Millions of Americans get professional help with their taxes. But how many use a certified public accountant, or CPA? The recent national IRS sources reviewed for this article do not provide a current CPA-only count of individual returns. They do show how widely taxpayers use professional preparation and how many electronic returns are self-prepared. That […]
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An emergency fund is one of the least exciting financial accounts you will ever open. Until the day you need it. The transmission fails. The air conditioner quits in July. The dog needs emergency veterinary care. Your employer cuts hours. A medical bill arrives that you were not expecting. Or your income simply stops for […]
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Roth conversions remain one of the most flexible, durable tools in a financial planner’s kit: you volunteer to pay income tax now to move money from a pre-tax IRA/401(k) into a Roth account, trading today’s bill for tomorrow’s tax-free growth and tax-free qualified withdrawals. What’s different in 2025 is the legal backdrop and a few […]
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Running a side hustle—or a full-blown company—can feel like you’re herding caffeinated squirrels on roller skates. There’s compliance paperwork in one hand, marketing trends in the other, and a looming cash-flow cliff straight ahead. Good news: every community college in North Carolina (and hundreds of campuses around the country) hosts a Small Business Center (SBC) […]
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How Taxes at the Border Shape Your Wallet Introduction: The Silent Tax That Hits Your Grocery Cart If you’ve ever noticed the price of peanut butter suddenly go up and blamed the weather or your neighborhood store, here’s a fun twist: it might be global politics. Tariffs are like the cover charges of international trade—except […]
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