Their combined power must be recognized & appreciated. Why reroute dividends back into your investments? Isn’t taking the income the preferred outcome when a dividend is produced? Retirees and pre-retirees are eager for dividend income in this era of historically low interest rates. Even so, the choice...
Rules changes for IRAs, 401(k)s & other savings vehicles. The IRS has made minor adjustments to retirement plan limitations for 2014. As inflation has been tame in 2013, these COLAs aren’t dramatic; as a result, some retirement plans won’t see any next year. Here is a...
Where is everything? Time to organize and centralize your documents. Before retirement begins, gather what you need. Put as much documentation as you can in one place, for you and those you love. It could be a password-protected online vault; it could be a file cabinet;...
In the coming years, many Americans will face the challenge. 70% of people currently over age 65 will require some long term care someday. That is the estimate of the U.S. Administration on Aging, a division of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.1 Will...
A look at the economist newly nominated to lead the Federal Reserve. Janet Yellen – currently the vice chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve – has been nominated to succeed Ben Bernanke at the helm of the world’s most important central bank....
WEEKLY QUOTE“It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” - J.K. Rowling WEEKLY TIP A retirement plan isn’t simply about reaching a number. As you get closer to your savings goals, keep your life goals front and center. WEEKLY RIDDLE If there are...
If implemented, privatization may have significant side effects. On Capitol Hill and elsewhere, voices are calling for a major shift in public pension plan management – a shift toward privatization. Underfunding of public pensions is all too common. The bankruptcies of Detroit, Stockton and San Bernardino have...
While the idea of retirement has changed, certain financial assumptions haven’t. We’ve all heard about the “new retirement”, the mix of work and play that many of us assume we will have in our lives one day. We do not expect “retirement” to be all leisure....
Are they threatening the recovery? Or is their effect overstated? Between early May and mid-July, the average interest rate on the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rose about 1%. Rates on 30-year FRMs have basically held steady since hitting a peak of 4.51% in Freddie Mac’s July 11...
How many retirees face the possibility of less recurring income? On July 18, Detroit became the largest American city to file for Chapter 9 bankruptcy. What will happen to the pensions of its 20,000+ retired public employees? There is a possibility they could be reduced –...