Beginning on November 1, 2017, individuals (including their families) may apply for new health insurance or switch to a different health-care plan through a Health Insurance Marketplace under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The open enrollment period for 2018 health coverage ends on December 15, 2017. Individuals can use Health Insurance Marketplaces to compare health [...]
The Markets (as of market close October 20, 2017) The Dow jumped 2.00% last week, reaching 23000 for the first time in its history. Strong corporate earnings and the anticipation of Congress reaching a budget resolution swayed investors toward equities. Each of the benchmark indexes listed here posted weekly gains, although not as considerable as [...]
The Markets (as of market close October 13, 2017) Each of the benchmark indexes listed here posted gains by last week's end, except for the Russell 2000, which fell 0.50%. The large caps of the Dow and S&P 500 enjoyed moderate increases, as did the Global Dow, which gained the most last week. Most impressively, [...]
The Markets (as of market close September 29, 2017) Trading during the summer months is customarily slow, and the summer of 2017 proved no different. July kicked off the third quarter with equity markets enjoying noteworthy gains over their June closing values. Both the Dow (2.54%) and S&P 500 (1.93%) posted significant gains, as did [...]
The Markets (as of market close October 6, 2017) Equities continued to surge last week as each of the benchmark indexes listed here posted notable gains — despite a late Friday's downturn. The Dow rose by 1.65%, followed by the Nasdaq, Russell 2000, and the S&P 500. Only the Global Dow failed to increase by [...]
The Markets (as of market close September 29, 2017) The large caps of the Dow and S&P 500 closed last week with moderate gains, while small caps of the Russell 2000 enjoyed substantial gains. The Nasdaq also climbed over 1.0% and continues to lead in the year-to-date race, having gained almost 21.0% over its 2016 [...]
Company Stock and Your Portfolio: Keep Your Eye on Concentration Risk The opportunity to acquire company stock — inside or outside a workplace retirement plan — can be a lucrative employee benefit. But having too much of your retirement plan assets or net worth concentrated in your employer's stock could become a problem if the [...]
The Markets (as of market close September 22, 2017) The benchmark indexes listed here ended last week mixed, with the large caps of the S&P 500 and Dow posting modest gains, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq fell back a bit. The small-cap Russell 2000 performed the best, gaining 1.33%. Energy stocks climbed as oil prices hit [...]
The Markets (as of market close September 15, 2017) Stocks followed the prior week's plunge by surging to record highs last week. The Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq reached new all-time highs during the week, as each of the indexes listed here posted impressive gains. The small caps of the Russell 2000 led the way, [...]
You've probably heard the news that the Federal Reserve has been raising its benchmark federal funds rate. The Fed doesn't directly control consumer interest rates, but changes to the federal funds rate (which is the rate banks use to lend funds to each other overnight within the Federal Reserve system) often affect consumer borrowing costs. [...]
