Blatantly Illegal Tax Deductions

Blatantly Illegal Tax Deductions

Since we are currently in the midst of tax season, just for fun I thought I’d share some of the more creative tax deductions taxpayers have attempted to get away with.  Warning: do not try this at home! From the Minnesota Society of Certified Public Accountants comes the following: A woman tried to claim her…
Read more

Are Reverse Mortgages Still Worth It?

I’ve written before about the advantages and disadvantages of reverse mortgages, especially Home Equity Conversion Mortgages (HECM) that are insured and regulated by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) (see https://www.cognizantwealth.com/2014/02/20/reverse-mortgages-the-good-and-the-bad/).  One of the advantages – the fact that you do not have to undergo an income and credit check in order to qualify for the…
Read more

What Is Extrapolation Bias And Why Care?

In 2013 the U.S. stock market had its best return in over 15 years.  When you reviewed your portfolio in January of 2014, did you add to your investment in U.S. stocks because they did so well the previous year?  If so, then you were guilty of what is called in the jargon of behavioral…
Read more