Financial Services Blog

This month's Financial Services E-Newsletter includes the following articles:

• Hidden Taxes: What is your true cost?
• Why Women Need Social Security
• Pay Down Debt or Save and Invest?

Hidden Taxes: What is your true cost?

We are pretty well aware of the taxes we must pay as U.S. citizens; income taxes, payroll taxes, sales taxes, property taxes, and gift and estate taxes, to name a few. We can easily see these taxes on our pay stubs, tax bills, and sales receipts. But there are other taxes imposed on...

When your identity has been stolen, you will need to contact your credit card companies, your banks, the three major credit bureaus, and local, state, or federal law enforcement authorities. Click here to read part one of this article which looks at the involvement of your credit card companies and banks.

The three major credit bureaus

If your credit cards have been lost or stolen, call the fraud number of any one of the three national credit reporting agencies:

1. Equifax (888) 766-0008
2. Experian...

You've read about it, and you thought it would never happen to you. But suddenly your bank account is empty, your credit card bills are through the roof, and you're getting late notices for accounts you don't own. Your identity has been stolen. What now?

Time is money

To minimize your losses, act fast. Contact, in this order:

• Your credit card companies
• Your bank
• The three major credit bureaus
• Local, state, or federal law enforcement authorities

Your credit card companies

Credit card companies are...

Whether they're snatching your purse, diving into your dumpster, stealing your mail, or hacking into your computer, they're out to get you. Who are they? Identity thieves. Click here to read part one of this article which looks at four additional preventative measures.

When you toss it, shred it

Before you throw out any financial records such as credit or debit card receipts and statements, cancelled checks, or even offers for credit you receive in the mail, shred the documents, preferably with a...

Whether they're snatching your purse, diving into your dumpster, stealing your mail, or hacking into your computer, they're out to get you. Who are they? Identity thieves.

Identity thieves can empty your bank account, max out your credit cards, open new accounts in your name, and purchase furniture, cars, and even homes on the basis of your credit history. If they give your personal information to the police during an arrest and then don't show up for a court date, you may be...

Growing your business is a big job, and you can’t do it yourself.

In order to successfully grow, you need to have a dedicated team of advisors who are working together to identify the issues your business faces and develop a comprehensive plan to move it forward.

Any business executive, regardless of the age or size of the company, should make sure that an appropriate team of professionals is in place to serve on an advisory board. That includes an attorney, a CPA, a financial advisor or planner,...