Personal Finance


Recent Personal Finance Articles

Independent Beer Makers Lobby Congress Over Tax

As part of an annual conference, brewers are voicing opposition to a longstanding excise tax.  Read more

Is A Pension Plan Right For You?

If you answer yes to these six questions, a defined benefit plan may be worth a look.  Read more

Estate Planning 101

If your business adds a significant amount of wealth to your estate, it also increases the estate's potential tax liability. Here are a few ways you can pass...  Read more

Personal Finances Worry Most Employees

U.S. businesses charge China with manipulating its currency, which they blame for the loss of U.S. Survey finds that more than half of employees consider the...  Read more

Senate Delays Estate Tax Vote

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, tax-cutting agenda is put on hold.  Read more

Saying No to Retirement

Older CEOs plan to work past age 65. They may find that harder than they expect.  Read more

How I Did It: Sidney Frank, founder, Sidney Frank Importing

"I wanted to be a billionaire," says the man responsible for your Jägermeister headache. At age 85 he stunned the liquor industry by getting his wish.  Read more

AARP Survey Reveals Support for Social Security

Social Security has outpaced pensions and personal savings as the most important source of income respondents relied on in retirement, AARP found.  Read more

Family Partnerships Under Scrutiny

The IRS takes a closer look at a way business owners sidestep estate taxes.  Read more

Inc. 500 Hall of Famer Goes Public with a Bang

Five-time Inc. 500 winner, Morningstar, offers shares in a Dutch auction.  Read more

Serial Entrepreneurs: They Just Can't Stop Themselves

Once exotic, serial entrepreneurs are everywhere these days. From their tolerance for failure to their creative use of resources to their sense of when to le...  Read more

What We Didn't Plan For

The first shock was learning that my husband was gravely ill. Then there was the lien on our mortgage and the lawsuit against his business.  Read more

Beyond the 401(k)

Few start-ups make it. New retirement plan options can help hedge your risk -- without breaking the bank.  Read more

Run, Ricky, Run!

Patrick J. Sauer notes that a pro sports figure offers a perfect example of retiring on your own terms.  Read more

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Death Tax

Keeping the death tax at bay.  Read more

Personal Finance Extra: Real Estate

Does real estate deserve a place in your investment portfolio?  Read more

The Ultimate Investment Club for Entrepreneurs

At CMS, a highly successful but little-known financial services firm, entrepreneurs help each other find the best places to invest.  Read more

What's Next: Dreaming of Big Money

All entrepreneurs have a dream. Vergil Daughtery's is to strike it rich with a novel financial instrument he calls XPOs (that's expirationless options, to you).  Read more

Retiring Minds

In today's tough market, selling stock to employees may be the smartest path to an exit strategy.  Read more

Why America Needs the Estate Tax

Who's heading up the fight for the estate tax? None other than William Gates, Sr. -- Bill Gates' father. Here, Rhonda Abrams shares her thoughts and an inter...  Read more

Briefings: February 2003

The company owner's guide to laws, news, trends, and regulations.  Read more

Returns: More Reasons to Love Your Banker

These days your best bet for investing your money may well be the same place you borrow it from.  Read more

Returns: Rational Pessimism

Turns out there's a bright side to falling stock prices.  Read more

Returns: Mergers and Accusations

Yes, most mergers are misguided. But savvy investors shouldn't overlook those few companies that get them right.  Read more

Returns: It's a Big World, After All

Not so long ago, the U.S. markets looked like the only ones worth investing in. But they weren't then -- and they sure aren't now.  Read more

Web Resources: Investing in Nightclubs

Financial writer Kenneth Klee offers two resources for entrepreneurs interested in investing in nightclubs.  Read more

Returns: The Insider Story

The news is full of hand-wringing about top managers who sell their company's stock. But it's when they buy that investors should notice.  Read more

Shaking the Foundations

For years philanthropy has been the preserve of the super-rich. Now entrepreneurs are bringing it to the mass market.  Read more

Returns: Buy Now, Pay Later

Just because you want your company to have an IPO doesn't mean you should invest in someone else's. Unless you do it like this.  Read more

Buy the Boss -- or the Company?

Sure, CEOs affect how their stocks perform. Does that mean you should consider the CEO when picking your portfolio?  Read more

A Quick Look at the Estate-Tax Laws

What does a small-business person know and do about estate planning? Here's a quick update on the status of the estate tax -- or 'death tax' -- laws.  Read more

What Will You Do when You Retire?

Thinking ahead will help you lead an interesting and rewarding life after retirement.  Read more

What Kind of Estate Plan Is Right for You?

Is your estate plan in good shape? Here's what to consider.  Read more

Making Your Will Legal

Have you thought about your will but haven't taken the time to put it in writing? The rules for making a will aren't nearly as complicated as you may imagine.  Read more

Making a No-Frills Will

Estate planning doesn't have to be terrifying. You may even be able to keep your will simple.  Read more