Americans value their time. A lot. A recent study by the investment firm Empower revealed that the average American values their time at a rate of approximately $240 per hour[1]. That number has raised eyebrows across the industry, especially given the fact that someone who makes $240 an hour on a full-time job would have […]
You name an emergency contact at endless places: your gym, work, doctor’s office, the jump park, airlines, the spa where you might get a massage. This practice has become so commonplace that you probably scribble a name and phone number on the form without asking questions. We have come to expect this and I understand […]
The Maine Pension Income Deduction has provided a modest discount on Maine income taxes to retirees over the past decade. For most, Social Security benefits (which are already not taxed in Maine) exceeded the allowable deduction making it a moot point. But over the course of just three years the deduction has grown more than […]
Summary Tyler Hafford CFP® has Craig Joncas CFP® join the show to discuss the Maine State Retirement Benefit. He breaks down how the benefit is calculated and how it will impact your Social Security. The foregoing content reflects the opinions of Penobscot Financial Advisors and is subject to change at any time without notice. Content […]
Summary This Halftime Report begins (like many others…) with a discussion on inflation, highlighting that the inflation rate on goods responded much better to the Fed Rate hikes than the inflation rate on services did. The discussion switched gears to review leading economic indicators of a recession or expansion, with an overall signal for caution. […]
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Getting a tax break for your charitable giving has become harder over the past handful of years. The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs act eliminated a bunch of potential ‘itemized’ deductions and severely capped others. As a result, today fewer than 20 percent of taxpayers itemize their deductions, eliminating the opportunity to deduct their charitable […]
I’ve seen Donor Advised Funds (DAFs) referred to as the “bullet train” of philanthropy. Charitable-minded people for generations have created private foundations to manage their gifting – but DAFs have recently hurtled past foundations in popularity. 22% of all charitable giving goes to DAFs now, whereas 15% goes to private foundations. Their ease and convenience […]
Teaching can be a thankless job, and it’s no secret that our educators earn modest wages. In 2022, teachers made 26.4% less than other similarly educated professionals (1). This gap has been widening for decades. One area where teachers make up just a little bit of ground is in benefits offerings. In Maine, the MainePERS […]
