Retirement

The Saving Problem Secure 2.0 Aimed to Solve Secure 2.0 is a pension reform package passed at the end of last year with provisions to lower taxes on retirement savings for high earners and to expand coverage and retirement savings. At least, that was a hope. My colleague and I, Siavash Radpour, Research Director at

Everyone age 18 and over should have a health care proxy document signed (think kids off to college, and yourself, not just an elderly parent). A health care proxy, also called a medical power of attorney, is a legal document in which you designate someone to make medical decisions if you can’t do so for

Our society seems to have a widespread ageist attitude about older adults. In the media, elders are shown receiving help, taking medications, being infirm, and less capable in many ways because of age. It is inescapable that these images shape our own attitudes. Stereotypes cause us to think of people in groups as being all

It is becoming a tradition to share my favorite personal finance books each year and I love to do it. So many great financial minds are sharing their insights and narrowing it down to only five is a challenge. But, here are my favorite personal finance books I recommend you read in 2023: Cashing Out:

You might be able to deduct charitable contributions in 2023 even if you don’t itemize expenses on Schedule A. Charitable contribution deductions currently are available only to those who itemize expenses. To itemize, your total itemize expense deductions must exceed the standard deduction. The standard deduction was doubled in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs

Another voice has joined the chorus of those proposing an increase in the retirement age. Nikki Haley, who has declared her intention to run for the Republican Party presidential nomination in 2024, announced her willingness to raise the retirement age for Social Security and Medicare during a political event in Iowa. She adds her support

In March of every year, the World Health Organization (WHO) and people in the hearing industry celebrate and support a “World Hearing Day.” It’s been going on for decades and is generally used to raise awareness about hearing loss and inform listeners and readers about the options available to them – options for appliances that

Introduction Cleaning out your attic is one of those unpleasant projects that is typically delayed, deferred, and dodged as long as possible. Not much fun. The benefit to biting the clean-up bullet on your attic is similar conceptually to cleaning up your estate and related planning. In both your attic and estate planning clean-up projects

“Held-to-maturity” is a phrase that has been thrown around a lot in the days following Silicon Valley Bank’s implosion. Here’s what it means, why it matters, and how you might avoid SVB‘s VB fatal mistakes in your own personal financial planning. SVB received an enormous amount of deposits from enterprising venture capital firms in the

Financial technology is growing and improving every day and robo- and hybrid-advisors are creating a more accessible and affordable way to gain financial guidance. With all the advancements, many people have asked me this question: are financial advisors going to become obsolete? Naturally as a financial advisor myself, I sure hope not. But I also

In early March, Senator Elizabeth Warren released a report about the incentives giant insurance companies offer to agents selling Medicare Supplement Insurance (otherwise known as Medigap policies). The report noted that the incentives steer unsuspecting seniors into products that “cost them hundreds or thousands of dollars more each year.” More than what? The report does

The latest estimates say the Social Security trust fund will run out of money earlier than previous estimates. In 2022, the Trustees of Social Security and Medicare projected that the Social Security retirement trust fund would run out of money in 2034. I said at the time that estimates and assumptions used in the projection

So far there is no reliable narrative about what the banking crisis in the United States will mean for the world economy. Even after the implosion of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB VB ) and Signature Bank, we likely have not heard the last of troubles in regional banking. The latest institution to face a life-or-death

Just over three years after the world heard about Covid, and despite getting vaxed and boosted, I finally got hit with the virus. Although it’s possible I had it in January 2020 when I was in southeast Asia since I had all the same symptoms , I never got tested since there were no tests

You’d have to be living in a cave for the past decade to be unaware that Social Security will be facing significant funding challenges in about 10 years. If Congress doesn’t act to close the funding gap, retirees could face benefit reductions of roughly 20% to 25%. Predictably, our political leaders can’t agree on the

The goal of estate planning is to ensure your assets transition to your loved ones after your death in an efficient manner while maximizing tax savings. There is no one plan for everyone – it depends on you, your family, your assets and your wishes. Unfortunately, not everyone pays as much attention to their estate

Many people prefer to age in place at home when help is needed, rather than go to a care facility. The expenses of assisted living, memory care and home care are all quite high. The best of care at home is attainable, but at a price some don’t consider. Here are two case studies of

In February, an Australian tourist was detained at Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali, Indonesia, and held for questioning by immigration officers. The reason? A thumbnail-sized tear in his passport. After reading a statement that acknowledged that his passport was “of poor quality and/or a fake,” the tourist was eventually allowed into Bali. But the

In the U.S., some Republican lawmakers are proposing to raise the age of eligibility for full Social Security benefits, provoking withering criticism from President Biden and many Democrats. But the debate over when government should begin paying retirement benefits isn’t just a controversy here. It is happening all over the world. French President Emmanuel Macron

Depositors and investors aren’t the only people taking a financial beating from the recent collapse of two regional banks. Many bank employees are suffering big losses in their 401(k) accounts. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation took over Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, rendering stock in the banks worthless. The contagion that frequently accompanies bank