How much you...
An Individual Retirement Arrangement or IRA is a retirement plan account that provides some tax advantages for retirement savings in the United States. Even accountants can't keep track of the rules for IRA contributions. If you're married and your spouse is in a retirement plan, but you're not in a...
When it comes to mortgage points, it pays to keep score. Be warned, though: It can get tricky. The term points have multiple meanings in the mortgage world. Mortgage points can refer to loan origination fees fees charged by the underwriter or discount points also known as loan discounts. The...
Selling your home at a profit represents one of the best tax deals around. Thanks to laws passed a few years ago, you can reap up to $250,000 if single or $500,000 if married in cool, tax-free gains when you sell.
Which type of loan is best? That depends on several factors: how long you plan to stay in your home, your interest-rate outlook, your budget, and your tolerance for risk. This calculator will help you to understand which loan is best. Feed the required details and you can compare the...
Let's face it: If you're going to invest (whether it's in stocks, real estate or even rare stamps), you have to understand capital gains. After all, whether you win or lose with your picks, mastery of this convoluted part of the tax code can both soften your losses and sweeten...
Knowing exactly when is the perfect time to refinance would require a bit of psychic ability on your part. That's why many experts say if you find a good deal that saves you a significant amount of money, it's probably not worth trying to beat it by predicting mortgage-rate moves....
So you are married, and your spouse is considering going to work for the first time or returning after a hiatus. Think twice. Unless the primary reason is to pursue professional interests or experience the various other non-monetary joys of employment, it may not pay to work. After higher taxes...
Like it or not the cost of health care is still soaring as employers continue to shift more of the financial burden to their workers. Unfortunately, other than trying to eat right, exercising and hoping that genetics are on your side, there isn't much you can do to lower your...
How does your company plan compare with the best ones offered? Fill in this worksheet, and you'll find out. We'll give your plan a grade - A, B, C, D or F. To see how your 401k stacks up in a particular category, just click on the category name. A...
Obviously, deciding how much money you need for retirement is a highly personal calculation. It depends on any number of factors, from your current lifestyle to your general state of health to whether you plan to retire early. That's why this set of five interactive worksheets is designed to let...
Car dealers often get the upper hand in lease negotiations because they have all the information. This calculator lets you make your own reliable estimate of a fair monthly payment for a particular auto and compares your numbers to your dealer's. With those two figures, you can both push for...
Less than two years after the past - and brutal - bear market, it's certainly understandable that some investors just can't get over their fear of losing money in the stock market. They seem to view equities as an anxious game of Russian roulette: The longer they stay in, the...
Should you lease or buy? Conventional wisdom says if you lease you'll have nothing to show for your money when the term is up. But that ignores the opportunity cost inherent in buying: after all, the money you pay up front for the car could be invested instead. This financial...
This calculator will figure the after-tax value of your investments in different IRA accounts at age 59 1/2, assuming you make the maximum annual contributions until then (including catch-up contributions once you reach 50). For the tax-deductible IRA, it is assumed that you invest your tax savings each year and...
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