Retirement

Key takeaways The Fed is expected to introduce a 0.25% interest rate hike today, bringing the target up to 4.75% Inflation is already showing signs of cooling, so now the Fed risks higher interest rates causing a recession The shifting global economic landscape means the Fed may need to revisit its rate hikes sooner than

Five Key Considerations With two exceptions, my wife and I have owned at least one dog throughout our 44 years of marriage. The first exception was some thirty years ago when we still had two cats. The second exception is now. Our beloved border collie, Skye, crossed over the rainbow bridge this past summer and

SECURE 2.0 was enacted as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023. It introduces a significant number of changes to retirement preparation including, contributions, simplicity of participation, and the date for beginning Required Minimum Distributions (RMD). There is a significant new provision for the surviving spouse of a deceased participant in an employer retirement plan.

You may think that your aging loved ones are safe from being ripped off because they’ve been careful about their estate planning, particularly if they have a lot to steal. But there is more to keeping them safe financially than a will and trust. The elders tell you “we’ve taken care of all that. Don’t

Readers are already asking questions about how SECURE 2.0, the new act that was signed into law at the end of 2022, affects RMDs (required minimum distributions) from IRA and other tax-deferred accounts. The Changing Landscape In 2022, under the SECURE Act (now referred to as SECURE 1.0), the RMD age was 72. SECURE 2.0,

Households of color often find themselves in a tighter financial bind than is the case for white households. Black, Latino, many Asian households as well as households of other and multiple races and ethnicities tend to have fewer savings, while they face greater financial risks from unemployment, health emergencies, and widespread discrimination, among others. Squeezed

The new year brings the start of many things, the most likely being a hangover. No, not that kind of hangover. The one referenced here is the work hangover. The end of the year fills your social calendar. That requires you to prioritize your work. The most important items get done. The rest you leave

It doesn’t take much to send a solid retirement plan off the rails. Fortunately, you’re more likely to avoid retirement failures when you know the mistakes that endanger your financial independence and security. Helping Too Much People often dip too far into their retirement funds to help loved ones. Many parents don’t like to turn

There’s been a problem with 529 plans from their very beginning. They’ve always been a gamble. You gambled your child would actually go to college. You gambled your child would not earn a scholarship. You gambled you would put too much money into the 529 plan. Why is the 529 plan a gamble? When you

The U.S. has just about 39 million workers 55 and older. What’s it like being one of those 39 million older workers? You can’t generalize. They range from billionaire Warren Buffett to Butch Marion, a 82 year old clerk at Walmart WMT who was able to retire after someone sponsored a GoFundMe campaign for him.