Can a fake bar help an alcoholic quit drinking? That’s what the researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) believe is possible. NIH researchers have set up a fully stocked lab-bar to test the efficacy of an experimental Pfizer drug that would inhibit a person’s desire to drink even in the most tempting environments, a bar. "The goal is to create almost a real-world environment, but to control it very strictly," said lead researcher Dr. Lorenzo Leggio.

Nobody wants a budget. It is restraining, and is something most avoid like the plague. But do you need a budget to become wealthy?

On August 6, 2014, we celebrated our 5-year anniversary at our new office space in Encino. Everyone enjoyed the delicious food prepared by Ladybugs Catering, the unveiling of a commissioned painting by Melik Ghazarian for the ACap office, and good conversation with colleagues and friends.

Can my employer limit my 401k contribution?
Yes and no. The maximum amount you can contribute to your 401k plan is the lesser of $17,500 (for 2014) or 100 percent of your compensation. Your employer cannot further limit how much you can contribute to your 401k plan because these are IRS imposed limits; however, your contributions may be disallowed and returned to you if you are considered a Highly Compensated Employee ($115,000 / year or own more than 5 percent of the business). 401k plans must undergo annual compliance tests to ensure highly compensated employees are not the only employees benefiting from the 401k plan; therefore, the Department of Labor imposes rules that prevent highly compensated employees from contributing to their 401k accounts if not enough non-highly compensated employees in the same company/business are contributing to their 401k accounts as well. If you are a highly compensated employee and you want to max out your 401k plan, encourage the younger and/or non-highly compensated employees to contribute too - it will help you and them in the long run.

1. Can I use my credit card to pay my mortgage or student loan?
This question comes up for those savvy credit card users who want to accumulate as much reward points as possible. It's not possible to directly pay your mortgage or student loan with your credit card, but there are some online companies out there who offer such services. The service is not cheap and usually entails a high percentage charge. ACap generally discourages consumers to use debt to pay debt, especially if you use a revolving unsecured debt like a credit card to pay an amortizing secured debt like a mortgage. If you choose to pursue this route, you MUST be very diligent with your credit card debt and make sure to pay off your entire balance every month.

1. Can I convert a portion of my IRA to a Roth IRA?
Most people assume that if you convert a Traditional IRA to a Roth IRA, you must convert the entire Traditional IRA balance. However, you can decide how much of your Traditional IRA you want to convert to a Roth IRA rather than converting the entire amount all at once. There are benefits to converting gradually because when you convert a Traditional IRA to a Roth IRA, you must report the converted value as income and pay tax. The option to gradually convert can be especially helpful if you have a large traditional IRA balance and you don't want to report the entire amount as income in one year, but would instead prefer to spread your tax liability over a few years. Just remember to complete IRS form 8606 when doing the conversion to accurately capture cost basis.

We all have important dates to remember in our lives such as birthdays and anniversaries. When it comes to investing for dividends, there are three key dates that everyone should memorize. The three dates are the date of declaration, date of record, and date of payment. Most investors buy stocks only for their cash dividends, this is especially true now because interest rates are so low and investors are hungry for yield. However, the next time you decide to buy a stock for its dividend, keep the following three dates in mind to ensure you get the cash you deserve.

I recently experienced another earthquake in Los Angeles, a fairly common occurrence for Angelenos. The earthquake was a reminder for my wife and me to check our emergency preparedness plan to ensure our spare batteries, medicines, and food supply are fresh, our children's clothes are the right sizes, and that all of our contact information is up to date. Whether it is an earthquake, hurricane, or a tornado, you must be prepared to survive in the aftermath of an emergency. Equally important to preparing a physical emergency kit is establishing and maintaining a financial emergency preparedness kit. What is a financial preparedness kit?

1. How can I estimate how much I will need during retirement?
This question comes up often because when we prepare financial plans for clients, we usually ask how much they want to spend during retirement. Understandably, the question is not easy to answer. When preparing a financial plan, we initially assume a person will need 70 percent of their current living expenses during retirement and increase or decrease the amount based on the likelihood of meeting the target that goal. For example, if your current annual living expenses are $120,000, we would begin your financial plan assuming you will spend $84,000 a year during retirement. If the results of your plan are unfavorable, we will recommend a combination of the following: save more, retire later, and/or reduce how much you plan to spend during retirement.

1. Can I reverse a Roth IRA contribution because my income was higher than I expected?
Yes. It is actually very common for people to make a Roth IRA contribution in the beginning of the year and realize later that they do not qualify for a Roth IRA. The solution is very easy and usually involves just filing out a form. Your custodian (the firm that holds your Roth IRA and sends you monthly statements) will have a form for you to complete. You can either reverse the Roth IRA contribution entirely or recharacterize the contribution as a non-deductible IRA. The non-deductible IRA option may be more appealing, especially if you want to do the backdoor Roth IRA.