Retirement

A feature of the US banking system that mystifies many foreign observers is the wide spread in savings account interest rates. On February 14, rates on savings accounts reported by Bankrate.com ranged from 0.01% to 4.15% with an average of 0.23%. In general, the low-paying banks are the large ones with extensive branch networks and

Buying real estate with someone other than a spouse can be a costly mistake. If you are married and split up, you have rights that are addressed in the divorce process. However, if you are not married and no longer see eye to eye, you are going to need to resolve the issues on your

“This has been more helpful than couples therapy!” is something that good financial advisors will inevitably hear in their work with couples. It’s a powerful testimony, and it shouldn’t come as a surprise with more than 50% of marriages ending in divorce and most of those citing “disagreements over money” as the chief reason for

Many of us have bought and used timeshares for affordable vacations. For some, it was a great investment, for others an albatross. But timeshares are no longer “buy a week at a specific resort and either use it or exchange it for a different resort or week.” They’re now a side hustle where you can

Starting a side hustle provides you with an opportunity for fun and profit. It’s fun because you’re doing something you enjoy. It’s profitable because you’re making money doing it. But here’s a word to the wise: don’t misunderstand that having fun means you can treat your side hustle like an extension of your personal finances.

A coalition of regulators recently issued warnings about the risks of some self-directed IRAs that many investors aren’t aware of. There are a couple types of self-directed IRAs. Most mutual fund companies and brokers say their IRAs are self-directed. By that, they mean that your IRA can buy any investment on their investment platforms, which

You’ve been pondering this side hustle idea for some time now, wondering if this is the one. You don’t want it to take up too much of your day (or your wallet) to implement it, but you do want it to be successful. Of course, there’s a far more important issue that’s bothering you. It’s

Would you call someone who starts a side hustle an entrepreneur? That’s the problem with side hustles. They usually start with “fun” and, from there, end up in “business.” As a result, the true nature of side hustles can confuse you. Should you worry about side hustles the same way you worry about your day

A recent study from the TIAA Institute reports that longevity literacy is just as important as financial literacy and that retirees with strong longevity literacy tend to experience better financial outcomes in retirement. An important challenge to ensuring a financially secure retirement is that most older Americans underestimate how long they could live. “Longevity literacy

People rightfully worry about inflation since they get to keep less of their paycheck, but there are some, though not universal, positive signs on inflation in the most recent data. In sum, we are already heading in the right direction towards less inflation. But, Congress and the administration need to keep their eye on improving

The Social Security trust fund is projected to be exhausted in 2033, according to a recent report by the Congressional Budget Office. This report inspired the usual slew of hysterical misconceptions that Social Security will become bankrupt and you won’t receive any benefits. Following the CBO report, several sources published articles that helped educate the

So you’re ready to launch that side hustle you’ve always been dreaming of doing. Maybe you’re doing it because inflation has put a strain on your budget. Maybe you’re doing it because you want to take your hobby to the next level. Maybe you’re doing it simply because you’re bored and want to add a

The Social Security trust fund is projected to be exhausted in 2033, according to a recent report by the Congressional Budget Office. This report inspired the usual slew of hysterical misconceptions that Social Security will become bankrupt and you won’t receive any benefits. Following the CBO report, several sources published articles that helped educate the

In 2006, Congress established National Entrepreneurship Week. It is celebrated roughly the third week of February. You might think of “entrepreneurship” in terms of new business start-ups with the intention of having them blossom into Wall Street winners. Well, there’s a new kind of entrepreneur rising from the ranks of not just Main Street but

When I was a little girl, I loved reading fairy tales and watching film adaptations. The best part was that no matter what happened in the story, no matter how many villains made an appearance, you knew that the heroes and heroines were guaranteed to have a happy ending. And when villains appeared in books

It has been almost three years since our community and health care leaders told us to “shelter in place” from a pandemic, about which our medical professionals still knew very little. Staying home wasn’t a law anywhere in the U.S. but the vast majority of us obeyed the directive and hunkered down, waiting for better

All state pensions in Ohio have dramatically underperformed for decades due to rampant political corruption and gambling on Wall Street’s riskiest investments. State politicians have profited from Wall Street campaign contributions as active government workers and retirees have seen their benefits slashed. The staggering cost of this mismanagement amounts to $46,000 per Ohio taxpayer. That’s

The Three Phases of Care After my back surgery I began the long path to being whole. I began physical therapy immediately upon leaving the hospital and now am continuing to go regularly. My Physical Therapist, Corey Huff, the brains behind this article, and a therapist at Saylor Physical Therapy in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida,

Zane is a brilliant man, a former well respected, famous psychology professor who taught at a prestigious university. And he has advancing signs of early dementia. He still has a lot of awareness of what is going on but he is no longer able to safely care for himself or his money. He has lived

The labor market in general remains remarkably strong with all of the jobs lost during the pandemic long recovered. But, public employment is not doing so well. Parts of state and local government employment are still well below their levels before the pandemic. Governments have a difficult time attracting the talent that they need for