Frank Mokosak, CFP®, is a regular contributor to The Des Moines Register, Iowa’s largest news publication. Below is a list of Frank’s educational articles, some of which have been published in the Register’s “Business & Money” section. Please browse the articles and click on any link to learn more about a variety of topics.
Weathering the Storm: Are You Prepared?
Severe weather can test even the most seasoned homeowners. The key to making it through a storm safely is to be prepared. Protect your home Before a storm arrives, you’ll want to take proactive steps to prevent damage to your home, such as: Cleaning your gutters and downspouts so that water can flow freely away […]
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How Much Market Risk Can You Take?
Many market shocks are short-lived. However, major market downturns such as the 2000 dot-com bust and the 2008-09 credit crisis are powerful reminders that we cannot control or predict how, where, or when precarious situations will arise. What is market risk? Market risk refers to the possibility that an investment will lose value because of […]
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What’s Your Money Script?
Money is power. A fool and his money are soon parted. A penny saved is a penny earned. Do any of these expressions ring true for you? As it turns out, the money beliefs our families espoused while we were growing up may have a profound effect on how we behave financially today — and […]
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- How can I protect myself from digital deception?
- Don’t Wait to Ask Aging Parents These Important Questions
- How Much Money Should A Family Borrow For College?
- Long-Term Care Options Go Beyond Nursing Homes
- Key Retirement & Tax Numbers for 2018
- Always Factor Inflation into Retirement Planning
- How Consumers Can Crack Down on Robocalls
- Spring Cleaning Your Finances
- Deducting 2017 Property Losses from Your Taxes
- 4 Ways to Double the Power of Your Tax Refund
- Is the Social Security Administration Still Mailing Social Security Statements?
- Paying Off Holiday Credit Card Debt
- How TIPS Can Help Fight Inflation
- Company Stock & Your Portfolio: Keep Your Eye On Concentration Risk
- If I Donate Used Property To Charity, What Documentation Is Needed?
- IRA Charitable Rollover Offers Unique Giving Opportunity
- Five Common Financial Aid Myths
- Deductions For Donating A Car To Charity
- How To Avoid Becoming The Victim Of A Cybercrime
- Does Your Business Need a Buy-Sell Agreement?
- Medicare & Your Employer Health Plan
- How Economists Measure Inflation, and Why It Matters
- For Women, A Pay Gap Could Lead To A Retirement Gap
- Future of the Federal Estate Tax
- Life Is For The Living, So Is Life Insurance
- Six Tips for Making Smart & Effective Charitable Donations
- Is it Wise to Trade Your Pension for a Lump Sum?
- What is a Funeral Trust?
- Don’t Let Rising Interest Rates Catch You by Surprise
- The Health Wealth Connection
- Older Americans Carrying More Student Loan Debt
- Alternatives to Long-Term Care Insurance
- Four Numbers You Need to Know Now
- Converting Retirement Savings into Retirement Income
- Mid-Year 2017: An Investment Reality Check
- Tax Benefits of Homeownership
- Is Smart Beta a Smart Strategy for You?
- What Happens After I File the FAFSA?
- Questions & Answers on Roth 401(k)s
- Test Your Social Security Retirement Benefits Knowledge
- Reasons to Consider a Phased Retirement
- The Difference Between a Direct & Indirect Rollover
- The Difference Between Medicare and Medicaid
- Understanding Investment Growth & Value
- Choosing A Credit Card Reward Offer
- Quiz: Test Your Interest Rate Knowledge
- How Grandparents Can Help Bridge the College Cost Gap
- ABLE Disability Savings Accounts and Federal Tax
- Whether or not to Accept Your Employer’s Early-Retirement Offer
- Surviving the College Application Process
- Can I Still Earn Interest on Matured U.S. Savings Bonds Or Roll Them Over to Another Savings Bond?
- Retain and Reward Key Employees with an Executive Bonus Plan
- Earnings Call: A Closer Look at Financial Reports
- All About Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Accounts
- Common Questions About Student Loan Repayment
- Considerations for Having Aging Parents Move in With You
- Top Financial Concerns of Baby Boomers, Generation Xers & Millennials
- How Consumers Drive The Nation’s GDP
- How to Get a Bigger Social Security Retirement Benefit
- Substantiating Your Charitable Gifts
- Five Things to Know About Inherited IRAs
- 2016 Year-End Tax Tips
- Clusters, Crowdfunding and Other Ways Small Businesses Survive
- Health Care Options For Those Who Retire Early
- The Importance of Saving for Retirement at a Young Age
- Rates on the Rise: Strategies for Fixed-Income Investors
- Types & Differences of Government Savings Bonds
- What You Need to Know About Home Sharing Sites Like Airbnb
- 4 Reasons People Spend Too Much
- Can I Name a Charity as a Beneficiary of My IRA?
