Retirement

Many factors determine how happy and fulfilling your retirement will be. Smart financial planning can increase your chances of maintaining financial freedom for as long as you live. Here are some of the biggest risks to having a secure and happy retirement I’ve seen over the past twenty+ years helping my retirement-planning clients achieve financial

The Federal Trade Commission often issues warnings for consumers about scams of all kinds. They are raising the alarm about phony treatments and cures for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, sending letters to the companies that advertise these fake products. We can understand why people who desperately want a cure for a disease that is currently

Roth IRAs Are Special Roth IRAs are not subject to income taxation (as long as the account has been open for at least five years). There are no during-your-life forced withdrawals for the owner of the Roth IRA – that is, there are no lifetime required minimum distributions, in contrast to RMDs for traditional, tax-deferred

Self-employed women, broadly speaking, felt the full brunt of the COVID downturn at greater numbers than nearly any other group. The rate of self-employed mothers working at least 30 hours a week, for instance, dropped by more than 40% in one month from March to April 2020, according to Federal Reserve data. The rates of

By Rachel Leland, Next Avenue As aging World War II veteran Johnnie Ray Toland started showing signs of Alzheimer’s, his family began searching for an assisted living home to care for him. Staff members at one home introduced the family to Tammi Palasini. Palasini, who would later be sentenced to 20 years behind bars for

By Laurence J. Kotlikoff, Next Avenue Social Security’s Earnings Test tops my list for our government’s most senseless and personally financially destructive policy. The Earnings Test is a massive tax that isn’t. It’s a tax that’s levied and then secretly returned making no money on balance for the government (as measured on an actuarial present

A new rule under SECURE 2.0 creates a great opportunity for IRA owners 70 ½ or older with charitable inclinations to get a prospective valuable tax benefit and keep cash flow. The current law allows a charitable distribution from an IRA for individuals age 70 ½ or older (irrespective of the new Required Minimum Distribution

Jason R. Escamilla, founder and CIO of ImpactAdvisor LLC in San Francisco, has seen it all before. It was nearly 30 years ago when he initially tried Socially Responsible Investing (“SRI”), the predecessor of ESG. And he was cool with it. Until everything changed. “ESG/SRI used to be about selectivity and choice,” says Escamilla. “I

The Author Wasted No Time In Solving His Dilemma A couple of months ago I wrote an article questioning whether getting a dog at this point in my life is a good idea. While my wife and I strongly missed the companionship and unconditional love we got from our pets, our age, health status, and

With President Biden’s veto of the Congress’s bipartisan joint resolution, ESG has been one of the hottest news stories in the financial world. Beyond the politics of it, proponents and opponents of the ESG push have their own reasons for staking out their positions. Would it surprise you to learn that self-interest plays a role?

Late last year, Congress passed and President Biden signed SECURE 2.0 legislation as part of the Omnibus spending bill. Enactment of this legislation is a clear signal that policymakers understand the depths of the frightening retirement savings shortfall facing millions of Americans. The reasons are many for the nation’s retirement crisis – from rising costs

Aging solo is about those individuals who are widowed or not married, live alone, and have no family or none they can count on. They are going through the last years of their lives on their own. It can be just fine until one’s health declines and the usual activities and access to friends get

When President Biden used his first veto (less than 60 days after his party no longer controlled both houses of Congress), the media reported on the event with much fanfare. That it had to do with a very narrow subject didn’t matter. But was all the chest pumping justified? Could it be that the issue

There is no denying the Biden Administration is pro working families. Take the Infrastructure Act which focuses on onshoring, bringing and keeping jobs in the US. Take another look at the Federal Trade Commission taking a pro-worker leap by exposing non-compete clauses – clauses which prevent millions of working from taking a job at higher

Marcia S. Wagner, Esq., President/Founder of The Wagner Law Group in Boston, is one of the nation’s most notable ERISA attorneys. She founded The Wagner Law Group over 25 years ago after a decade of practicing employee benefits law. She graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Cornell University and is a graduate

Medicare Advantage plans increasingly are using artificial intelligence and related tools to determine which care is approved for coverage. Algorithms and artificial intelligence determine care in many plans and are driving denials of coverage to new highs, according to a study by STAT. The case for using AI is that the tools can process more

Over the years there has been the debate on whether privatizing Social Security is a good idea. Back in 2005, former President George W. Bush was presenting the idea of partially privatizing Social Security on the basis that people could earn a better investment return in the market thereby solidifying their retirement portfolio. This change

By Richard Eisenberg, Next Avenue Personal finance journalists and advisers have often discouraged people from buying annuities for retirement income because the financial products can be complicated and laden with high, hidden fees. But rising interest rates are now making a particular type of annuity — known as a Multiyear Guaranteed Annuity or a MYGA

Looking for something to do that brings in extra money? You’re not alone, no matter what your age. But when you’re retired, finding a side hustle can be both a challenge and easier than ever. How many senior citizens have side hustles? Every month, “nearly 300,000” people start some sort of side hustle. That’s based

There are pros and cons to living anywhere. Before you quit your job (retire), list your house, and move your life across the country, take a deep breath and ask yourself the questions we cover in this post. As a Los Angeles Financial Planner, I often speak with people looking to save on taxes and