Platania Financial

 

Click Here for an interview with Jim Platania, CFP

Click Here to read about our Chicago 2010
FIVE STAR Wealth Manager Award

 Click Here to view Jim's Daily Herald Retirement Planning Article

 

Welcome to our Web site, where you’ll find a wealth of information in the form of newsletter articles, calculators, and research reports.

We hope your visit will help you understand the opportunities and potential rewards that are available when you take a proactive approach to your personal financial situation. We have created this Web site to help you gain a better understanding of the financial concepts behind insurance, investing, retirement, estate planning, and wealth preservation. Most important, we hope you see the value of working with skilled professionals to help pursue your financial goals.

We’re here to help educate you about the basic concepts of financial management; to help you learn more about who we are; and to give you fast, easy access to market performance data. We hope you take advantage of this resource and visit us often. Be sure to add our site to your list of "favorites" in your Internet browser. We frequently update our information, and we wouldn’t want you to miss any developments in the area of personal finance.

 
Calculators

IRA Eligibility

Use this calculator to determine whether you qualify for the different types of IRAs.

Long-Term Care Self Insurance

Will you be able to afford nursing home care?

Taxable Equivalent Yield

Calculate the rate of return you would have to receive from a taxable investment to realize an equivalent tax-exempt yield.

Car Affordability

How much can you afford to pay for a car?

More Calculators →

Newsletters

Pick Up This Split for Long-Term Retirement Income

The number of Americans aged 90 or older almost tripled from 1980 through 2010 and is projected to quadruple by 2050. As people live longer they may need to fund a longer-than-expected retirement. This article discusses how a split-annuity strategy could help provide a long-term income stream.

HOT TOPIC: American Manufacturing: Rebound or Renaissance?

During the last decade, U.S. manufacturing lost millions of jobs to foreign competition. The sector appears to be coming back strong, adding almost half a million jobs since 2010 as productivity rises. This article examines the conditions that originally caused the exodus of U.S. industrial production and those that may bode well for its future.

HOT TOPIC: Current Economic Conditions and the Prospect for Inflation

Inflation jumped up to 3.2% in April. That’s still below the 50-year average but it may be little consolation for anyone who has been to a gas station or a grocery store recently.

Tips for Surviving the Estate Tax

The federal estate tax was reinstated retroactively to January 1, 2010, by the 2010 Tax Relief Act. However, the favorable provisions are scheduled to expire at the end of 2012, when estates exceeding $1 million could be subject to the federal levy.

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