Charitable decisions typically aren’t solely driven by a desire for a charitable deduction. Most of us make charitable contributions because there are causes or institutions that are important to us. Still, we all appreciate the deduction at tax time, and at the very...

Several years ago, my wife and I sat down to work on a budget. Our goal wasn’t to reduce spending so much as it was to plan our spending. We had recently purchased a house in a pricey in-town neighborhood and that purchase happened just over a year after the birth of...

Several weeks ago, I worked with a couple who wanted to retire early. At first glance, they seemed well situated to do so, as they had both worked as teachers for decades and they would thus both have a healthy pension. However, when I put together the plan, I found...