Retirement

Topline The stock market fell Friday after the U.S. economy added back a better-than-expected 528,000 jobs in July, with investors now anticipating that a strong labor market will keep the Federal Reserve on its path of aggressive interest rate hikes to bring down inflation. Key Facts The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.3%, over

Calpers, the nation’s largest public pension, recently unloaded about $6 billion of its stakes in private equity funds to second-hand buyers reportedly at a roughly 10 percent discount to their value. That suggests either the pension’s opaque private equity holdings were not truly worth $6 billion (likewise, its remaining $40 billion-plus in private equity holdings

The passing of the 2019 Secure Act changed the rules about when non-spouse beneficiaries must begin taking money from inherited retirement accounts. Starting in 2020, instead of stretching withdrawals over your lifetime, most investors inheriting an IRA from a parent were subject to a new “10 year rule.” This meant annual required minimum distributions (RMDs)

We live in a society that values youth and seems to dismiss elders as less than important. We hear of age discrimination in employment, but not so much about age discrimination in our healthcare system. It does exist, as we see from personal experience at AgingParents.com and through the reports of our clients seeking advice.

Topline The stock market rallied on Wednesday, reversing losses from earlier this week thanks to stronger-than-expected economic data which helped offset lingering recession fears, even as Federal Reserve officials continue to promise more rate hikes to bring down inflation. Key Facts Stocks rebounded after back-to-back losing sessions earlier this week: The Dow Jones Industrial Average

Many seniors and retirees are being hit with a double whammy these days: Inflation is quickly approaching 10%, and their retirement investments might have dropped by 10% to 20% due to recent declines in the stock and bond markets. At the same time, however, it’s possible that their home equity has appreciated significantly, which could

Topline An increasing number of Federal Reserve officials are pushing back against the latest market rally, dismissing recent optimism about an upcoming “pivot” in monetary policy as wishful thinking and warning that the central bank will be forced to continue aggressively raising rates until inflation meaningfully declines. Key Facts Markets rallied to their best month

You’d have to be Rip Van Winkle to be unaware of the suffering and costs from this summer’s heat waves, wildfires, and severe weather events. Fortunately, the financial and retirement industries are galvanizing to help address and mitigate the financial and health consequences for everybody—and seniors and retirees are particularly vulnerable. Diverse and respected sources

Topline Global stocks tanked ahead of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s planned visit to the democratically governed island of Taiwan on Tuesday, a move which has led to rising tensions with China and that has rattled investors concerned about additional geopolitical uncertainty in markets. Key Facts U.S. stocks opened lower: The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell

Topline The stock market fell on Monday despite recently posting its best month since 2020, as investors continue to worry about a potential slowdown in corporate earnings, more rate hikes from the Federal Reserve and whether the economy will fall into a recession. Key Facts Stocks opened lower: The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.1%,

Small businesses are an economic powerhouse. According to the Small Business Administration, companies with fewer than 500 employees make up 99.9% of the businesses in the US—and they generate 44% of our total economic activity.1 An overwhelmingly large number of these small businesses are owned and operated by families. Some are pillars of their communities,

There’s no escaping the litany of advice when it comes to developing good 401(k) habits. But what about those bad habits that sneak up on you when you least expect it? These hard-to-break mannerisms can, unfortunately, leave you with a less than comfortable retirement. Here are a handful of bad 401(k) habits. Do they sound

Most of us, no matter our age, don’t like to say we’re “old”. We say “mature” or “getting older” or some other euphemism. We associate old age with infirmity and dependency. And we never know who among us will get old and become dependent on others. In the interest of being proactive, we at AgingParents.com

The “R” word is in the air and making people nervous. A “recession” is technically when GDP falls for two successive quarters, which happened as of last week. While politicians and economists continue to debate whether or not we’ve actually entered a recession, the reality is that Americans have already been struggling. Inflation is skyrocketing,

As a financial advisor for the past 20 years, the question that I’ve likely received most often is some version of, “So, how are we doing, you know, relative to our peers?” We have an innate desire to be successful, don’t we, or at least better than someone else? And while I don’t think there’s

By Barbara J. Tuttle, Next Avenue After a particularly stressful work week, Jane Tafel told her husband, Mark, “I just don’t want to work this hard anymore.” She had a rewarding job as vice-president of development at a community and workforce nonprofit in Minneapolis. Still a couple of years shy of 60, she planned to

By Leslie Hunter-Gadsden, Next Avenue Let’s face it. No matter how well thought out an entrepreneur’s business plan is, during the first 12 to 24 months of a new business, things will happen that are different from what was expected. Startup owners must be able to pivot or tweak their businesses in order to survive

7 Steps You Need To Follow Many of us scrimped and saved to put money away for our children’s or grandchildren’s college expenses. And now the chickens have come home to roost: your eldest will start college this fall, leaving you to face the dilemma of how, when, and how much to withdraw from your

By Lori Volk, Next Avenue Just as I turned 50, the school district where I worked ran out of funding for my part-time position. My husband and I had taken out $350,000 in Parent Plus loans at 8% interest to pay room and board at college for our first two kids; they paid their own

Should you keep an eye on your broker? Let me share why that’s something to think about. Picture this: You are a high-net-worth individual, an entrepreneur, who made a fortune by living the American dream. Your business grew exponentially, giving you substantial liquidity when you sold it. Through a friend, you were introduced to a