Your workplace retirement account can play a critical role in your overall retirement strategy. However, some have gone further with the accounts than others, especially recently. (more…)
What is a fixed index annuity? Don’t let the investment jargon put you off, Fixed Index Annuities are simpler than they sound. A Fixed Index Annuity is a tax-favored accumulation product issued by an insurance company. However, unlike fixed deferred interest rate annuities, a Fixed Index Annuity’s annual growth is tied to a market index like the Standard & Poor’s 500 rather than an interest rate. (more…)
The news keeps getting better for Social Security recipients.
It’s now projected that benefits will increase 6.1% in 2022, up from the 4.7% forecast just two months ago. That would be the most significant increase since 1983.1,2 (more…)
With June officially behind us, it’s time to face the facts: we’re headed toward the second half of 2021. While there’s still plenty of time to enjoy the rest of summer, we encourage you to slow down and check up on your financial well-being. Is your mid year review scheduled? (more…)
When you think about your estate, you may think about your personal property, real estate, or investments. You also have other, less-tangible assets – and they deserve your attention as well.
Your digital assets should not disappear into a void when you die. Nor should they be stolen by thieves. You can direct that they be transferred, preserved, or destroyed per your instructions. Your digital assets may include information on your phone and computer, content that you uploaded to Facebook, Instagram, or other websites, your intellectual/creative stake in certain digital property, and records stemming from online communications. (That last category includes your emails and text messages.)
Think of it this way: each password-protected account that you have signifies a digital asset. You may feel that some of these accounts have little (more…)
Recently, you may have seen headlines regarding the Securing a Strong Retirement Act, also referred to as the second version of the SECURE Act, or SECURE Act 2.0. (more…)
Whether you are a professional athlete, a college amateur, or an aspiring Olympian, you probably know what success feels like. You also know a thing or two about being a good sport when things don’t go your way. Good news: this means you already have some of the basics needed to create a financial strategy.
Don’t think so? Building a strategy is all about having distinct goals, knowing the risks, and determining how much time you have ahead of you. It’s also about surrounding yourself with people who have your best interests in mind and share your goals. (more…)
New inherited IRA rules took effect on January 1, 2020. The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act became law on that day, altering the regulations on inherited Individual Retirement Account (I.R.A.) distributions.
Most people who inherit a beneficiary IRA now have to empty that IRA of assets within ten years of the original owner’s death. You can do this as you wish; you can withdraw the whole IRA balance at once, or take incremental distributions on the way to meeting the 10-year deadline.1
Financially, many of us associate April with taxes – but we should also associate December with important IRA deadlines.
December 31, 2021 is the deadline to take your Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) from certain individual retirement accounts.
April 15, 2021 is the deadline for making annual contributions to a traditional IRA, Roth IRA, and certain other retirement accounts.1 (more…)
If you are retired and have reached your seventies, you may have the opportunity to draw a little less income from your retirement savings accounts in 2022. Thanks to updated life expectancy tables from the I.R.S. RMD amounts may be reduced.
Next year, the Internal Revenue Service plans to update the life expectancy (more…)
Losing a spouse is a stressful transition. And the added pressure of having to settle the estate and organize finances can be overwhelming. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to make dealing with these matters less difficult.
Ever hear of critical illness insurance? This isn’t standard-issue disability insurance, but a cousin of sorts. With people living longer, it is a risk management option entering more people’s lives.
Following Iran’s missile and drone strikes on Israel over the weekend and the apparent escalation likely in any Israeli response, stocks fell sharply during Monday’s trading session. We examine the latest developments in the Middle East conflict, how stocks have reacted historically to geopolitical events, and the possible impact on markets moving forward.
Did you buy U.S. Savings Bonds decades ago? Or did your parents or grandparents purchase them for you? If they’re collecting dust in a drawer, you may want to take a look at them to see if any of your bonds have matured. If your bonds have matured, that means they are no longer earning … Continue reading “How US Savings Bonds Work”
In baseball, three strikes and you’re out. With inflation, a third straight month of hotter-than-expected consumer inflation data nearly ruled out probabilities for a June rate cut yesterday (now less than a 25% chance, according to fed funds futures). The core Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 0.4% in March, or 3.8% when compared on a … Continue reading “Market Update – Assessing the Prospect for a Pullback”
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