- Finding & Claiming Forgotten Funds
- Life Insurance Options After Retirement
- Common Financial Wisdom: Theory vs. Practice
- Considerations for Opening Teen’s First Checking Account
- What’s New in the World of Higher Education
- Are There Gaps In Your Insurance Coverage?
- What Happens After I File the FAFSA?
- What You Need to Know About Submitting the FAFSA
- Protecting Your Business from Cyber Threats
- What You Need to Know About Private Student Loans
- Pros & Cons of Working from Home
- Earn Too Much for a Roth IRA? Try the Back Door
- What is the Federal Funds Rate?
- What are Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs)?
- Reasons to Consider a Phased Retirement
- Six Potential 401(k) Rollover Pitfalls
- Cost of Living: Where You Live Can Affect How Rich You Feel
- Periodic Review of Your Estate Plan Will Alert You To Any Necessary Changes
- Assessing Portfolio Performance: Choose Your Benchmarks Wisely
- Should I Delay Taking My First Required Minimum Distribution?
- Think Twice Before Counting on a COLA
- Taxes, Retirement & Timing Social Security
- Do You Know Which Birthdays Are Financial Milestones? Take Our Quiz to Find Out!
- Tips for Filing Your 2015 Federal Income Tax Return
- What to Know About Buying a Fixer-Upper
- New Social Security Claiming Rules
- Know the Basics of Compound Interest
- Filing Final Tax Return
- Every Cent Counts When a Saver Marries a Spender
- A Military BuyBack May Increase Your Pension Payout
- Five Ways to Manage Risk in Your Retirement Savings Plan
- Give Your Retirement Plan an Annual Checkup
- How to Change or Revoke a Will
- Raising Financially Responsible Kids
- What you need to create a will
- Planned Charitable Giving
- Dealing with Medical Billing Issues
- Don’t forget about year-end investment planning
- Protecting your social security number
- Correlation and portfolio performance
- Claiming survivor’s & death benefits
- Changing your legal name: Social security impact
- Create a financial plan to get and keep your finances on track
- Six life insurance beneficiary mistakes to avoid
- 5 tips to tame financial stress
- Securing your financial future following the death of your spouse
- Understanding the penalty tax regarding qualifying health insurance
- Why businesses need a disaster preparedness program
- The cost of credit
- Qualified longevity annuity: Income protection for a long life
- Financial mistakes people make at different ages
- Prepaid funeral arrangements can have grave consequences
- Avoiding probate: Is it worth it?
- Low interest rates, housing inventory, lead to stronger housing market
- Money & happiness: It’s complicated
- Understanding surviving spouse’s elective share
- Military service members survivors & death benefits
- Age-based tips for making the most of your retirement savings plan
- How to file a life insurance benefit claim
- Understanding different types of life insurance policies
- How does divorce affect Social Security retirement benefits?
- Millennials vs. boomers: How wide is the gap?
- Immediate considerations/notifications following death of a spouse
- Reviewing your finances mid-year
- Self-directed IRAs
- How does your 529 plan stack up against the competition?
- 15 ways to save on your next vacation
- Converting your after-tax 401(k) dollars to a Roth IRA
- Ins and outs of special needs trust
- When your child asks for a loan, should you say yes?
- Retirement withdrawal rates key to sustainable retirement funds
- Paying the IRS in installments
- Points to consider if your retirement goals seem out of reach
- Evaluating college acceptances
- Estate planning for second marriage
- Considerations for becoming a franchise owner
- How much can I contribute to my IRA in 2015?
- Don’t underestimate the need for disability insurance
- Withdrawing money from an IRA for down payment on a house
- New one-rollover-per-year rule
- Last-minute tax tips
- Don’t fall victim to scams this tax season
- Should life insurance be part of your retirement plan?
- Buying supplemental health insurance: Medigap
- Handling market volatility
- Investing as a couple: Getting to a compromise
- Key IRS numbers 2015
- Considerations for potential Federal Reserve interest rate hike
- Considerations for potential Federal Reserve interest rate hike
- 10 financial terms everyone should know
- How to manage impact of interest rate hike
- Digital assets should be included in estate planning
- Transferring a business to your children
- Avoid an accidental disinheritance by keeping will up-to-date
- How to purposefully disinherit an heir
- How can college students can save and spend money wisely?
