Retirement

By Richard Eisenberg, Next Avenue Every so often, a new buzzword seems to come out of nowhere and suddenly feel ubiquitous. Right now, that word is “metaverse,” which means using virtual reality (VR) headsets or augmented reality (AR) eyewear or apps to make the internet more interactive and 3D. Euromonitor International calls the metaverse movement

By Andy Levine, Next Avenue Russell Brent’s mother was a master knitter. And she taught her son to knit at a young age. As Brent remembers it, “I learned how to push two sticks around with a little bit of yarn, cables and lace and that sort of thing.” But it was the mid-1970s and

Behind the sunny spin about the U.S. economy’s low unemployment rates, many older Americans are battling some grim realities. Take 67-year-old Tina Caston, who worked more than 20 years as an operations officer in the U.S. Navy and was ready for a comfortable retirement. Then, when her savings didn’t keep pace with rising costs of

By Bart Astor, Next Avenue I don’t even know where to begin,” Sindy Steinberg told me after her husband died. “I’m just trying to stay on top of the bills. I don’t even know all the passwords for the bank accounts and investments.” I heard this repeated from all the recent widows — and widowers

If there is an aging loved one in your life, chances are they’ve got some chronic medical conditions. Heart disease, high blood pressure, respiratory disease, and other common issues bring them to the doctor. And the primary care doctor makes referrals to specialists. Each specialist focuses on their area of expertise and prescribes medications to

Topline Shares of JPMorgan Chase, the biggest U.S. bank by assets, fell on Wednesday after the firm reported earnings which showed profits declined sharply from last year due to market upheaval caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, surging inflation and lasting supply chain problems. Key Facts While JPMorgan’s quarterly revenue came in slightly higher than

Introduction So you’re married. You received a gift from Aunt Jane while she was alive. Your dad bequeathed you a generous sum of money on his passing. Those gifted and inherited assets in many instances will be considered “separate property,” not marital property. That might mean that they might not be subject to division if

Topline The stock market moved higher on Tuesday, even after consumer prices spiked 8.5% in the 12 months ending in March, as some investors hope that inflation is showing signs of moderating, with core inflation—excluding volatile food and energy prices—coming in lower than expected. Key Facts Stocks ticked higher early on Tuesday: The Dow Jones

The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines fine print as “something thoroughly and often deliberately obscure; especially a part of an agreement or document spelling out restrictions and limitations often in small type or obscure language.” You know all about this. You’re trying to purchase something online and then, at the last minute, you have to check

Topline Despite consumer prices hitting a new four-decade high last month, the latest data show several signs that prices may be moderating slightly, with economists now predicting that inflation may have peaked—though they warn prices will likely remain elevated into next year. Key Facts Though consumer prices spiked 8.5% in the 12 months ending in

We’re about a week away from a certain day in April (now April 18) that’s known to most people only as the dreaded tax day, but it’s also the deadline to make contributions to an IRA (and an HSA if you’re eligible) for 2021. Contributing to a Roth IRA can be particularly beneficial. (If your

For most adult children with aging loved ones who were responsible investors, there is a sense of security. There is nothing to worry about. They have a seven-figure investment portfolio and they own their home outright. No one expects them to run out of money. But can they? The answer depends on two things: how

Topline Billionaire investor Ron Baron, one of Tesla’s largest shareholders, told CNBC in an interview Thursday that Elon Musk’s roughly $3 billion stake in Twitter is “meaningless” and that investors should be more excited about what he predicts are massive gains ahead for Tesla, even though shares have struggled so far this year. Key Facts

Topline Major oil and gas companies, which scrambled to abandon operations in Russia following the invasion of Ukraine in late February, are now warning that doing so will result in billions of dollars of losses. Key Facts Shell disclosed Thursday that its suspension of operations in Russia could lead it to book as much as

Do you know anyone who would turn down $1.5 billion, or at least a share of it? The IRS does. More specifically, the IRS knows that an estimated 1.5 million taxpayers are owed unclaimed tax refunds totaling almost $1.5 billion. But they haven’t received the money because they did not file a 2018 tax return

Retirees who own a valuable home but little else are a large but underserved minority who worry about running out of money before they die. Their major need is for an effective way to convert their housing wealth into spendable funds. The two potential approaches toward meeting this need are debt-based and equity-based. The first

Topline The stock market moved slightly higher on Thursday—clawing back some of its losses from earlier this week—as investors continued to assess recent comments from Federal Reserve officials on the central bank’s plan to combat surging inflation. Key Facts Stocks finished positive, rebounding somewhat from this week’s losses: The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.3%,

America’s elders die sooner and are sicker than their counterparts in other rich nations. American elders also must work longer than their cohort abroad. These trends mean that Americans get fewer years of healthy retirement life than elders in comparable wealthy nations—five years less, in fact. One reason for this big gap in healthy retirement

Many people are retiring early. The St. Louis Federal Reserve reported that upwards of 3 million Americans retired early due to the COVID-19 pandemic. If you weren’t among that group that retired early, it’s good to remain working for a bit longer if you can for two main reasons: (1) working one extra year is

Topline An increasing number of Federal Reserve officials have recently spooked markets by warning about the economic impact of decades-high inflation and how the central bank will need to aggressively raise interest rates, as well as “rapidly” reduce its balance sheet, to combat surging prices. Key Facts Stocks fell on Wednesday, adding to losses this