Marc Ruiz

With April 15 fast approaching, we are getting down to the wire on taking steps to potentially reduce your tax bill. As I mentioned in the column a couple of weeks ago, almost immediately following the Tax Reform and Jobs Act of 2017, the government …

As a consumer, when you purchase an expensive item, like a car or refrigerator, you expect to receive a warranty that the manufacturer will repair or replace that product if it breaks down. A warranty makes sense for big-ticket purchases, but what about for a …

I first became aware of the issue as I was stepping toward the bar while waiting for a table at an authentic Wisconsin supper club after a fun but exhausting afternoon getting my nine-year-old some ski time at Wilmot ski area in Southeast Wisconsin. A friend …

Concerns over identity theft continue to grow, especially with news of data breaches at major companies and financial institutions. Unfortunately, you have little control over the hacking of these companies, but you do have control over your actions. Ten …

Are billionaires bad? Is a system that allows billion-dollar fortunes to be created and exist inherently unfair or corrupt? As the Presidential primary process kicks off on the Democratic side, a fair amount of the rhetoric thus far has involved the term …

Over the years helping families with their financial planning, I have come to appreciate the creation and maintenance of a well-crafted estate plan. By providing a solid road map of resources and intentions, an estate plan should not only serve to reduce the …

Over the past few months I have unfortunately experienced a higher than typical level of people in my life passing away. A number of the passing individuals were clients, and so I was also involved with counseling the family regarding funding for the funeral …

Well, that didn’t go very well. On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve conducted its last policy meeting of the year, at which the Central bank decided/announced it would raise short term interest rates again to a target rate of 2.25 percent to 2.5 percent …

Variable universal life insurance is permanent life insurance—it remains in force for the policyholder’s whole life. And, as with universal life insurance, it provides a flexible premium and an adjustable benefit—meaning the policyholder decides how …

Public Costs. Average in–state tuition and fees for public four-year institutions was $9,970 for the 2017-2018 school year. Out-of-state tuition for these same institutions averaged $25,620. Source: College Board, 2017 It doesn’t take a degree in finance …