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In-N-Out

Do you have that favorite restaurant where you can just  close your eyes and imagine taking that gratifying first bite?  Where any resemblance of that eatery’s scent leaves your stomach grumbling and yearning for more?  Are you hungry yet?  I know I am. :)   For me, that restaurant is the west coast born and raised chain In-N-Out Burger.

Never heard of In-N-Out burger?  If so, first my apologies for having never experienced the greatest burger on the planet.  One reason why you may not have tried it before is that unfortunately they are only available in 4 states (California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah).   I say “unfortunately” because I currently reside in Illinois and most days of the year consist of me wallowing in my own self misery of not being able to enjoy a tasty Double-Double at my leisure.  (Just in case you don’t know, the Double-Double is their version of McDonald’s Big Mac only 1,000 times better. Scratch that. 1,000,000  times better.  Yes, it’s that good).  Luckily, my mom retired and relocated to Las Vegas and  bought a home approximately 7 miles from an In-N-Out Burger.  As you can imagine, my first stop after leaving the airport is not my mom’s house or some silly casino.  Oh no.  It’s In-N-Out time!
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How Much Term Life Insurance Do You Need to Buy?

September 14, 2009 Insurance Planning
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How much life insurance coverage I need to buy was something that really wasn’t important to me until I got married.  My first policy was a $250,000 30 year term life policy and I thought that was plenty.  It was not until we had our first son that I quickly realized that was not nearly [...]

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Gone Daddy Gone – AGI Restriction For Roth IRA Conversion

July 6, 2009 IRA Universe
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In 1982 the Violent Femmes released the title track to their debut album “Gone Daddy Gone” that went on to be an epic album.   Almost just an epic event is the lifting of the $100,000 AGI (Adjusted Gross Income) restriction for individual or couples that are looking to do a Roth IRA Conversion.   As it [...]

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IRA Consolidation: The “Super IRA” Strategy

May 19, 2009 Popular
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The Traditional IRA and its offshoots (SEP, SIMPLE, rollover and Roth IRAs) play a leading role in helping millions of U.S. taxpayers invest for retirement.  However, many IRA owners are unaware of the opportunity they have to consolidate their multiple IRAs by using a “Super IRA” strategy.  An IRA consolidation strategy can lead to reduced [...]

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7 Questions To Ask Your Financial Planner

April 9, 2009 Financial Planning

As the year rolls on, risk and credit are being repriced and financial markets remain in some turmoil.  In the last few client reviews I’ve had, the clients have all stated that they haven’t even looked at their statements.   If you find yourself in this situation and retirement is creeping around the corner, this is [...]

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Managing Your Money While Deployed, One Soldier’s Story

April 2, 2009 Favorites

In January 2005, I left the comfort of my family, friends and home to begin a 15 month deployment to Baghdad, Iraq.  Although I knew the difficulty and hardships that I would face, I also believed it would be an excellent opportunity for my wife and I to get a jump start financially.  You would [...]

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401k Rollover to IRAs Offer a Wide Range of Benefits

March 9, 2009 401K Planning

The best part about a 401k rollover to an IRA is that it’s much easier than teaching your dog to do the same trick.  Even better is that  compared with employer-sponsored retirement accounts, a 401k rollover can provide you with the broadest range of investment options and the greatest flexibility for distribution planning at retirement. [...]

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Understanding Beneficiary Options- What’s Your Legacy Plan?

February 23, 2009 Estate Planning

What’s your legacy plan?  This is a question that I often ask my clients.  I ask this for many reasons, but the main reason is to get them thinking about what happens when they are not here.  Have they taken care care of their wills, life insurance polices, and for this discussion: retirement plan beneficiaries.  [...]

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7 Things To Know About The 2010 Roth IRA Conversion Rules

February 5, 2009 IRA Universe

Remember when 2010 seemed like light years away?  2010 is here! We’re one month into 2010 and pretty soon will be seeing the ball drop again.  2010 brings a lot of uncertainty within the financial realm with estate planning and sunset provisions in question.
One thing that is certain pertains to the Roth IRA. The 2010 [...]

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401k Tips: What Not To Do

November 18, 2008 401K Planning

Over the weekend while attending my town’s Friday night football game, I struck up a conversation with an acquaintance of mine, and we started talking about the market. The fellow I was talking about was a believer in the market, and knew that the current crisis that we are in would eventually pass, and the [...]

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Where There’s A Will, There’s A Way

October 13, 2008 Estate Planning

I’m amazed at the number of meetings I have with clients or soon to be clients that have never had a will drafted. For many, the most common excuses I hear are: “I didn’t get around to it”, “I’ve been too busy, or “I didn’t think I needed it because I don’t have a lot [...]

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Just Married: Financial Planning For Newlyweds

October 2, 2008 Financial Planning

I was honored to be a part of my buddy’s wedding this past weekend. It is always a joy to see two newlyweds embark on their journey together to face life and all her glory. It’s hard to believe that it’s been over 4 years since I got hitched.  It’s been a fun learning process [...]

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