The 111th Congress and President Barack Obama have decided to make health reform a major legislative priority in 2009. Despite a flagging economy and a severely challenging fiscal climate, many politicians (and citizens) believe that the time has arrived to change the way our nation finances health care. Absent in the current discussion regarding reforming our ailing healthcare system is a serious discussion on a key issue overlooked by many: cost. There is a bright spot in this area that has been largely ignored by the mainstream press and print media: HSA’s, or Health Savings Accounts. These tax advantaged plans have quietly performed better than expected in reining in runaway costs, while giving employees the incentive and ability to save money for the future, especially for medical expenses when they retire. Where did HSA’s come from, anyway? HSA’s were signed into law by President George Bush on December 8th, 2003, as a ...

Would you even think of going to a doctor who did not have the proper credentials or expertise or to any other professional if they did not have the right certificates up on the wall and the experience to back it up? I don’t think so. The same holds true for your trusted financial advisor, your Certified Public Accountant. Although having the right CPA is not necessarily a matter of life and death as it can be with a doctor, it can make a difference in relation to your financial well being. Why it is important to have a qualified CPA is an easy question to answer. Your accountant should not be someone who you see ...