Does your estate need a Plan B? The author of today’s article warns that, while the assumption when drawing up a will is that you will pre-decease your heirs, “accidents and crimes can claim several lives in one swoop…Without proper preparation, those kinds of situations can snarl your estate plan, potentially reducing the value of assets you bequeath or putting…
The ten stocks identified in today’s article may be nice stocks to trade for short-term profit, but you may not want to bet your retirement portfolio on them. Specifically, the author identifies ten stocks that he argues “are more likely to hurt your retirement than help it” as they lack what he sees as the critical feature for retirement stocks:…
A majority of Americans believe that their children will be worse off financially than they are and, as today’s article notes, this concern appears to have merit in at least one critical respect: Social Security. Specifically, the article looks at the findings of the most recent trustee’s report for Social Security that “almost nobody noticed.” What’s in the report, why…
“If you will celebrate your 62nd birthday in 2017 or soon after, you’re in the vanguard of a big change in Social Security,” notes today’s article. That change? The raising of the full retirement age from 66 to 67. The author examines the impact this big change – as well as other tricky Social Security math you may encounter –…
Outliving their money, Social Security being reduced or eliminated, and declining mental health necessitating long-term care. These are the top 3 retirement fears of Americans, as identified by a recent survey – and today’s article acknowledges that these are all serious risks worthy of attention. However, the author argues that “instead of living your life in fear, you can take…
For investors in their 50s looking to both grow their retirement nest eggs and build a steady stream of passive income, today’s article highlights one stock which, “with its powerful wealth-building combination of increasing dividend payouts and share-price appreciation”, may be one of the best picks for achieving both of these goals. To find out what this stock is –…
Issues relating to retirement did not receive much focus during the presidential campaign. However, the incoming Trump administration (and the Republican-controlled Congress) are positioned to affect a number of issues of importance to impending retirees – including the fate of the fiduciary rule requiring that investment advisers handling retirement accounts act in the best interests of their clients. So what…
When it comes to target-date funds, today’s article states that the popular retirement investment vehicles may become more interesting and less expensive this year. Specifically, the article examines how some fund sponsors are going about trying to reduce volatility, boost returns, lower fees, and even select more socially conscious investments, all in an effort to attract more investors. To read…
Looking back on the year that was, it may seem like 2016 was more ridiculous than educational, but the author of today’s article states that, “when it comes to takeaways that can improve your retirement planning and investing, I think there’s one big lesson we should all draw from 2016.” From the markets’ worst start to a year ever, to…
December 31st is the deadline for those over age 70½ with tax-deferred retirement accounts to take their required minimum distributions (RMDs) and, after outlining the rules relating to RMDs (such as that hefty 50% penalty the IRS imposes on those who fail to take their distributions on time), today’s article provides some tips for taking RMDs. When – if ever…