Search: Jacob Harris

Author: Jacob Harris

#473 State Guarantee Associations: The Payer of Last Resort

Hurricane Katrina, the 2008-2009 financial crisis that required the bailout of many financial institutions and the devastating tsunami in Japan illustrate that extreme events, sometime called Black Swans, regularly occur. As part of any financial plan, you need to think about how these kinds of e... see more

#453 Pros and Cons of Indexed Universal Life Insurance

Indexed universal life (IUL) insurance is often pitched as a cash value insurance policy that benefits from the market's gains – tax free – without the risk of loss during a market downturn. While the sales pitch certainly sounds compelling on the surface, critics warn that market returns are... see more

#427 Rolling Over a 401(k)? Consider the Fees

Everything costs money these days, and if you know anything about financial services, you know that doing something with your money can also cost money. That includes rolling over your 401(k) (see The Basics of a 401(k) Retirement Plan). Whether you landed a new job or you're retiring, you're eli... see more

#410 What You Need To Think About Before Becoming An Entrepreneur

Entrepreneurship starts with an individual who remains responsible for its success or failure throughout the venture. Before considering any and all external dependencies, the most important factor for entrepreneurs is an honest and realistic self-assessment. (See Investopedia's fun piece, "Ridic... see more

#366 Key Steps In Choosing The Best Tax Preparation Software

Over half of all tax returns are filed online as millions of Americans turn to online filing solutions to satisfy their obligations with the federal government. How do you pick the best ones? How much do they cost? And how can you get the most of them?Given that figures from H&R Block ... see more

#299 How to Avoid the 6 Most Common Tax Audit Triggers

There is perhaps no single word in the financial dictionary that triggers as much fear and trepidation as the word audit. Many taxpayers have nightmares about having to deal with this, but those who follow the rules and report their income and deductions correctly can rest easy knowing that they ... see more

#250 Credit Card Review: Platinum American Express (AXP, UAL)

There are lots of luxury rewards cards, but the biggest name in the game is the American Express Platinum. If you are looking for the gold standard for frequent travelers, big spenders and wallet-held status symbols, this is it.American Express (AXP) had to make several revisions to its Pl... see more

#190 5 Money Saving Travel Tips For Las Vegas

Las Vegas – known as the Entertainment Capital of the World – hosted 41,126,512 visitors in 2014, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. In case you're wondering, that's an average of 112,675 people each day who come for vacations, to gamble or to attend one of the more... see more

#189 Understand Permanent Life Insurance Illustrations

Selecting a permanent life insurance policy can be confusing. Insurers offer a wide variety of life insurance policies including whole, universal and variable life policies (read more about types of policies in "Intro to Insurance: Types of Life Insurance"). Once you decide on the permanent life ... see more

#185 The Economics of Owning a Coffee Shop

It is no secret that starting any business from scratch comes with difficulties. If you dream of owning a coffee shop, however, with hard work, extensive experience, analytical skills and a well-designed business plan, you can succeed. Understanding the economics of owning a coffee shop is a vita... see more

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