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A bizarre story has been floating around this week. Residents in all 50 states have received mysterious packages of seeds that appear to be coming from China. Who sent these packages? Why did they send them? What are the seeds? Are they dangerous? These, and many other questions, currently remain unanswered. Unsurprisingly, if you do receive a mysterious package of seeds, officials have warned to not plant them over concerns of what these seeds are, and that they may be for a dangerous invasive species. In light of this recent event, we thought it would be a good idea to review some financial personal hygiene in case you receive other unsolicited correspondence.

Small business owners wear a lot of hats. This past year, one of those hats likely included understanding and applying for various government support programs in response to the coronavirus. One of the most popular programs to help small businesses was called the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The program provided loans to small businesses, much of which could be forgiven tax-free, if used for payroll or other eligible services. But, like many government programs, this requires certain forms to be filled out, and specific information reported in order to apply for forgiveness. Thankfully the AICPA helped develop an online tool to assist with the application process.

Being laid off is never fun. While this is a stressful time, it's important that you continue to make sound financial decisions so that you don't make matters worse. Here are 6 things that you should (or should not) do if you find yourself suddenly out of a job.

With many individuals and businesses struggling because of the coronavirus it seems like a new government program is coming out every week. Between federal programs and specific state programs it's hard to keep track of it all! This week New Hampshire has started a new program for self-employed persons. The program is called the Self Employed Livelihood Fund (SELF) Grant, and will be accepting applications through July 17th. Here's what you should know about this program and whether you, or someone you know, might qualify.

Depending on your tax situation, you may be one of the many Americans who make estimated tax payments. In years past you may have mailed a physical check directly to the IRS or your state's tax office. However, right now that may not be the best method. Between delays with the mail and the IRS extremely backed up with paperwork, there is a risk that they may not get to your mail for months. To make matters more confusing for taxpayers, the IRS recently closed some P.O. boxes that have been used for years, and is no longer accepting any mail at those locations. Here's what you should know about making estimated tax payments in 2020.

Do you ever sometimes wish you could go back in time? As financial planners we often dream about taking advantage of certain tax laws before they change, or knowing stock market returns in advance (because no one can consistently predict the market correctly!). Speaking of which, no one was predicting a global pandemic at the start of the year and knowing that in advance may have altered how many individuals would have handled their required minimum distributions from retirement accounts. Similar to 2009, RMDs do not need to be taken in 2020 thanks to the CARES Act. But this rule change did not occur until the end of March. Luckily for those who did not procrastinate, the IRS released additional changes to returning RMDs and taking other distributions from retirement accounts. Here's what you should know about these new rules.