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A Yellow Bird with a Yellow Bill – Learn More About the #1 Plan to Pass the CFP® Exam

If you’ve been in the military or seen movies about it, you know that military bootcamp requires marching in step. New recruits make time pass faster by singing repetitive – and sometimes ribald! – cadences. A familiar one goes like this:   A yellow bird With a yellow bill Was sitting on A window sill…

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Keepin’ It Real – Changes in the March CFP® Exam

The CFP® Board has made some changes to their approach in testing new CFP® candidates. The good news is that you need to memorize fewer items. The bad news is that the broad range of required knowledge can feel overwhelming. We can help! The Starks BootcampSM is designed to help you focus on the essential…

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Rocking Chair Retirement – How to Set Up an Online Social Security Account and Retire from Home

Do you feel as if you don’t have enough user ids and passwords to remember? Just kidding – it’s true that most of us are drowning in unremembered passwords. Here’s a worthwhile account for you and your clients to set up – mySSA. The Social Security Administration (SSA) is online now, and workers can set…

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Double Double, Toil and Trouble – Social Security Taxation

“Double, double toil and trouble; fire burn and cauldron bubble.” That’s what the witches in Shakespeare’s Macbeth chant. Taxpayers could “get burned” if they earn more than the IRS threshold for Social Security retirement benefit taxation. If a taxpayer earns over a specified amount through wages, self-employment, interest, dividends and other taxable income, he or…

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Don’t Burst Your Balloon – Inflation and the CFP® Exam

You can expect a few inflation-related questions on the CFP® exam. Let’s discuss the concepts you need to get the points then briefly examine where the U.S. is in 2015 with regard to inflation and what it means for the economy.   Inflation is an increase in the general level of prices. Deflation is a…

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Talk Yourself Into A Pass Using Your Cellphone’s Voice Memo for More Points on CFP® Exam

A great way to maximize your CFP® study time is by using voice memo on your cell phone to record key facts you need to memorize. Follow these tips and earn more points.   The Technique Grab your notes or study sheet. Choose a section to record. Go to “Utilities” then tap “Voice Memos.” When…