Retirement

Even small companies can sponsor 401(k) plans. These attractive employee benefits offer the fastest path to saving more money to build a healthy retirement fund. You may imagine these vehicles are most appropriate for larger companies. Certainly, these mega-plans get a lot of attention. But did you know owners with just a few employees may

Topline The stock market moved higher on Monday, extending recent gains ahead of a key inflation report this week, with investors hoping for more signs that high consumer prices have peaked as the Federal Reserve continues to aggressively hike interest rates. Key Facts Stocks continued to rally after notching their first weekly gain in a

The rapid labor market recovery over the past two and half years has not been enough to shrink persistent racial gaps in employment, jobs and wages. The labor market has recovered remarkably quickly after the pandemic induced recession. Since September 2021, the overall unemployment rate has been below five percent and since December 2021, it

Financial planning, as a relatively new profession, has experienced a rapid pace of evolution. Initially, it began as an aggregation of previously segregated financial industry services—brokerage, banking, and insurance—but it took a major leap forward when the first class of Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®) designation holders graduated in 1973. The completion of this five-course curriculum

By Nancy Collamer, Next Avenue I’ve never much enjoyed doing crossword puzzles. But this past summer, I got hooked on Wordle. For those who are unfamiliar, Wordle is a free web-based word game that became wildly popular during the pandemic. Each day, you’re given six attempts to guess one five-letter word. The goal is to

By Chris Farrell, Next Avenue If you want to take a conversation in an interesting direction, ask a group of adults what they think is the most popular age for entrepreneurship. The typical answer in my experience is the younger generation. Among older adults, Steve Jobs (Apple AAPL ) and Bill Gates (Microsoft MSFT )

Topline The stock market surged higher on Friday, with stocks on pace to snap a three-week losing streak as investors shook off Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s recent comments about more interest rate hikes from the central bank for the foreseeable future. Key Facts The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 1.2%, nearly 400 points,

Estate planning and end-of-life planning can be extremely complex. It is also a topic area many people want to avoid because it forces us to face our own mortality and the what-ifs of life and death. However, just as we plan for a good life, we should plan for a good end of life. Part

Topline The stock market moved higher on Thursday even as recession fears continued and investors assessed comments from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, who pledged that the central bank is “strongly committed” to bringing down inflation with rate hikes for the foreseeable future. Key Facts The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.6%, nearly 200

For many families, trusts can be a useful vehicle for passing wealth to the next generation or generations. That’s not their only benefit. Trusts also can be used to help reduce taxes, avoid probate, give to charity and even manage assets if the trust owner becomes disabled. While sometimes considered the domain of the ultrawealthy,

Imagine, for a moment, a functioning, well-developed system for improving the lives of frail older adults. Imagine that, instead of our current chaotic, dangerous, and needlessly expensive patchwork of care for seniors, the U.S. had a well-coordinated care model that leverages and supports paid aides, family caregivers, safe and appropriate housing, and new technology. And

Every financial advisor, wealth manager and financial institution will offer to help customers reach a “successful retirement”. They manage investments, and the focus is on making money last for life. Great. But they leave out a critical piece of the picture: successful retirement takes much more than adequate financial planning. What else is there? A

Topline The stock market fell in volatile trading on Tuesday, adding to sharp losses in recent weeks as investors assessed the latest round of better-than-expected economic data, which points to more aggressive interest rate hikes from the Federal Reserve. Key Facts The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.6%, nearly 200 points, while the S&P

On this Labor Day, let’s talk about how Social Security protects workers’ old age security and how we can keep Social Security robust and delivering for all of us. Social Security turned 87 this year, and despite persistent challenges and threats, the program is holding strong because of its efficiency, political support, flexibility, and its

“I thought you retired,” I say teasingly to an old friend. He turns swiftly and in a somewhat irate tone, responds, “I am retired!” The 66-year old ‘retired’ engineer goes on, “I simply do what I want, when I want.” Pausing, he says, “And, for now, I want to work a bit.” His words sum

The headline of Wednesday’s New York Times report announces, “U.S. Life Expectancy Falls Again in ‘Historic’ Setback,” and the just-released data from the CDC is shocking: During the second year of the pandemic, life expectancy not only didn’t recover from its 2020 drop, but it dropped further, from 78.8 years in 2019 to 77 in

Life expectancy in the United States fell again, from 77.0 years in 2020 to 76.1 years in 2021, according to a recent report from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). Even worse, life expectancy has declined by a total of 2.7 years since 2019 (pre-pandemic). Should you be worried? The answer depends on who

Topline The stock market tanked on Friday despite the August jobs report coming in slightly lower than expected and dropping significantly from last month, which did little to ease investor concerns about more aggressive interest rate hikes from the Federal Reserve plunging the economy into a recession. Key Facts Stocks gave up gains in the

Many people have heard that the “portability” rule essentially doubles the lifetime estate and gift tax exemption for married couples, but most people don’t know important details about how the rule works. Before portability was created in 2010, the lifetime estate and gift tax exemption was a use-it-or-lose-it benefit. When one spouse’s estate wasn’t valuable

Topline The summer stock market rally appears to have fizzled out after steep declines in August, and experts warn investors should expect more volatility in September, which is historically the market’s worst month—especially when stocks are already down for the year. Key Facts Stocks struggled to kick off September on a positive note Thursday, moving