Retirement

One area that has not experienced the cryptocurrency trend is the 401k. That could soon change, with the announcement by Fidelity this week that it would let 401k operators opt-in to allow their employees to invest in bitcoin through a retirement plan. It marks the first time that a major brokerage house has signaled that

It’s been more than two years since the pandemic trigged massive unemployment in the U.S. Some might say we have a nearly full recovery to pre-pandemic levels, mostly referring to the recovery of the ‘prime age’ labor force participation rate. But the story is different for older workers. Even if the news recognizes the possibility

Women are often associated with caring about the environment and fossil fuel free investing. Makes sense, given that we use the term “Mother Nature.” As You Sow’s Fossil Free rating system allows us to incorporate the desire to be fossil fuel free while pursuing your investing goals, such as a carefree retirement. Let’s examine aligning

Given that most people want to age in place in their own homes, some will need to hire home care workers. Usually, the need to hire helpers arises when your aging loved one has trouble with basic tasks of daily life like walking or bathing. These so called “activities of daily living” or ADLs are

Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Your cash bucket has a real return of minus 8.4%. It should be empty. If you are in or nearing retirement, you have probably heard the lecture about a “cash bucket.” Put one to two years of spending in a cash reserve, intone the experts. That

If you are interested participating in the highest yield in history of government issued I bonds, now is the time to buy. With inflation jumping in recent months the anticipated yield will be 9.62%, certainly better than any other guaranteed investment I can think of in the current environment. In this article I will explain

27,375. That’s the number of days an average person lives. “Fewer if you eat salt-water taffy, and a few more if you eat broccoli,” according to Bob Goff in his inspired new book, Undistracted. So according to Bob, and assuming my taffy-to-broccoli consumption nets out, I’ve got 10,525 days left, give or take. Here are

A recent WSJ headline sent chills down the backs of every retiree—”Cut Your Retirement Spending Now, Says Creator of the 4% Rule.” In the article, the WSJ quoted the father of the 4% rule, William Bengen, as saying that “there’s no precedent for today’s conditions.” Stock and bond prices are still at record highs. Mix

If you’re like most people, when you think of retirement investing you don’t also think of deforestation. When I was younger, I heard those who cared about deforestation referred to as “tree huggers.” That concern was often associated with being “bad for the economy.” Fortunately, organizations like As You Sow think deeply about these issues,

The deeper you dig into the investment costs state and local pensions disclose, the more questions arise. It’s confusing to even the most sophisticated investors. It’s common knowledge that sponsors of retirement plans have a fiduciary duty to ensure the fees their plans pay Wall Street money managers for investment advice are reasonable. Fees paid

Topline The stock market reversed gains and moved lower on Thursday following comments from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, who signaled aggressive interest rate hikes ahead while all but confirming market expectations of a half-percentage point increase at the central bank’s next policy meeting in May. Key Facts Stocks rose earlier in the day thanks

The US desperately needs more direct care workers to provide personal assistance to frail older adults and younger people with disabilities. Many native-born Americans were unwilling to do this work even before the Covid-19 pandemic. Now, shortages are far worse. Yet, the US continues to bar entry to those who are willing and able to

Today Ohio Governor Mike DeWine issued the following statement in support of a Special Audit of the $100 billion State Teachers Retirement System (STRS) Ohio Auditor of State Keith Faber and his office is currently conducting. “This week, I spoke with Auditor Faber regarding his ongoing special audit of STRS. The issues being reviewed are

AOC and Kevin McCarthy agreed on a bill and voted together in the House of Representatives! Really. It’s true! Bipartisanship lives on. In March, Democrats Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and Nancy Pelosi and Republicans Marjorie Taylor Greene and Kevin McCarthy—all four in opposite corners of the American political scene—voted for SECURE 2.0, a retirement reform bill

As a financial advisor, there are a lot of questions I get asked almost daily. Surprisingly, “are you a fiduciary?” is not one of them. This could be the most important question you ask your current or potential advisor, and yet it seems that few people know to ask it. It’s time to change that.

With inflation numbers skyrocketing to 40-year highs, the ubiquitous I-Bond will reset its interest rate on May 1 to 9.62% for 6 months. Thus, on your $10,000 investment, you’d make a guaranteed (no principal risk) 4.31%. No state tax and ultra-low risk, this sounds good, right? Using some quick math, that works out to be

Many people are familiar with income and estate taxes but not many know what the generation skipping transfer (GST) tax is or how it can impact the monies you leave your heirs. The GST tax is imposed on monies you leave directly to grandchildren or to trusts that will ultimately benefit them. Think of it

Topline The International Monetary Fund warned on Tuesday that global economic growth will be “severely set back” by the fallout from Russia’s war with Ukraine, the effects of which will be felt “far and wide” as the conflict adds to global pricing pressures and fuels inflation. Key Facts The IMF issued a “significant downgrade” to

Topline The stock market moved lower on Monday—extending a recent losing streak—while rates surged ahead of a big week of quarterly earnings results, with investors remaining nervous about the impact of surging inflation on corporate profits and consumer spending. Key Facts Stocks added to last week’s losses, despite a comeback late in the day: The

In all the excitement about the crack in Amazon and Starbucks’ anti-union armor as workers post big union wins, one might think that labor power in America is rising. But unionization is just one of 10 indicators of worker bargaining power—and of these, only five show worker power is up. Why does worker power matter?