RJA Blog

There are tons of comparisons between money management and dieting. Yes, I get it. I’ve tried enough diets to know that they look a lot easier than they are. And I also know how it feels to try to keep bulges off my body while trying to add bulges to my net worth. It’s hard to say no to things and people I love.  read more >

Tax season can really bring out the worst in people…and I don’t mean taxpayers. Every year we see more scams designed to gain access to the financial assets of unsuspecting taxpayers.  The good news is, protecting yourself from bogus requests and hacking is easier than you think. Here are some very simple ways to protect yourself from people posing as government agencies.  read more >

Whatever side of the political spectrum we inhabit, one thing is certain. No one knows exactly how tax reform will ultimately look under the Trump administration until it happens. The impact on you depends on your income and your situation.  read more >

Dear Diary,

Yesterday I found myself in a sea of unfriendly traffic where everyone around me seemed to be challenging me for poll position. To escape, my route suddenly took a quick right into a convoluted game board of challenges that led to and from 4 distinctly different shopping centers, none of which was the one I was trying to get to. Trapped in my car I was hungry, tired and aggravated and just wanted to land somewhere that I could get out and stretch. It wasn’t to be. Jammed parking lots, shopping lines, and the wrong order at the drive through were killing the holiday spirit in me. Why did I think I could get anything done at lunch time? What was I thinking?  read more >

What a month. It’s as if every time I take a breath, something happens to take it away. The Cubs win their first World Series in 108 years. A newly elected president stuns the world. Tampa and Havana shake hands to save the oceans. Another product is recalled. How good or bad it feels depends on where you stand.  read more >

This is Homecoming season, time for games and parades and reunions. I don’t know how you feel about revisiting your past, but high school reunions can be stressful. The first reunion is the hardest. Everyone is out to impress, and anxious to prove that they’re in a ‘good place’ - happy, successful and beyond their former social status. Indeed, some people were. But most of us were still struggling in relationships and jobs.  read more >

Recently someone jolted me with a statement. Having lost a large sum of money in business, he said dejectedly, “that was my legacy to my kids.” Screech of brakes. Wait. What?
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What does it take to be a CPA?  read more >

Freedom has lots of faces. I guess it depends on the preposition you’re using. Free will seems to fall under the “freedom to/of” heading like freedom to choose and freedom of speech. It’s good to have lots of those. And we do have lots of those.  read more >

Spoiler alert: If you don’t have ownership of or signing authority for foreign financial accounts, you may feel this doesn’t apply to you. But just because it doesn’t apply now, doesn’t mean it won’t sometime in the future, right?  read more >