According to a recent survey, 76% of Americans reported having at least one financial regret. Over half of this group said it had to do with savings: 27% didn’t start saving for retirement soon enough, 19% didn’t contribute enough to an emergency fund, and 10% wish they had saved more for college. The saving conundrum […]
Hindsight Is 2020: What Will You Do Differently This Year? Read More »
From The Balance The New Year is a great time to overhaul your life for the better. One excellent place to start is by making solid financial resolutions that can help get you closer to your money goals, whether it’s increasing your retirement savings or setting enough money aside for a down payment on a house.
Financial Resolutions for the New Year Read More »
The Markets (as of market close December 27, 2019) The holiday spirit, coupled with renewed optimism on the trade front, helped propel stocks higher last week. The tech-heavy Nasdaq outperformed the other benchmark indexes listed here, crossing the 9000 plateau for the first time ever. News that the signing of the Phase One trade agreement
MARKET WATCH: DECEMBER 30, 2019 Read More »
The Markets (as of market close November 29, 2019) The holiday-shortened week was a good one for investors as they were encouraged by the growing likelihood of “phase one” in the resolution of the trade war between China and the United States. The large caps of the Dow and S&P 500 reached record highs earlier
MARKET WATCH: DECEMBER 2, 2019 Read More »
From USATODAY.com Thanksgiving is a time for lists: Grocery lists. Menus. Black Friday shopping strategies. Holiday wish lists. Here’s one to add to the list if you’re flying over the holidays: steps to take now to make your Thanksgiving travel go more smoothly. You wouldn’t wait until the night before Christmas to shop, so why wait until you
8 things to do now to make Thanksgiving flights go more smoothly Read More »
What are required minimum distributions (RMDs)? Required minimum distributions, often referred to as RMDs or minimum required distributions, are amounts that the federal government requires you to withdraw annually from traditional IRAs and employer-sponsored retirement plans after you reach age 70½ (or, in some cases, after you retire). You can always withdraw more than the
Required Minimum Distributions Read More »
The Markets (as of market close November 1, 2019) A better-than-expected jobs report and strong third-quarter earnings from some major companies drove stock prices higher for the fourth consecutive week. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq reached closing highs while the other benchmark indexes listed here posted solid returns. The small caps of the Russell
MARKET WATCH: NOVEMBER 5, 2019 Read More »
The Markets (as of market close September 13, 2019) Stocks continue to rebound from their August declines, posting gains for the third week in a row. Each of the benchmark indexes listed here increased in value, led by the small caps of the Russell 2000, which climbed close to 5.0%. Trade tensions appeared to wane,
MARKET WATCH: SEPTEMBER 16, 2019 Read More »
Each year for its Retirement Confidence Survey, the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) surveys 1,000 workers and 1,000 retirees to assess how confident they are in their ability to afford a comfortable retirement. Once again, in 2019, retirees expressed stronger confidence than workers: 82% of retirees reported feeling “very” or “somewhat” confident, compared with 67%
Five Retirement Lessons from Today’s Retirees Read More »
You may benefit even if you can’t reduce your mortgage rate by a full percentage point. Mortgage rates have dropped to levels not seen since 2016, and homeowners are rushing to refinance. You can benefit even if you don’t cut your rate by a full percentage point—a rule of thumb you can safely ignore. The
Now Is a Good Time to Refinance Read More »
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