http://www.isnare.com/?s=author&a=Mark+J.+Orr%2C+CFP Finances Mark J. Orr, CFP Thu, 13 Dec 2007 00:00:00 +0800 http://www.isnare.com/?aid=208337&ca=Finances Is the thought of making 360 monthly mortgage payments getting the best of you? Will the feeling of helplessness just not let up? Are you frustrated out of your mind when you think about all of the years you'll be making those huge mortgage payments and all of the $100,000's of interest charges that... Parenting Mark J. Orr, CFP Sun, 22 Apr 2007 00:00:00 +0800 http://www.isnare.com/?aid=144354&ca=Parenting Many people have asked me lately about life insurance for their children or grandchildren. Let me PREFACE this message by stating that kids DON'T NEED life insurance SINCE nobody is depending upon their income to make ends meet, unless perhaps they are a child TV or movie star. And this is certainly... Business Mark J. Orr, CFP Sat, 07 Apr 2007 00:00:00 +0800 http://www.isnare.com/?aid=140210&ca=Business That's right, you can take advantage of the IRS tax code and save a lot of money that you'd otherwise send to Uncle Sam by doing what you love. The secret is to simply set yourself up as a small business and take tax deductions for related expenses! This is very easy and inexpensive to do. You can t... Finances Mark J. Orr, CFP Thu, 29 Mar 2007 00:00:00 +0800 http://www.isnare.com/?aid=137198&ca=Finances This is the first of a series of 2007 Tax reference sheets that I'll be sharing with you over the next month or so. This one focuses on some of the major federal income tax key numbers. I'll do future ones for estate planning, retirement planning and business planning in the not too distant future s... Finances Mark J. Orr, CFP Wed, 28 Mar 2007 00:00:00 +0800 http://www.isnare.com/?aid=136879&ca=Finances Have you heard of the "non-deductible" IRA? I'm not referring to the ROTH IRA, but a traditional IRA that many people are stuck with as their only option (for various reasons that make investing in other types of IRAs unavailable). In those cases, the IRS allows you to contribute to a traditional IR... Education Mark J. Orr, CFP Wed, 28 Mar 2007 00:00:00 +0800 http://www.isnare.com/?aid=136884&ca=Education What is now the best way to save for college expenses? In my professional opinion, for most people, It's the 529 College Savings Plans. They are now worth a very serious look! Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code (the actual name) was put into place to encourage families to save and plan ahead f... Finances Mark J. Orr, CFP Wed, 28 Mar 2007 00:00:00 +0800 http://www.isnare.com/?aid=136890&ca=Finances Long term care insurance policies have an important component called a benefit period which greatly affectspremium costs. This article discusses what I call "Short and Fat vs. Long and Skinny LTC Policies". That is right -- Short and Fat LTC policies! So what is a benefit period anyway? The benefit...