- A New Look at Old Retirement Savings Guidelines
Need help understanding complicated retirement savings guidelines? Here are four ideas to help simplify some savings strategies.
- A Steady Strategy
Dollar-cost averaging can be an effective way to accumulate shares without focusing on market movements.
- An Affordable Insurance Solution
A new term life insurance policy can be quite expensive as people age. Survivorship life insurance may be a more cost-effective solution.
- Beyond Medicare: What Are Your Options?
A Medigap policy or a Medicare Advantage Plan could help provide more stability for health-care spending during retirement.
- Chained CPI and Your Taxes
One change made by 2017 tax legislation, a new way of measuring inflation, may have a significant effect on individual taxpayers over the long term.
- Dividend Investing: Small Payments Can Boost Returns
Focusing on dividends can be appropriate for almost any investor, especially if they are reinvested to purchase additional shares.
- Do You Need an Umbrella?
American society remains litigious — an umbrella insurance policy can provide additional coverage for personal liability.
- Equity REITs and Rising Rates
Fundamental factors that can affect the short- and longer-term performance of equity REITs, including taxation of REIT shares.
- ETFs on the Rise
ETFs have some attractive features that set them apart from mutual funds, but there are also cost and risk factors to consider.
- Four Financial Numbers You Should Know
Four financial numbers that you should understand (and that could potentially improve your financial situation).
- Going Public
A discussion on the initial public offering (IPO) process, recent trends, and investment risks.
- Good News, Bad News for Boomer Retirement
Younger baby boomers may be facing a more challenging retirement landscape than older members of the generation, according a recent survey.
- Guard Against Growing Cybersecurity Threats
A discussion of some specific cybersecurity threats and tips to help small businesses protect their interests from hackers.
- HOT TOPIC — Changing Market: Municipal Bonds After Tax Reform
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 changed the playing field for municipal bonds that could affect the supply and demand of these securities.
- HOT TOPIC — Correction Time: The Market Takes a Hit
A look at some of the factors behind the recent market volatility and why investors should focus on long-term goals.
- HOT TOPIC — Pain at the Pump: Why Does It Cost More to Fill Your Tank?
A look at the relationship between oil and gas prices, and how global factors have driven up prices at U.S. fuel pumps.
- HOT TOPIC — Trade Tactics: New Metal Tariffs Reflect Policy Shift
An overview of recent changes in U.S. trade policies, and how they might affect international relations and the U.S. and global economies.
- HOT TOPIC — U.S. Fiscal Issues: Larger Deficits Are Driving Up Debt
Why federal budget deficits are rising, and what the current fiscal situation could mean for the future of the U.S. economy.
- HOT TOPIC — Wage Growth: Watching for a Tipping Point
The factors that may be restraining workers’ wages and the economic implications of continued weakness or a sudden surge.
- Income for the Long Run
A longevity annuity can bring some stability to a retirement strategy by providing a steady income late in life.
- Indexed Annuities: Potential Gain with Some Downside Protection
Indexed annuities offer potential for gain when the market is rising while helping to protect principal during a downturn. But they are not appropriate for every investor.
- Is Smart Beta for You?
Unlike traditional index funds, smart-beta funds track indexes that are selected and weighted based on factors other than market capitalization.
- Making Sense of Bond Behavior
Some strategies to help fixed-income portfolios weather a period of interest rate uncertainty.
- Monetary Policy Update
How the Federal Reserve's monetary policies influence interest rates, economic growth, and inflation.
- New Tax Breaks for Pass-Through Entities
The new tax law includes several provisions that could benefit business owners, such as the pass-through deduction and write-offs for capital investments.
- New Tax Law Expands 529 Savings Plans
An overview of Section 529 savings plans, including their traditional use for college saving and the new rules for K-12 tuition.
- Oil Prices and the Economy
The relationship between oil prices and GDP growth has become more complicated in recent years due to the expanded U.S. presence in the global oil market.
- Phasing Out…or Practice Makes Perfect
Here are some ideas for arranging a phased retirement program, as well as tips for trying a practice run.
- Pick Your Plastic: Debit or Credit?
Some pros and cons for the use of credit cards versus debit cards for purchases.
- Preparing to Withstand the Loss of Key Players
How key-person insurance policies can benefit small businesses.
- Reward Workers and Fund Retirement with a Cash Balance Plan
Cash balance plans can be a powerful tool for employee recruitment and retention, plus they have generous contribution limits that increase with age.
- Rules of the Rollover
Rolling funds from an employer's plan to an IRA enables you to maintain control regardless of your employment situation.
- The Cost of Caregiving
About 40 million family caregivers in the U.S. provide unpaid care to another adult. Understand the associated financial, physical, and emotional costs.
- Time to Hire? Consider the Pros and Costs
Some indicators that it might be time to hire additional employees, and how to weigh the potential benefits in light of the costs.
- Two Technology Trends to Help Power Growth
Cloud computing functions could help small companies increase productivity with smaller up-front costs.
- Where There's a Will…
A 2017 survey found that only 42% of U.S. adults had a will or living trust. Here are three basic reasons why everyone should have a will.
