Do you understand your investments? If you don’t, you might be taking unnecessary risks. KISS means “keep it simple, stupid.” Two of the most renowned investors who have ever lived – Warren Buffett and Peter Lynch – have followed this principle in building their fortunes. As...
Little things you could do that could help you leave work a little sooner. Little things matter. When planning for retirement, people naturally think about the big things – arranging sufficient income, amassing enough savings, investing so that you don’t outlive your money, managing forms of...
More improvement may be in store for the economy and the stock market. Will the economy & the bull market make further strides next year? On both Wall Street and Main Street, 2013 has turned out better than many analysts expected. Will the recovery gain additional...
How good a year was it for the economy? Statistics tell the tale. Was 2013 a terrific year for stocks? Absolutely. The good news wasn’t limited to Wall Street, however: the employment rate fell, the economy revved up, home prices rose and inflation pressure was minimal. Bulls...
Some may be renewed, others may not be. At the end of every year, certain federal tax breaks face a sunset. Some are renewed, some expire. As 2014 will soon start, here is a list of some of notable tax provisions that may go away next...
If anything happens to you, your family has someone to consult. If you weren’t around, what would happen to your investments? In many families, one person handles investment decisions, and spouses or children have little comprehension of what happens each week, month or year with a...
Help the causes you care about & help your finances in the process. An opportunity for you to give & save. As 2013 ends, you may be considering making one or more charitable gifts. In most instances, they are tax-deductible with benefits for the donor as...
If you’re 40 or 50 and haven’t begun, you must make the effort. Some people start saving for retirement at 20, 25, or 30. Others start later, and while their accumulated assets will have fewer years of compounding to benefit from, that shouldn’t discourage them to...
Are memories of the downturn hurting the financial potential of boomers? At the end of October, the S&P 500 was up 24.39% in the past 12 months. What investor wouldn’t want gains like that? As uplifting as that market advance was for many, some baby boomers...
Next year’s small COLA isn’t the only adjustment related to the program. Here are six things you need to know about Social Security for 2014. For clarity’s sake, here is a rundown of what is changing next year, and what isn’t. Social Security recipients are getting a...