Potential questions that may arise regarding different financial circumstances are listed below:
Automobile
- Lease or buy an automobile
- Loan vs. 0% dealer financing
- What would my auto payment be
- Upgrade to a more fuel efficient vehicle
- Auto loan: accelerated payoff
- How much vehicle can I afford
Cash Flow
- Does inflation impact my standard of living
- How much am I spending
- How much do I need for emergencies
- Pay down debt or invest more
- How long will my money last
- Should my spouse work
- what is my current net worth
- What is my projected net worth
- What is my current cash flow
- What is my projected cash flow
- Value of reducing or foregoing expenses
- Historical inflation – compare purchasing power
College
- How much should I be saving for College
- Can I pay back my student loan
- Advantages of the Coverdell ESA
- Advantages of a 529 college savings plan
- The value of college education
- Payments on a parental (PLUS)
- Live on campus, off campus or at home
Credit
- How long will it take to pay off my credit card
- How long until my loan is paid off
What are my loan payments - What is the balance owing on my loan
- Consolidate my personal debt
- Re-structing debts for accelerated payoff
- Cash up front or payment over time
- Impact of making extra debt payments
- Pay off debts or invest the money
Home & Mortgage
- How much home can I afford
- Should I refinance my home mortgage (break even)
- Mortgage calculator
- Comparing mortgage term (i.e. 15, 20, 30 year)
- Should I pay discount points for lower interest rate
- Should I rent or buy a home
- Should I convert to a bi-weekly payment schedule
- Compare a ‘no cost’ versus traditional mortgage
- What are the tax savings generated by my mortgage
- Which is better: fixed or adjustable-rate mortgage
- Adjustable-rate mortgage calculator
- How do closing costs impact interest rate
- Compare an interest-only versus traditional mortgage
Insurance
- How much life insurance do I need
- What is my life expectancy
- Need for burial and final expenses
- How much disability income insurance do I need
- Chances of becoming disabled
- Long-term care insurance needs
- How much will I earn in my lifetime
- Tax advantages of an annuity
- Which is better, Comprehensive Plan or High-Deductible Plan with HSA
Paycheck & Benefits
- How much is my company bonus after taxes
- How will a payroll adjustments affect my take-home pay
- Convert my salary to an equivalent hourly wage
- Convert my hourly wage to an equivalent salary
- Future value of my employee stock options
- Exercise my ‘in-the-money’ options
- What may my 401(k) be worth
- Impact of increasing my 401(k) contribution
- What may my 457 Plan be worth
- Impact of increasing my 457 Plan contribution
Qualified Plans
- Evaluate my company pension payout option
- How much can I contribute to an IRA
- Retirement insurance from my IRA provider
- Convert to a Roth IRA
- Qualified plan is worth what retirement
- Current year required minimum distribution
- Projected required minimum distribution
- Lump sum distribution options
- Maximize my employer 401(k) match
- Impact of borrowing from my 401(k)
- Impact of early withdrawal from my 401(k)
- I’m self-employed, how much can I contribute to a retirement Plan
- Net Unrealized Appreciation (NUA) vs. IRA Rollover
Retirement
- Will retirement impact my living expenses
- How much will I need for retirement
- Are my current retirement savings sufficient
- Social Security retirement income estimator
- How does inflation impact my retirement income needs
- I’m retired, how long will my savings last
- When Should I begin saving for retirement
- Convert discretionary expenses to savings
- How much retirement income may my 401(k) provide
- Compare a Roth 401(k) to a Traditional 401(k)
Savings
- Becoming a millionaire
- Income generated by a saving plan
- How long will it take to double my money
- How long until my Savings reach my goal
- Save now vs. save later
- How much should I save to reach my goal
- What will my current savings grow to
- Calculate rate return
- How do taxes and inflation impact my return
- What is my effective annual yield
Taxes
- What is my potential estate tax liability
- Federal income tax estimator
- Should I adjust my payroll withholdings
- Will my investment interest be deductible
- How much self-employment tax will I pay
- Capital gains (and looses) tax estimator
- Compare taxable, tax-deferred, and tax-free growth
- How much of my social security benefit maybe taxable
- Tax implications of paying interest
- Itemize or take the standard deduction
- What is my taxable-equivalent yield
- Tax refund estimator