- Helping aging parents manage their money
- The importance of timing a Roth conversion
- What to look for in a financial advisor
- Paying for long-term insurance with tax-free funds
- Don’t derail your employer-sponsored retirement plan
- Income tax considerations for leaving assets to heirs
- Differences between saving and investing
- How biases can affect investment decisions
- Common mortgage mistakes to avoid
- Don’t neglect state taxes when considering retiring and relocating
- Understanding investment income tax
- Managing the net income investment tax
- Open enrollment season is here: Give your benefits a check-up
- Factors that can negatively impact your credit report
- Monitoring your portfolio
- Should you pay off your mortgage during retirement?
- Consider the real rate of return on your money
- Quiz: How much do you know about Social Security?
- Taking a career break? Consider these helpful tips
- Business owners: Don’t neglect your own retirement plan
- Estate planning and income tax basis
- Investing in yourself can help you stay on long-term savings track
- Bonds vs. Bond Funds: Which is better when interest rates rise?
- Do your homework before donating to charity
- Should you pay off your mortgage during retirement?
- How to understand a disclaimer of property
- Financial myths, mistakes & misunderstandings
- Tax considerations for gifts to children
- What is the Federal Reserve and what does it do?
- Whether or not you should unwind your Qualified Personal Residence Trust
- What to do if your debit or credit card information is part of a data breach
- Factors to consider before co-signing your child’s student loan
- Steps to take after Qualified Personal Residence Trust has terminated
- 10 Basic tax to-dos before end of 2014
- Financial choices: should you save for college, retirement or both?
- 10 Tax breaks that no longer apply in 2014
- Even rich and famous sometimes fail to plan properly
- Learning to separate the concepts of speculation from disciplined investing
- Important tasks and financial steps following death of loved one
- How divorce affects retirement benefits
- Rules for 401(k) in-plan Roth conversions now easier
- Five principles of investing
- New IRA rollover rule in 2015
- Social Security benefits & facts
- Tax benefits of turning trash into treasure
- Can you make some green through ‘green investing’?
- Tips for traveling abroad
- Saving for the future: start now or later?
- Figuring out real estate tax on sale of home
- Personal finance tips for recent graduates
- Women face unique challenges regarding retirement savings
- What baseball can teach you about financial planning
- Rise of the global consumer may reshape global economy
- Key questions to consider when contemplating retirement
- Impact of Health Care Costs on Social Security
- How rising interest rates could impact your pension
- Charitable giving comes in many different forms
- Parental loans can interfere with adult children’s mortgage applications
- Buckets of money: a retirement income strategy
- Spring cleaning your debt
- Teach children financial basics
- Advantages and disadvantages of trusts
- 10 Ways to Stay Sane in a Crazy Market
- Think Outside the Shoebox When Organizing Financial Records
- Married Filing Jointly or Separately…The Choice is Yours
- What’s New in the World of Higher Education
- New rules to consider when filing your 2013 income tax return
- Is College Scholarship Taxable or Non-Taxable?
- Gift Tax Strategies Can Benefit Family
- Transferring a Business to Your Kids
- Include Charity in Year-End Planning
- Year-End Investment Planning
- Plan Now For Year-End Investment Review
- Select the Right Retirement Community
- Could College Debt be the Next Bubble?
- Loss of Spouse Alters Financial Plan
- Tips: Review Your Life Insurance Needs
- Making a Will is Essential to Your Plan
- Don’t Let Feds Talk Sway You From Goals
- Financial Tips, Strategies For Women
- Life’s Changes Bring Tax Consequences
- Four Retirement Myths Debunked
- Avoid Falling Victim to Debt Myths
- Considerations For Vacation Homes
- Medicare Payment Process Primer
- Tips For Applying Spousal Benefits
- When to Delay Social Security Benefits
- Financial Tips for Different Generations
- Protect Yourself From Cyber Crime
- Compounding Can Boost Your Portfolio
- Top 10 Roadblocks to Financial Success
- How ’13 Pension Limits Affect Accounts
- Converting Traditional IRA to Roth IRA
- Navigate Your Way Through Roth IRAs
- Get Tax Credits by Helping Community
- Life Stages and Milestones Key to Financial Planning and Success
- Social Security Benefits Your Survivors
- Divorce Doesn’t Sever Social Security
- Social Security Information for Women
- Shop Wisely For Long-Term Care Policy
- Gambling In Gold Can Lead To Disaster
- Transitioning From Paycheck to Retirement Income
- Deciding When to Retire Requires Goals and Budgeting
- When To Say ‘No’ To Your Adult Children
- Retirement Decisions Can Be Tricky For Couples
- Success Starts With Smarter Choices
- The Ins & Outs Of Roth 401(k) Plans