Introduction

“I’m here from the government, and I am here to help you.” For some people that phrase instills confidence that the government of the people, for the people, and by the people has come to the rescue of its citizenry and will be providing assistance in some important matter. For other people that phrase instills a fear that when the government gets involved, things tend to get overly complicated and complex. When it comes to retirement planning, both mindsets are right.

Although sometimes it may seem like the purpose of tax laws is to merely take as much of our hard earned money as possible, tax laws are also written to encourage certain activities and discourage others. The tax deduction for mortgage interest is an example ...

Get The Truth About Personal Finance (Collection) now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.