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Sharrel Cummings, CPA, PLLC
Service, Quality, Integrity
sccpa@allwest.net
Special Situations --
Special Situations
Articles
Career planning
Evaluating a job offer
Evaluating an early retirement offer
Health insurance and COBRA: sometimes you can take it with you
Receiving unemployment benefits
Caring for an aging parent
Caring for your aging parents
Do your parents need long-term care insurance?
Facing the possibility of incapacity
Housing options for older individuals
Medicaid and nursing home care
Medicaid and the principal residence
Medicaid planning basics
The sandwich generation: juggling family responsibilities.
Divorce
Dealing with divorce
Health insurance and divorce
Insurance concerns of divorcing couples
Loss of a spouse
Claiming life insurance benefits
Organizing your finances when your spouse has died
Social Security survivor's benefits
Marriage
Establishing a budget
Getting started: establishing a financial safety net
Merging your money when you marry
Planning for travel
Health insurance for travelers
Rental car insurance
Travel insurance
Raising a family
And baby makes three
Baby on board: keeping your child safe in the car
How much life insurance do you need?
Planning a family? Get to know your health insurance policy
Saving for retirement and a child's education at the same time
Teaching your child about money
Teaching your college-age child about money
Teaching your teen about money
The best ways to save for college
When your child has special needs
Sudden wealth
Sudden wealth
Terminal illness
Life insurance and terminal illness
Viatical settlements
Unmarried couples
Financial tips for unmarried couples
Decision Tools
Caring for an aging parent
Housing options for aging parents
Tips for caregivers
Financial basics
Auto loan payment calculator
College funding options analyzer
College savings analyzer
Credit cards--advantages vs. disadvantages
Growth of annual deposits calculator
Loan amortization calculator
Mortgage payment calculator
Net worth calculator
Personal cash flow worksheet
Saving for your retirement
Should you save in a 401(k) or a Roth IRA?
Insurance basics
Auto insurance analyzer
Comparison of types of life insurance
Disability income needs worksheet
Homeowners insurance quiz
Life insurance needs analyzer
Which health plan is right for you?
Remarriage
Planning for marriage to someone with children
Providing for children from a previous marriage
Remarriage and prenuptial agreements
Remarriage with children: income tax considerations
Remarriage: sharing assets and debts
FAQs
Career planning
I'll be changing jobs next month, and I'm pregnant. Will I qualify for health insurance coverage with my new employer?
I'm getting laid off. How am I going to survive financially until I find another job?
I'm looking for a job. How can I tell if an employer is offering a good insurance benefit package?
If I leave my company, can I take my life insurance policy with me?
If I leave my job, will I lose my employer-sponsored health insurance?
If my employer goes out of business and discontinues its health insurance plan, am I still eligible for COBRA benefits?
Caring for an aging parent
How can I pay for nursing home care?
How can I tell if a nursing home provides high-quality care?
How do I talk to my elderly parents about their finances?
I paid my mother's real estate taxes last year. Can I deduct this on my tax return?
I'm planning to add an in-law apartment to my home. How will this affect my homeowners insurance?
I'm thinking about placing my mother in a nursing home. Will Medicaid pay for her care?
Is there such a thing as nursing home insurance?
My mother is 90. Is it OK for her to keep driving?
My parents can't manage alone anymore. What should I do?
What types of nursing care does long-term care insurance cover?
Consumer protection
How can I protect myself against identity theft?
How do I stop those annoying telemarketing calls?
My radio broke two months after I bought it. I tried to return it to the store, but it won't give me a refund. What can I do to get my money back?
Divorce
Are alimony payments considered taxable income?
How do I protect my assets in the event of a divorce?
My husband and I are divorcing after 30 years of marriage. Will I still be able to receive Social Security retirement benefits based on his earnings record after our divorce?
My husband and I are getting divorced. How do we decide whose health insurance policy will cover the children?
What are the tax implications of child support payments?
Loss of a spouse
How can I find out whether my deceased husband owned any life insurance?
My husband just died. Should I accept my daughter's offer to move in with her?
My spouse just died. Who do I need to notify?
My spouse passed away this year. When I file my taxes, what filing status should I claim?
Marriage
Am I liable for my spouse's debts?
I'm marrying someone with bad credit. How will this affect me?
Should I open a joint checking account with my spouse?
Should my spouse and I integrate our health insurance benefits?
Planning for travel
Do I have to pay U.S. taxes when I work abroad?
Does my auto insurance policy cover me on car trips outside the United States?
I'm going on a cruise. Do I need trip interruption insurance?
I'm planning on living in Europe for several months. Do I need special health insurance?
I'm traveling to Europe this summer and won't need my car. Can I get my auto insurance suspended to save money?
Should I buy travel insurance?
Raising a family
Can I take the tax credit for child care?
Does it make sense financially for both me and my spouse to work after our child is born?
How do I find quality child care?
How do I pay for child care?
My employer says that after my child is born, I have to come back in six weeks. But doesn't the law say that I'm entitled to three months of leave?
Should I buy life insurance on my child?
What is the difference between the child tax credit and the child and dependent care tax credit?
When do I have to apply for a Social Security number for my newborn?
Who should I name as guardian of my children in case my spouse and I should die at the same time?
Remarriage
I'm getting remarried. How will this affect my Social Security benefits?
Should I sign a prenuptial agreement to protect my assets when I remarry?
Sudden wealth
What's the best way to handle a financial windfall?
When I play the lottery, I have to choose between a lump sum and annual payments. Does it matter?
Terminal illness
Is there any way I can use life insurance to help cover my expenses if I become terminally ill?
Unmarried couples
Should my partner and I buy a house together even though we're not married?
Will my group health insurance cover my partner, even though we're not married?