Social Security has published new instructions that allow the agency to process more claims in which entitlement or eligibility is affected by a same-sex relationship. These instructions come in response to last year’s Supreme Court decision in U.S. vs. Windsor, which found Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional. This latest policy development lets…
WASHINGTON—Following the Supreme Court’s historic decision striking down Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act, Attorney General Eric Holder on Friday issued a formal report on the yearlong effort by the Justice Department and other federal agencies to implement the decision smoothly across the entire government. “I am pleased to report that agencies across the federal…
WASHINGTON — After close consultation with the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is providing guidance to same-sex married couples on the benefits and services to which they are entitled under current laws and regulations. “VA worked closely with DOJ to develop guidance to process cases involving same-sex marriages and to…
A new exchange traded fund (ETF) created in February 2014 allows investors to buy companies that support LGBT equality. It’s called the Workplace Equality Portfolio and trades under the ticker symbol EQLT. This new ETF is one of the few ways the LGBT community can easily invest in publicly-traded companies that support equal rights. The…
There is a report called Making Ends Meet that has been in the news the past few months. This research, put together by the Center on Policy Initiatives, calculated the average income needed to cover basic living expenses in San Diego for different types of families. For instance, a single person needs to make $27,655…
Many people want to know how they compare to others financially. Do they have as much saved up as other people their age? Are they ahead or behind everyone else? It is just one of those human traits we have. There is an interesting Web site that provides a comparison to the average net worth…
DJIA, S&P 500, NASDAQ, and EAFE. Does this feel like reading a menu in a foreign country? For most, it definitely shouldn’t mean much to you. Sure the pretty newscaster says things like “the S&P 500 is up 25 points today”, but you have no clue what S&P 500 stands for. These acronyms mentioned above…
It’s great when people ask me finance questions. Many are embarrassed or afraid to ask financial questions, but that should not be the case. Remember, none of us have been taught about personal finance or investments. It’s just not something we learn in high school or college. There is no reason why you should know…
Many California homeowners financially stretch themselves to buy a home. It’s almost inevitable when even a starter home is selling for $400,000 or more. That means big monthly mortgage payments eat up a large chunk of income. It sure would be nice to lower that payment. Maybe even go out to dinner every once in…
Last year was big for same-sex marriage. The Supreme Court ruled that the Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, was unconstitutional and Proposition 8 was overturned. As we all know, same-sex couples can now legally marry in California. What you may not know is how this impacts your taxes. The first difference for 2013 is…
