Your paycheck should be a little smaller…is it?
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Are you still living in 2009?
If you have money in the bank, you probably haven't seen interest rates over 3% since the end of 2008, (5 year CD rate - source: http://www.bankrate.com/banking/cds/historical-cd-interest-rates-1984-2016). It's hard to believe that is 8 YEARS of historically low rates. Let's do the math...you would earn $3,000 per year on $100,000 at 3% and $2,000 per [...]
Market Updates & Fun Tidbits 5/30/17
The markets marched ahead last week with the S&P 500 and the NASDAQ reporting all-time records, albeit just slightly above previous highs.[i] The S&P rose 1.43% over last week, while the NASDAQ was up 2.08%.[ii] The Dow gained 1.32% and the MSCI EAFE gained 0.14% for the week.[iii] Volatility subsided as the CBOE Volatility Index, [...]
Retirement Funds and Your Taxes
RETIREMENT FUNDS AND TAXES There is a huge benefit of having your retirement accounts and taxes done by the same person. Not only can they direct you in which accounts to open that would be the best fit for you and your retirement needs, but they can also tell you how they will impact [...]
A Short History Of Taxes
A Short History Of Taxes “In this world, nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” –Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin was correct in his assessment of both death and taxes, but while taxes have been certain, they’ve been far from consistent. America was tax-free for much of its early history. That is, [...]
Exciting Corporate Discounts
EXCITING CORPORATE DISCOUNTS Did you know if you have a business, group, or organization of 10 or more people you can offer them a discount to have their taxes done by US!! We charge $69.00 for a complete personal federal and IL state return. With this amazing deal their tax return would [...]
Financial Updates and More!
After a brief pause during inauguration week, stocks continued to climb last week. The S&P 500 added 1.03%, the NASDAQ was up 1.90%, and the MSCI EAFE increased by 1.29%.[i] The Dow also grew, adding 1.34%, ending the week above while hitting 20,000 for the first time ever.[ii] Consumer confidence matched this positive performance, [...]
2017 Changes to Social Security
An important part of any retirement plan is your social security. Do you know what changes have been made and how they may impact you? Click here https://merlaktax.biz/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/colafacts2017.pdf to learn more!!! Still have questions? Call and set a time to talk to me. Carla Merlak and/or Merlak Tax Advisory Group, Inc. are not affiliated with or [...]
Tax Tips for 2016 Tax Filing Season
TAX TIPS FOR 2016 TAX FILING SEASON: Get organized before your tax appointment – use a large envelope or file folder to accumulate tax documents as they arrive. Protect your identity – If you received an Identity Protection PIN, or IP PIN, in the past, then you must provide this number on your tax return [...]