deductions

It may not seem like it for many Americans, but recent health care spending in the United States has been growing at historically low levels. Between 2000 and 2007, per capita health spending grew at an average annual rate of 7.55 percent. Then we saw a steep decline between 2008 and 2014, when the rate dropped to an average 3.2 percent per year.

Federal lawmakers will simplify tax planning for many by making certain tax breaks permanent — including one for charitably inclined older investors.

I’m often asked when the right time is to sell an investment. There are actually two answers — a logical one and an emotional one. Let me explain by illustrating through one of the lessons in a course I teach.

So Congress wasn’t totally Scrooge-like this holiday season, as members tossed a few tax breaks to the rest of us.