Are you one of the many in today’s economy who are falling behind in debt and bill payments? Have the calls from creditors become relentless? Do you wish those would just stop? Making creditor calls stop is something that you can do on your own. All it takes is awareness, persistence and time. The following is a brief summary of …
The Simple Millionaire Mindset
Recently we’ve encountered a trend among a sizable percentage of clients and non-clients alike. It’s an attitude toward cash inflow that I’ve seen many times before but seems even more prevalent in today’s economy. The Millionaire Mindset is the idea of paying others ahead of yourself, or better put, the “omission” of paying yourself first. You’ve heard us label …
What are the purposes for recurring monthly sessions with a financial coach?
Would you be surprised to know that our most successful clients have monthly sessions? There are four main reasons why they are committed to staying engaged with us in the form of monthly sessions: 1. Monthly sessions inspire the discipline to create/set up the plan for the next inflow of cash. If you’re following financial “best practices,” then every month, each …
What Financial Health Means
Financial Health definitely involves a budget. What are the first thoughts that come to mind when you hear the word “budget?” Restricted. Cut. Limit. Ugh. I mean, budgets are made to restrict my spending, cut certain expenses completely, and severely limit other spending areas, right? Like the word BUDGET, the word DIET also has a negative connotation. In fact, now …
How to Handle Medical Bills without Getting Financially Sick
When a recent client was about to undergo a surgical procedure, she called the doctor’s office to ask how much she would need to pay so we could budget that. The doctor’s office could not give her an answer but told her to call the insurance company for that information. She talked to several different representatives at the insurance company, …
Protesting Property Taxes, Part 3 — Arbitration
If you are unsuccessful in your ARB protest, the next step in the appeals process is to request Arbitration from the State Comptroller’s office. For some folks, just the word arbitration brings negativity and fear. Don’t worry. We are here to assure you arbitration is not difficult. In 2015-2019, I (Mark) went through the arbitration. I have discovered that the …
Property Tax Protesting, Part 2
If your property tax online protest is unsuccessful, you will want to schedule an in-person Appraisal Review Board (ARB) hearing, In preparation for this meeting, you will need the following: You will need comparable sales of properties in your immediate neighborhood that are similar to your own. Find a Realtor® who can give you a CMA (Comparative Market Analysis) for your …
Property Tax Protesting: STEP BY STEP
You may be getting an estimated property tax statement by mail, typically before May 1st. If you’re like the vast majority of homeowners in the greater Houston area, your property values as assessed by the local appraisal district have gone up—way up! Here’s the most proven way to go about protesting your property tax values: Your first step is to …
Three Tax Deductions That Are Commonly Missed
Tax season is upon us. Again. And each year we search for tax deductions we might have missed.Here are three commonly missed tax deductions: 1. State Sales Tax – Even if you file on Turbo Tax (TT), this deduction is not one of the first listed. Be aware that you may have to search TT for this deduction which is …