Happy almost new year! The kitchen is finally clean, the trash collected, and preparations to say good riddance to 2021 on Friday night are well underway. But for many of us, there are a few financial details left to address for 2021; one rather large to-do item may be applying for the US federal COVID stimulus payments. If you haven’t … Read More
Fraud and Identity Theft in the Time of COVID-19
Our country is currently experiencing an enormous increase in fraud schemes and identity thefts related to COVID-19. Fraud schemes include everything from selling fake cures online to phishing emails posing as the World Health Organization or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to malicious websites and apps that appear to share coronavirus information but actually lock your devices until … Read More
Financially Related Myths Surrounding COVID-19
So much news, so little time. It is hard to know what is true and what is not, what we should, and should not, be doing, but we are, daily, fielding a number of inquiries from clients related to the financial implications of what is happening (because it is an integral part of our job). We are devoting this episode … Read More
Updated Thoughts on COVID-19
I sit at my desk, barely an hour from Vermont’s Governor, Phil Scott, announcing that our stay-at-home directive has been extended another month. While I think few of us in the state expected that the April 15th date would stand without adjustment, it’s still grim news. It’s a case of the reality being exactly what you imagined, and, yet, still … Read More
The CARES Act and What it Means for You
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act of 2020, the “CARES Act”, was signed by President Trump on Friday, March 27, 2020. This is the third major piece of legislation signed into law since COVID-19 burst onto our radar, and it contains many Band-Aids™ to put on the open wound that is this novel coronavirus. There is a great … Read More
Some Thoughts on the Current Situation
I don’t know when the stock market will come back, or how strongly, or which sectors, and so providing advice is crystal ball reading at its most opaque. Right now, any spare money is best invested in U.S. Treasury obligations, but money that is already in the stock market is clearly not available to put elsewhere without having to realize … Read More
Thoughts on Families First Coronavirus Response Act
This article was originally an email sent to our clients concerning the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. Dear Friends, During this challenging time, we’re going to be updating you on things we think you’ll want to know. In my role as tax planner and preparer, I’ve learned a great deal about what people are generally concerned about. I brought that … Read More
A Cautionary (Healthcare) Tale
This is a story about healthcare, about choices and circumstances and how everything can fall apart in an instant. It began with my first job after graduate school, which was awful and paid poorly, but came with solid gold healthcare coverage, fully paid by my employer. The insurance included no co-pays, no deductibles, and no co-insurances. And I used it … Read More
CHANGING LANES
After many years of planning, my husband and I scaled down, decluttered, and moved to Costa Rica with our dog and cat four months ago. This has been a transformational move for both of us. Since we’ve been here, we’re eating better, sleeping more restfully, losing weight, and generally enjoying life. We’ve landed in Paradise. Yes, serpents exist, both literal … Read More
Twas the Night Before Christmas
‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring…, except for the family tax consultant, who was still figuring out what, if anything, her clients should be doing before the end of 2017. In case you haven’t heard, or have, but are muffled in confusion about what it all means, there’s significant new tax … Read More