raccoon in a trash can Getty Most stocks that pay more than 10% are, honestly, trash. Their yields usually look big because their stocks have split once or twice “the wrong way.” Take Tupperware Brands (TUP), for example. The party ended abruptly for these shareholders. I feel bad for anyone who was mistakenly holding these
Retirement
Getty Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: the earnings gap between men and women affects not merely their living standards in the short-term, but also their well-being in retirement. There’s nothing surprising here. But the whole discussion is very narrowly focused on income. There’s an elephant in the room: marriage. Let’s start with
Trickle-down tax cuts do not build a strong middle class Getty Many families still struggle financially, even though the economy has been on the mend for more than a decade. It becomes increasingly clear that something must fundamentally change for a broad and secure middle class to reemerge. Real economic security for more families won’t
Businessman looking tired while working at his office desk Getty Real estate investment trusts (REITs) are on fire—and we need to be very careful not to get burned. Here’s the twist: there’s plenty more upside ahead—and you can thank the Fed for that. Its latest rate cuts will keep powering REITs higher, for two reasons:
(Rancho Santa Fe, CA)Clinical Pharmacist Jason Kim consults patients with Medicare questions (Photo … [+] by Mark Boster/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) Los Angeles Times via Getty Images One of the biggest misconceptions seniors have about health care is this: I have Medicare so don’t need to worry about medical costs in old age. It
Retiring early has obvious advantages, but it can also have disadvantages. Early retirement is often envisioned as ditching the daily grind for a worry-free lifestyle in your 50s and 60s. However, if you are not properly prepared, a tighter budget might make that lack of the daily grind seem less enjoyable. However, if you are
null Getty It’s been a terrific year for one specific group of funds—and that means, if you’re one of many people who own them, you need to be very careful. I’m talking about senior-loan (also known as floating-rate) funds, which have made big gains in 2019. That’s lulled many folks into a false sense of
Put more into your piggy bank with tax-planning strategies for capital gains. Getty Let’s say you own stock that may generate a big capital gain when you sell it. It could be shares in Apple or Amazon that you purchased a long time ago, founder’s stock in a startup that turned into a hot IPO
Will the maximum social security benefit be increasing in 2020? Getty There is some good news and some bad news for workers near the top of the Social Security payroll tax levels. For 2019, the top-level is $132,900 or more. The bad news is that more of your income will get hit with Social Security
Team of doctors Getty Elizabeth Warren just released her proposal for funding the single-payer healthcare system she calls “Medicare for All” but which is far more generous than the existing Medicare system, promising all medically necessary/appropriate services/treatments not just with respect to traditional healthcare but also dental, hearing, vision, and long-term care, both in-home and
Presidential candidates Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders have proposed expensive across-the-board increases in Social Security benefits, premised on the idea, as Warren says, that “It’s too hard to save enough for a decent retirement — and it’s only getting harder.” Congressional Democrats are ready to back the candidates’ promises, with near-unanimous House Democrat support for
(photo credit: Getty) Getty For Baby Boomers who remember the double-digit inflation that helped put Ronald Reagan in the White House, today’s comparatively subdued annual increases in the Consumer Price Index probably rank low among their retirement-related concerns. Rather than trying to restrain inflation, the Federal Reserve is now striving to boost it to 2%
stack of money Getty Did you get a notification from a former employer offering you the opportunity to cash out your future pension, or even a pension you’re collecting now or about to start, in exchange for a lump sum amount of money? Are you trying to make sense of the numbers? Are you unable
A new study has shown that high intensity exercise improves memory in seniors. Getty High-intensity treadmill workouts may not immediately spring to mind when considering a suitable exercise regimen for seniors. But, according to a new study, these workouts can significantly boost memory function by up to 30%. Researchers from McMaster University in Ontario, Canada
By Alexandra Kathryn Mosca, Next Avenue Contributor Getty From the time I could first hold a pen, it was my dream to make a living from the written word. As a child, I was awed by the power of books and the worlds they opened. My career path, however, took a very different turn — until
Mature couple doing family finances at home. Senior couple discussing home economics sitting at … [+] table. Happy couple sitting at home planning household financials. Getty I recently illustrated the dangers of trusting the Dividend Aristocrats to take care of your retirement needs. Their average yield of 2.4% is a fraction of what you’ll need
A forensic review of the endangered mine workers pension should be undertaken immediately. Workers and retirees deserve answers and once the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation takes over the plan, it will be too late. The bankruptcy of Murray Energy, America’s largest private coal mining company has coal workers “nervous and scared” for their pensions,
Economic Security Planning, Inc. Today’s column addresses when a person can receive an excess spousal benefit, whether both spouses can be eligible for spousal benefits, spousal benefits after retirement benefits, more on excess spousal benefits and becoming eligible for retirement benefits. Larry Kotlikoff is a Professor of Economics at Boston University and the founder and
Imagine your aging parent or other loved one living on his or her own and losing power from a natural disaster or an intentional blackout. What would they do? It’s fire season in California and with it has come massive preventive power cutoffs from the largest utility company. There are lessons for all of us
health insurance concept – stethoscope over the money on the table Getty Many people know that Health Savings Accounts (HSA) are a great way to pay for qualified medical expenses with their triple-tax advantage features. However, what many people might not know is that there is an IRS loophole that will allow you flexibility in