Retirement
For the past 10 years, the Federal Reserve’s fiscal policy of easy money helped fuel booming stock and bond markets. Since 2009 the value of the S&P 500 Index of large U.S. stocks has close to tripled. Meanwhile, interest rates remained at historically low levels. The Fed now is signaling an end to the era […]
As many as 9,224 widows and widowers aged 70 and up have been underpaid beneficiary benefits for years — at a cost to them of nearly $132 million in lost benefits, according to new report. The report from the Inspector General of the Social Security Administration (SSA) raises concern that many retirees fail to understand […]
Several states and retirement plan advocates are supporting passage of a plan to allow state governments to offer retirement plans to workers not covered by 401(k)-type workplace plans. The plans would be run by the state but offered through small businesses that normally cannot effectively manage a 401(k). Deductions from worker paychecks would fund the […]
Financial experts are worried that Bitcoin mania and the overestimation of the safety of Bitcoin IRAs will normalize the idea of using cryptocurrencies as a viable investment option in retirement planning. It is a retirement savings strategy that is fraught with risk, they say, as well as hidden fees and unpredictability. Auctus, a retirement planning firm, […]
Is it time for that long-predicted bear market to finally begin? A Goldman Sachs computer model says yes! One model created by the Wall Street giant shows a dangerous bear market — more than a blip or correction but outright stock selling sustained for a long period — is right around the corner. The Goldman […]
For the 40 million retired workers in the United States there is no social program that is more depended on than Social Security. Sixty-two percent of retirees count Social Security as half of their monthly income. As policies and the economy continue to reshape Social Security it is essential for all Americans to stay on […]
The Federal Reserve move to increase the benchmark interest rate should lead to higher rates for savers who like to invest in federally insurance certificates of deposit (CDs), a popular retirement income vehicle. After years of basement-level returns, some CD yields are nearing 3%. Does this mean it is time to divert some cash into CDs? […]
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, signed into law by President Donald Trump in December, significantly changed federal estate tax planning statutes. Namely, the cuts double the current personal exemptions for estate tax beneficiaries. Previously, the cap for personal exemption from federal estate taxes was $5.5 million dollars. It is now $11.2 million dollars. Married couples […]
Life expectancies are on the rise. While that’s good news for those of us that have big plans for our later years, it may not be the most promising development for our financial plans. According to a 2011 survey, a substantial number of folks in both groups underestimated how long they might live by at […]
Sovereign wealth funds have boosted their investment in private equity and other alternative investments to nearly one-fourth of their total assets, according to a report by accounting firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC). PwC reported that yield-hungry sovereign wealth funds had 23 percent of their assets invested in private equity, real estate, infrastructure and commodities in 2016, up […]
