Retirement

While there is no chance the federal government will enact long-term care financing reform any time soon, several states are busy developing public insurance programs of their own. These initiatives could be a critical step as the nation wrestles with how to pay for personal care for older adults and others with disabilities or chronic

Mike Tyson famously said “everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” Unfortunately, this can be as true when it comes to retirement planning as it is in boxing. Here are some ways LIFE can get in the way of even the best laid plans and what you can do about it:

SECURE 2.0 was part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023. It introduces a significant number of changes to contributions, simplicity of participation, and the date for beginning Required Minimum Distributions (RMD). However, one interesting twist is a provision that allows a 529 education plan to be rolled into a Roth. Aside from a great opportunity

Data security has been increased for tax returns, credit cards, and other traditional targets of cyber thieves. Now, the online thieves are making sophisticated attacks on employer retirement plans and the accounts in the plans. Data security at retirement plans varies, and the security can be breached several different ways. The cyber thieves probe to

Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Inflation plus rising interest rates on your variable debt may be putting the squeeze on your budget. There are two ways out of that problem: Lower your spending or raise your income. If you have cash available to invest, high-yield dividend stocks can be a nice

Many people often wait until December to withdraw their required minimum distribution (RMD) from their IRAs and 401(k) accounts. While that may have worked for them in prior years, 2022 offered a hard lesson in why it may be better to be more proactive. Background The IRS requires certain retirees to withdraw minimum amounts each

The path to retirement can be long. The early years are often focused on meeting expenses and beginning to set aside as much retirement savings as possible. Then the middle years bring an increased focus on minimizing expenses and growing retirement and nonretirement assets. As one gets closer to retirement, that focus often changes once

Here at AgingParents.com, we hear just about every age-related problem you can think of. Families bring up issues about cognitive decline most often. We’re in the advice business for families of elders. When I first learned of a minority group using its common ground with ethnically related elders as a particularly slimy way to steal

A classic mistake made when considering annuities is to focus too much on current interest rates and the direction they seem likely to move. Annuities are income vehicles, so it’s natural to consider interest rates and the outlook for future rates. But too often the relationship between some annuities and interest rates is misunderstood, and

The Secure 2.0 Act is a landmark legislation that promises to revolutionize how US workers save for retirement. With the legislation officially signed into law by President Joe Biden last week, proponents are optimistic that millions of Americans can look forward to a retirement future with more security, options and control. So what all is

Wealth inequality by race remains staggeringly high, but it has gradually declined throughout the pandemic. This is different from the experience of the Great Recession, when after 2007 the disparity between Black and Latino households, on the one hand, and White households, on the other hand, widened. But, this difference is also no cause for

In response to public concerns, the McLean Citizens Association will host a virtual Public Informational Meeting to discuss two of the three Fairfax County Virginia pension funds’ cryptocurrency-related investments tomorrow. Fairfax County’s Retirement Systems Executive Director Jeff Weiler, who has publicly stated that cryptocurrency is “no different from any other investment” and the Chief Investment

No matter where you get your news, it’s hard to make it through a day without reading an article about the devastating shortage of hourly and front-line workers. They are missing in action from workplaces as varied as food service, airlines, home health, gyms, office staff, and senior care. Continually trying to find them, hire

Key takeaways Digital assets exchange Crypto.com has laid off 20% of its global workforce. The announcement is the latest in a long line of crypto companies downsizing operations, many citing FTX’s downfall as a key reason. It’s not all bad, as crypto regulation could be introduced and funding remains strong in the sector. We all

Inflation has been hitting everyone hard and going into 2023, there are several things you can be doing in order to protect the state of your finances. Ask for more at the bank. Because interest rates have risen sharply over the past year, suddenly it is possible to get a return on savings accounts, money

Before mutual funds became the de facto standard investment option in 401(k) plans, before 401(k) plans became the de facto standard retirement savings option, most people invested in individual securities. Sure, mutual funds existed back then, but they often carried large commission charges, even larger front-end loads, and, to discourage you from leaving, mutual fund

You’ve learned why it’s important to avoid investment products once you enter your retirement. If you’re lucky, you can, and maybe you should, begin transitioning your investments to individual securities well before you earn that gold watch. “Typically, the further one gets away from owning individual investments, the higher the costs become,” says Stephen Taddie,

Targeted saving is a saving plan directed toward a future benefit that is otherwise beyond the means of the saver. An example is the consumer who places $X every month in an earmarked account that is targeted on the purchase of a mink coat or a motorcycle at a future date. It can also be

You’ll hear it all the time, that resolution to do more exercise with the new year. People may start out the first week, but then it’s back to old habits of a sedentary life. TV may be more tempting than putting on those walking shoes, if they even have the shoes. And the excuses are

Key takeaways Inflation fell in December, with the overall Consumer Price Index (CPI) falling 0.1% for the month. It’s the biggest reduction since April 2020, and brings the annual rate of inflation own to 6.5%, from 7.1% last month. The biggest driver of the reduction was lower fuel and gasoline prices, which were down double