I'm Changing Jobs. What Should I Do With the Money in My Plan? Changing jobs is an important decision -- one that many of us are making more often. Once you've decided to switch jobs, your next move is to determine what to do with the money in your former employer's retirement plan. Generally, you [...]
The Giving Season: Six Tips for Making Smart and Effective Charitable Donations This Holiday Season The holidays are a popular time for charitable donations. With so many charities to choose from, it's more important than ever to ensure that your donation is well spent. Here are six tips that can help you make smart and [...]
The Markets (as of market close December 16, 2016) The fallout from the increase in the federal funds rate saw bond yields rise, with the yield on 10-year Treasuries hitting a 2-year high. Bond prices tend to fall (and yields rise) when interest rates increase. Lender rates from financial institutions are also expected to climb, [...]
The Markets (as of market close December 9, 2016) Following a week of tepid movement in the major stock market indexes, equities picked up the pace last week, reaching new record highs. Growth in financial company and bank stocks led the way as both the large-cap Dow and S&P 500 rose over 3.0%. Some analysts [...]
The Markets (as of market close November 30, 2016) The economy picked up the pace in November, as did the stock market. After getting off to a sluggish start during the early part of the month, equities soared following the results of the presidential election. Each of the indexes listed here reached record highs during [...]
Double Your Impact With These Charitable Giving Strategies Americans are a generous people. Many support charitable organizations that enhance their communities and enrich their personal lives. In addition to giving wisely to nonprofit groups, it's important to anticipate financial obligations to family members while you're still of sound mind. A charitable lead trust (CLT) may [...]
The Markets (as of market close November 25, 2016) Based on the performance of stock market indexes, it was another banner week for equities amidst slow trading volume. The Dow, S&P 500, Russell 2000, and Nasdaq each reached record highs, with the Dow eclipsing 19000 for the first time ever. Some analysts suggest the market [...]
IRA and Retirement Plan Limits for 2017 IRA contribution limits The maximum amount you can contribute to a traditional IRA or Roth IRA in 2017 is $5,500 (or 100% of your earned income, if less), unchanged from 2016. The maximum catch-up contribution for those age 50 or older remains at $1,000. (You can contribute to [...]
The Markets (as of market close November 18, 2016) Treasury yields continue to climb as the 10-year rate jumped 20 basis points for the week while exceeding last year's closing yield for the first time in 2016. The dollar has been keeping pace with rising bond yields, which is good for imports but not so [...]
The Markets (as of market close November 11, 2016) The markets climbed at the beginning of last week as money moved from bonds (yield on 10-year Treasuries gained 5 basis points) to equities. The Dow jumped 370 points and Nasdaq gained over 2.0% by the close of trading last Monday. Following the election, equities surged [...]
