Articles by Jill


What Should Your Financial Pie Chart Look Like?

Posted by Jill on April 7, 2022

How to build a financial pie chart. Have you made a financial pie chart yet? I’m a numbers girl. Always have been, and always will be. I see things in numbers and fractions and percentages. Budgeting and tracking my spending comes easy for me because of that. But if you’re a visual person, you might […]

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Should You Use a Roth IRA as an Emergency Fund?

Posted by Jill on September 25, 2017

Because of the flexibility of a Roth IRA, many people consider using their Roth as an emergency fund (or depositing their emergency fund into a Roth if you prefer to look at it that way). Should you use a Roth IRA as an emergency fund? Using a Roth IRA as an Emergency Fund There are […]

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How Do Tax Brackets Work?

Posted by Jill on April 13, 2017

Are you getting ready to file your taxes? If so, you might find yourself needing a slight refresher on how tax brackets work before the tax deadline. The US tax system is based on a progressive rate structure – the more income you make, the higher tax rate you pay. How Do Tax Brackets Work? […]

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Should You Reverse Your Roth IRA Conversion?

Posted by Jill on March 10, 2016

When you file your tax forms, you report contributions to an IRA or Roth IRA. You also report completed conversions (and corresponding tax liability) from one type of account to another. Finally, you can use your tax forms to reverse your Roth IRA conversion by recharacterizing your Roth IRA back to a Traditional IRA. Income […]

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Inexpensive Christmas Gift Ideas for Your Employees

Posted by Jill on December 9, 2015

Our holiday gift guide series continues! This week we are highlighting gift ideas for your employees! If you own a business or serve in a supervisory position at work, you might be fretting about what to give your employees for the holidays… and you’re running out of time! You don’t want to spend too much…or […]

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7 Tips to Avoid Holiday Spending Stress

Posted by Jill on October 14, 2015

As we approach the busy holiday season, are you worried about it wreaking havoc on your finances? Each year about October or so, my dad likes to scare everyone by saying something like “only FIVE more paychecks ‘til Christmas.” This makes people nervous, because they haven’t started shopping and don’t see where they’ll find the […]

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You Can Afford It… but Should You?

Posted by Jill on August 12, 2015

Recently I gave you a set of criteria to use when wondering if you can afford something. Whether that “something” is a pair of shoes or the trip of a lifetime, I listed a number of questions you can ask yourself to objectively decide if your budget/savings can withstand the expenditure. Even if you can […]

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Can You Afford It?

Posted by Jill on August 10, 2015

Whether or not you’re a fan of Suze Orman or other financial experts, you’ve probably heard of her popular TV segment, “Can I Afford It?” On each episode of her show, callers ask permission to purchase items/experiences ranging from concert tickets to vacations to cars to second homes. Suze asks them a variety of questions […]

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6 Mistakes of New Earners and How to Fix Them

Posted by Jill on August 3, 2015

Years ago, in the fall after graduation, I had been out of college for five months and working full time for three. I was making more money than I ever had in my life, and had no idea what to do with it. Then I read The Automatic Millionaire and The Money Book for the […]

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Claiming Dependents on Your Tax Return

Posted by Jill on March 19, 2015

Most taxpayers are well aware of the deduction that comes from claiming dependent children on their taxes. But what are the rules on claiming dependents on taxes? And what about other relatives? And, when can those formerly claimed as dependents on someone else’s return begin to claim themselves? If someone else can claim you as […]

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