Helping women gain confidence
when dealing with money

Articles by Jacoba Urist

Jacoba Urist is a lawyer, writer, and mom in New York City. Currently, she is a contributor to both NBCNews and Forbes, where she covers financial, legal, and current news for parents. She has also written for The Atlantic, Newsweek/TheDailyBeast, and The Wall Street Journal. Jacoba has her BA in political science from Johns Hopkins and her MA in Policy Studies. She is also a graduate of the NYU School of Law, where she received her JD and LL.M. in taxation. Jacoba's website is: www.JacobaUrist.com and you can follow her on twitter, @TheHappiestpare.

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Jacoba Urist

Tax Refund 101: What You Should Know This Month

by Jacoba Urist March 19, 2012

Taxes

For a lot of us, the good part of filing our tax return every spring is getting a sizable check back from the government— a great way to stash something extra in our retirement fund or send a nice payment to our credit card company that billing cycle. Why Do You Get A Refund Anyway? [...]

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Tax: It Doesn’t Have to Be a Dirty Word (GoGirl’s Guide To Taxes)

by Jacoba Urist February 29, 2012

GoGirl Guide to Income Taxes

Taxes. It might as well be a dirty word for the number of pained expressions it provokes among even some of the calmest, coolest women I meet. I’ve noticed people get a little skittish when I just say I’m a tax lawyer—as if I’m going to rifle through their ATM receipts or worse, actually talk [...]

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Talking To Your Parents About Their Financial Future: Part I

by Jacoba Urist January 25, 2012

Woman and Mother

I’m in my mid-thirties and I still cringe when I think back to my mother sitting me down for “the talk” before I left for an eight-week summer teen tour across Israel. Thankfully, I’ve blocked most of it out, but I’m pretty sure there was something about using protection and her only being a collect [...]

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Think You Know About Family and Finance? Quiz Yourself

by Jacoba Urist January 6, 2012

How Much Do You Know About Your Family's Financial Future

[mtouchquiz 1] Looking to learn more? Check out these articles on planning for your family’s financial future: The Big Secret to Saving for College The Easy Breezy Guide to Estate Planning Estate Planning Part II: Trusts Aren’t Just for Rich Kids

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The Low Down On Family Loans: Part II. Need a Loan?

by Jacoba Urist December 28, 2011

Woman in Car

Last time, I talked about some of the tricky issues that can arise when a family member asks for money—and how to protect your capital and your relationship when you give a loan to a someone you’re close to. But what about when you’re the one doing the asking? No question, borrowing money from a [...]

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The Lowdown On Family Loans: Part I

by Jacoba Urist December 12, 2011

3 Generations of Women

Let’s just put it out there. Most of us dread the thought of a call from a sibling or a cousin to borrow money. Sure, we may want to help in theory, but we cringe at the idea of getting all tangled up in someone else’s finances—especially a someone that we have an intimate bond [...]

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Estate Planning Part II: Trusts Aren’t Just For Rich Kids

by Jacoba Urist November 14, 2011

children and money

Of all the topics I’ve covered in my research and all the new parents I’ve interviewed, the words “trust” and “fund” seem to create the most confusion. So many parents will ask “What is a trust fund?“. They assume that you have to be one of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills to even consider [...]

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The Big Secret To Saving For College

by Jacoba Urist October 31, 2011

Bookworm

Almost every parent I interview—whether they’re five months pregnant or have a fifth-grader at home— says college is their biggest financial planning worry. And for good reason: in 18 years, you’re looking at over $200,000 to send your kid to a state school and over $400,000 for most private four-year universities. Where ever your child [...]

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The Easy Breezy Guide to Estate Planning

by Jacoba Urist October 24, 2011

Graph for Estate Planning

Okay, confession: I’m a tax lawyer and it took me thirteen months after I had my son to get my act together and write a will. I literally put every other (tangentially related) new-baby task ahead of our estate plan, even though I knew this is one of the most significant parenting responsibilities there is. [...]

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