It’s Halloween season, the time when we decorate with pumpkins, buy candy for little goblins, and watch monster movies. A perennial favorite is Dracula. Movie vampires are spooky fun, but financial vampires can be more dangerous. These creatures of the night drain your wallet of cash. Sometimes, they leave your money feeble, or even worse,…

Is anything more fun than college football on a Saturday afternoon? I love the game, the tailgating, and even seeing everyone dressed in their team’s colors. You might be surprised to learn that winning a football game and creating an effective financial plan involve similar skills. They both require a powerful offense, a solid defense,…

My husband died unexpectedly in March after a brief fight with advanced cancer. He was a tremendous human being—smart, kind, humble, and funny. He was also organized. We had talked about what I would need if something happened to him. We had an estate plan in place, and he had an excellent job. His employer…

If you listen to the business news at all, you heard about last week’s wild ride of several stocks including GameStop. What happened? In this clip from my podcast, “Ask Peggy Doviak About Your Finances” (on iTunes and Castbox), I unpack the behavior of the hedge funds and Reddit investors. It’s a remarkable series of…

I don’t know about you, but I stayed up until midnight to make sure 2020 ended! Here’s to a better 2021. Most of our New Year’s resolutions changed last year. Saving money became washing our hands. Funding our 401k plans became staying six feet apart. For some, staying safe, keeping a roof over their heads…

Late this summer, a Presidential Memorandum gave employers the ability to postpone Social Security tax payments between September 1 through December 31, 2020. Before you get too excited with your larger paycheck, you need to remember a few things: The action is not like a stimulus check or the forgivable Payroll Protection Program. The deferred…

Every year, my husband and I raise vegetables. With everything strange this summer, our garden is a reminder that soil, sun, and water are constants. Of course, it’s up to us to put in the work. Did you know that planting a vegetable garden has a lot in common with creating an investment portfolio? Let…

Losing your job can be incredibly stressful, especially if the events were out of your control. However, if you panic, you may not take steps that can improve your financial stability. The following tips are designed to help give you some direction. COVID-19 has led to many new government programs designed to provide you with…

Nothing is more glamorous than the red carpet at the Academy Awards. People in the know say this year’s fashion will be focusing on puffy sleeves, whimsical tulle, and color! Of course, every celebrity can’t wear every fashion, and it’s up to the designer to select what will make the star look the most glamorous….

Savvy estate plans just lost a popular tool for managing the tax liability of inherited individual retirement accounts (IRAs). The SECURE Act, which became law at the end of 2019, changed many rules around retirement contributions and withdrawals. Prior to the Act’s passage, when beneficiaries inherited an IRA, they had the ability to take their…