If overwhelming debt is causing you stress, you are not alone. Millions of Americans are suffering from anxiety and depression because they have difficulty paying their financial obligations.

Ruth Ladd’s church in Lexington, Massachusetts, has a special relationship with Russell School in Dorchester, a Boston public elementary school. When the school’s library was in dire need of reading material, parishioners donated or purchased books for the children. Volunteers work with the kids in the classroom and help out during Field Days. Unfortunately many students experience homelessness, so when a child’s family finds housing, it’s not only a positive turning point in their lives, but a celebratory event at the school and for people like Ruth.

Maybe you’re tired of writing rent checks each month, knowing that your hard-earned salary funds your landlord’s real estate investment. Or that living below a bunch of hard-partying college kids has worn thin, along with your apartment walls, which are more like Egyptian papyrus — and as old, too!

A Totten trust is the same thing as a payable-on-death account, a type of informal revocable trust in the form of a deposit account at a financial institution. When you pass away, a Totten trust allows a person you name as beneficiary to claim the money without a probate court proceeding.

The Boston Marathon, in its 122-year history, has never been cancelled because of weather. Nothing has stopped its runners: snow, sleet, heat, humidity…the race always goes on.

And 2018 was no different with its driving rain, gusty winds, and lower-than-normal April temperatures.

Most Americans start thinking about tax preparation shortly before April 15, the traditional date tax returns are due to the IRS. 

I was one of those Americans. I was always making a vow that next year’s tax season would go easier because this year was the year I’d get my tax act together. But then, you know…life. The next thing, it was the following April and there I was again, tearing around the house like a whirling dervish, frantically looking for a wayward 1099. It struck me a few years ago: the best time to prepare for next year’s season? The days after tax returns are due, when my head is in the game and I’ve got taxes on my mind.

If you were to become incapacitated or die, how easy would it be for relatives or someone else to take over your financial affairs? Would they have to search through a mountain of paperwork? If you don’t receive paper statements, would they even find out about all of your accounts?

*This publication is only intended to be used for general informational purposes. Consult a tax professional for the most current data and/or personal advice.

Wouldn’t it be nice to adapt to change easily and gracefully? To offset the wallet-shock an unexpected life change can bring? You can.

You come home one day and discover that your apartment has been gutted by a fire. All of your possessions are destroyed. Your landlord’s homeowners insurance policy will cover your loss, right? Wrong.