Retirement

Economic Security Planning, Inc. Today’s column addresses questions about restricted applications, 401(k)s and the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and what methods are available to increase benefits after filing. Larry Kotlikoff is a Professor of Economics at Boston University and the founder and president of Economic Security Planning, Inc, which markets Maximize My Social Security and

By Richard Eisenberg, Next Avenue Managing Editor getty Usually, when my “Friends Talk Money” podcast hosts and I record an episode, we’re sharing advice about how to earn more money and manage what you’ve got. But our newest episode is full of warnings on how to not lose money — specifically, to Covid-19 identity theft

Don’t be too worried about the impact of the election on your retirement savings. getty It’s understandable if pre-retirees and retirees are nervous about the impact of the upcoming presidential election on their retirement savings, especially if they’re keeping up with the news these days. If they are, they might feel as if they’re being

What’s going to happen to the economy in 2021? Now that we’re approaching the end of the third quarter of 2020, there are three scenarios for the coming year that savers, investors and people planning for retirement should keep in mind. Yellow means proceed with caution Steve Chen The Good Case for 2021 Though some

WILMINGTON, DELAWARE – SEPTEMBER 04: Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden speaks during a … [+] campaign event September 4, 2020 in Wilmington, Delaware. Biden spoke on the economy that has been worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) Getty Images Joe Biden has promised a vast array of new spending — not,

Saving for retirement is hard enough without having to manage multiple investment accounts. With the proliferation of tax-advantaged accounts, however, many individuals juggle several if not more than a dozen retirement accounts. An investment tracking tool can help manage all of these accounts in one place, and below are the three best investment tracking apps

LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY – MAY 04: The field heads down the backstretch during the 145th running of the … [+] Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 04, 2019 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) Getty Images Trends, stats and this Saturday’s Run For The Roses I have a confession to make. I love

As the November election draws near, some attention has been focused on a particularly contentious plan by Joe Biden to eliminate the 401(k) deduction. In truth, Biden isn’t proposing to eliminate the 401(k) deduction as much as to replace it with a tax credit. AFP via Getty Images Be that as it may, defined contribution

getty Does the recent fall in the market worry you? Depending on your age, it shouldn’t. If you’re a millennial, there’s something else that should worry you more. The good news, though, is that it’s something you have total control over. If you’re like most investors, you read the results of the market every day.

getty Let’s start from scratch: what are the tax advantages of a traditional or Roth 401(k) or IRA? In both cases, they allow savers to avoid paying taxes on their investment returns. In the case of a traditional IRA/401(k), they also allow savers to pay their taxes, ultimately, based on their total effective tax rate

Looking for love over 50? You are not alone. Online dating sites such as SilverSingles.com are seeing increases in users and activity. But beware: Your “perfect match” may just be a fraudster who would love to target you with a romance scam. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), “reports of romance scams are growing,

By Kerry Hannon, Next Avenue Contributor getty The great national Covid-19 remote working experiment the past six months has opened the lid on the benefits and the challenges of working from home for millions of workers. For Sandra Molleck, who works as a commercial lines account manager for a large California based insurer through WAHVE

Fixed Index Annuities Caveat In this discussion of fixed index annuities, which use to be called equity indexed annuities, I am mostly making an implicit assumption that the annuity is competitively priced. Internal costs reflect was is needed to support the guarantees provided by the insurance company and to keep the company reasonably profitable. But

If you’re deciding whether to pay off your mortgage in retirement, carefully consider all the … [+] factors. getty Some pre-retirees and retirees might be wondering if it makes any sense to pay off the mortgage on their home in the current low-interest environment. As it is with many seemingly simple questions, the answer is

Economic Security Planning, Inc. Today’s column addresses questions about whether continuing income can replace earlier years with low or no income taxed by Social Security, whether to file for lower retirement benefits after spousal benefits and potential benefits based on a deceased parent’s record. Larry Kotlikoff is a Professor of Economics at Boston University and

By Stephenie Overman, Next Avenue Contributor getty An 18-year-old American soldier who went to fight in Vietnam in 1968 — the year of peak deployment —is now 70 years old. In addition to the usual health problems affecting that age group, many Vietnam veterans struggle with Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the effects of Agent

A California street getty It sounds preposterous, and the headline of a recent article here at Forbes by Marilyn Cohen is certainly eye-catching: “The Lunacy Of Using City Streets To Collateralize New Municipal Bond Deals.” And these aren’t just any municipal bond deals — two cities in California are issuing bonds with their own city

getty Is there a budding bull market in “boring?” Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway made news this week when they disclosed their latest investment. The giant conglomerate now owns about 5% of the outstanding shares of 5 Japanese trading companies. Or, as they call them in Japan, sogo shosha. Berkshire also owns nearly $6B worth of

Social Security requires more than a power of attorney getty Hopefully, Baby Boomers are paying more attention to their power of attorney (POA) documents.  A previous post pointed out that, as valuable as these POA documents are, they will not stand alone for Medicare. The same holds true for Social Security. POAs do not give the

By Nancy Collamer, Next Avenue Contributor Barbara Sher Courtesy Barbara Sher’s YouTube channel With entire industries pummeled by the pandemic, millions of older American workers are being forced to find new career paths. If you’re one of them, you’re likely struggling to find your way forward. There’s no surefire formula for navigating a successful career