Advisors

Hector Pertuz | iStock | Getty Images If you’re handling the financial affairs for an older person who has died, you may wonder how the government knows to stop sending Social Security payments. Or maybe there’s a surviving spouse or dependent who is hoping those benefits can continue. Although Social Security rules can be complicated,

Money in a special needs trust can cover supplemental needs not covered by Medicaid and SSI. Uwe Umstaetter | Getty Images Democratic leaders in Washington, D.C., have touted a $3.5 trillion spending package aimed at helping to fight poverty. Yet initial drafts have not included proposed reforms to enhance Supplemental Security Income — also known

In this article MS BLK skynesher | Getty Images Direct indexing, which allows investors to buy the stocks of an index, instead of purchasing a mutual or exchange-traded fund, may soon be available to more investors. While ultra-high-net-worth people have historically used the strategy, those with fewer assets may soon have access as more financial

Kieferpix | iStock | Getty Images When it comes to retirement savings, how much is enough in order to feel financially secure? The median answer across workers of all ages is $500,000, according to research from the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies. But that figure varied somewhat across generations. While the median number for Gen

Peter Cade | Getty Images It looks like some older workers might get a boost in how much extra money they can put in their retirement accounts. So-called catch-up contributions — amounts permitted above the usual contribution limits — would be expanded for workers in their 60s, under legislation pending in Congress. While the details

Pent-up demand is bringing shoppers back to malls like the Mall of America in Minneapolis. Owen Franken | Corbis Documentary | Getty Images After being hobbled by the pandemic recession, real estate investment trusts are rebounding rapidly, and the economic recovery isn’t the only thing driving growth this year. Share prices are rising from demand

David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images Most individual investors — 67% — think they have a responsibility to put money toward companies that have a positive impact on the world, new research shows. That doesn’t mean they are necessarily acting on the sentiment. While more than half (51%) of retail investors avoid investing

Getty Images As inflation pushes prices on everything from food to gasoline higher, your emergency cash could be in danger of losing value. Persistently low interest rates likely will not keep pace with surging costs. Rapid inflation may continue for several months, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a recent interview, while other experts see

Cavan Images | Cavan | Getty Images Covid-19 prompted many women to leave the workforce. That’s because many women were forced to choose between working and taking care of their children and families amid a pandemic often opted for the latter. The difference in earnings and career prospects can be seen immediately. And it could

Image source: Eric Audras | ONOKY | Getty Images There appears to be a lack of understanding among investors about some of the fees they pay. Nearly half (47%) of investors mistakenly think the cost of investments like mutual funds and exchange traded funds generally are included in the fee they pay to their advisor

MoMo Productions | DigitalVision | Getty Images For some retirees, getting a large pension payment can become a big problem. Let’s say a pension plan mistakenly has been paying a participant too much and requires the person to pay back the money, typically through reduced future payments. That can cause many a retiree a lot

In this article COIN Dado Ruvic | Reuters As older Americans worry about the size of their nest eggs, some may eye riskier assets, such as cryptocurrency, to cover their shortfall with the possibility of higher returns. “It’s a tough predicament, and I think a lot of people will find themselves in that space,” said

Getty Images As the market soars and more older workers retire, those sitting on appreciated employer stock in their 401(k) plans may have an opportunity to pay lower taxes on part of that growth. The strategy, known as net unrealized appreciation, or NUA, allows someone to lock in lower capital gains rates rather than paying

Virojt Changyencham | Moment | Getty Images Stocks took a steep dive on Monday amid fears that the coronavirus pandemic will be hard to pull out of. The Dow Jones Industrial Average shed more than 700 points by mid-day. The S&P 500 is down 1.9%, and the Nasdaq Composite has lost 1.6%. Despite the uncertain

Whether transitory or not, inflation has investors rattled. “Many clients have brought up inflation as a concern,” said Jimmy Lee, the CEO of Wealth Consulting Group in Las Vegas. “They’re hearing it all over the place.” Inflation last month accelerated at its fastest pace in 13 years. The consumer price index rose nearly 1% in June,

Scott Olson | Getty Images Inflation surged more in June than it has in more than 10 years, and the news has investors worried. That’s because rising prices can erode a portfolio’s profit. Most simply, as the cost of living swells, your returns don’t go as far. That’s a particularly tough challenge for retirees, who

10’000 Hours | DigitalVision | Getty Images Target-date funds have ballooned in popularity over the past 15 years — yet many investors aren’t using them the way they were intended. The funds were designed as a one-stop shop that put retirement savings on autopilot. Investors are meant to park their nest egg in one fund,

Pascal Broze | ONOKY | Getty Images Rising inflation has startled many retirees, who now worry about outliving their savings. The consumer price index for June, measuring the cost of food, gasoline, housing, utilities and other goods, increased by 0.9%, the largest one-month change since June 2008, according to the Labor Department. Although Federal Reserve

Rolf Bruderer | Tetra images | Getty Images The greatest wealth transfer in history is underway, and taxes may take a bite from inheritances without proper estate planning, financial advisors say. It’s estimated that nearly 45 million U.S. households will transfer more than $68 trillion over the next 25 years, according to Cerulli Associates. Baby

Yuriko Nakao | Getty Images When it comes to investing in the new and highly volatile asset class of cryptocurrencies, most financial advisors have at least one piece of wisdom: Don’t put in more than you can afford to lose. But while that rule of thumb is helpful, it’s pretty general. And so advisors are