Blog Archives

Listen Up, Washington Residents: Estate Tax Changes in Your State

Posted on 11.12.25 by Penguin in Government Shennanigans, Personal Finance

Washington state enacted substantial estate tax reforms effective July 1, 2025. The exclusion amount per estate increased from $2.193 million to $3 million, with future automatic adjustments for inflation. This change exempts more modest estates from state tax, alleviating liability … Continue reading →

How to Optimize the Redemption of US Treasury iBonds

Posted on 08.15.25 by Michelle Rand in Interest Rates, Investment, Personal Finance

Treasury iBonds grew quite popular after inflation in the US spiked a few years ago. These bonds pay interest at rates approximating the Consumer Price Index, so high single-digit returns were not unusual. But rates have since declined, and investors … Continue reading →

Will Social Security Benefits be Reduced?

Posted on 03.27.25 by Michelle Rand in Government Shennanigans, Personal Finance

We’ve received a number of questions lately about whether Social Security benefits will be reduced. Most of these questions are apparently prompted by the popular media, which amounts to reading the wrong news on this subject. Reductions in Social Security … Continue reading →

The Inflation Reduction Act and Medicare Advantage

Posted on 10.28.24 by Michelle Rand in Personal Finance

Most of us are not particularly familiar with the Biden Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act, but its provisions have come home to roost for more than a million people just recently. While most media outlets are covering the IRA’s impact on … Continue reading →

How To Sign-In To Your ModestSpark Account

Posted on 05.30.24 by Penguin in Personal Finance

Below is the step-by-step process of signing into your ModestSpark Account:  To sign in, you can access a secure login from the sidebar on our website, or click the link here. You’ll be brought to the ModestSpark login page which … Continue reading →