![(shutterstock) (shutterstock)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/1014_blog_discourse_ss.png?1577874530)
Underhanded Dealings
The dark side of the “shadow economy”
Unscrupulous vendors are a small part of the so-called shadow economy – the unlicensed contractor for sure, but also a vast black market of businesses, often cash-only, working out of homes or garages, that don’t pay the taxes or licensing fees their competitors do. While profitable for the person getting away with it, this underground economy hits all of us right where it hurts – in the pocketbook.
![This gentleman planned ahead, and now — he's signing something.
(shutterstock) This gentleman planned ahead, and now — he's signing something.
(shutterstock)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/1014_blog_estateplanning_ss.png?1577874530)
Happy National Estate Planning Awareness Week!
But before the party starts, here are 7 questions you need to answer
If National Estate Planning Awareness Week, which started yesterday, snuck up on you this year, you are not alone. In fact, if you don’t have an estate plan, you have lots of company. Fifty percent of Americans lack a will and other vital estate planning documents, and their absence is a sure path to probate court and often lengthy, costly legal proceedings before an estate is settled.
![Fans and players rally in downtown Sacramento after the Sacramento Republic FC won its championship game against the Harrisburg City Islanders on Sept. 27 Fans and players rally in downtown Sacramento after the Sacramento Republic FC won its championship game against the Harrisburg City Islanders on Sept. 27](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/sacrepublicfc.rally_.jpeg?1577874531)
Star Power to Ignite Sac Soccer
Owners hope new investment lineup will boost city's chances of going MLS
The Sacramento Republic FC has bolstered its quest to become a Major League Soccer franchise. On Monday the team announced an impressive addition of more than a dozen new business leaders who will invest in the group, including Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter and local business owner Urijah Faber.
![A solid strategy.
(shutterstock) A solid strategy.
(shutterstock)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/banking.investment.ss_.jpg?1577874530)
Investing in Your Free Time
Your financial life after selling a business
If you have sold a business and moved on to retirement or another career, it’s worth noting that a change in lifestyle should also trigger a change in investment styles.
![](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0814_money_shutterstock.jpg?1577874530)
Made to Last
Trusteed IRAs can stretch assets over generations
You’ve made all the right financial decisions. You’ve saved, you’ve planned, you’ve invested. But what if your heirs aren’t quite ready for the responsibilities and tax advantages that go along with inheriting your dutifully funded IRA? Your best bet for control from the grave may be a trusteed IRA.
![(shutterstock) (shutterstock)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/liquidy_trap_0.jpg?1577874531)
Avoid the Liquidity Trap
3 tips for succession planning
Surviving the Great Recession wasn’t easy for anyone, but it had a unique impact on business owners who were looking forward to retirement. One-third of small biz owners are over the age of 55 – primed to step away from the day-to-day routine. When the economy went into a tailspin, those trying to either sell or otherwise transition the ownership of their business had to keep working, even as the long slump made staying in business a struggle.
![Photo by David Angstead, shutterstock Photo by David Angstead, shutterstock](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/banking_lead_hor.jpg?1577874530)
The Big Squeeze on Small Credit Unions
They may be on the verge of extinction
On a hot, sunny morning last fall, 69-year-old retiree Pamela Chappell of Citrus Heights hit rock bottom. She was scraping by on Social Security checks and a tiny pension while paying for medication to treat her lymphedema, a painful swelling in her legs. Then she got a letter from the IRS warning her that it was about to empty her savings account of $8,000 — every dollar she had — for back taxes.
![Brian Witherell at home in his treasure trove Brian Witherell at home in his treasure trove](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0414_firstread.jpg?1577874530)
Pricing the Past
Collector Brian Witherell on the gambles and gains of antiques
Juxtaposed against the crisp, modern lines of Brian Witherell’s home in Alkali Flat sits a trove of ancient treasures, premier antiquities cherry picked from his company’s massive antique collection.
![](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/istock_000005305796large.jpg?1577874531)
Rent the American Dream
Sacramento millennials aren't interested in mortgages
Brian Collins is a 26-year-old director of accounts at Sacramento-based mobile applications marketing firm Appency. He makes what he calls “decent money,” is putting lots of it into a 401(k) and has an eye on his financial future. And, like most people his age, he’s decided that buying a house is not part of the plan.
![www.istockphoto.com www.istockphoto.com](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0214_banking_new_marketing_strategies.jpg?1577874530)
Banking on Content Marketing
Community banks embrace new marketing strategies to supplement traditional advertising
Having just begun using social media in 2012, Safe Credit Union is relatively new to content marketing. But it hasn’t taken long for the company to discover the benefits of engaging online with its customers and potential consumers.