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 [...]
The Markets (as of market close October 28, 2016) As the presidential election draws near, news about the candidates may be affecting the markets. Word of an FBI investigation into more Clinton emails, coupled with some earnings reports that were weaker than expected, sent equities into the red for the week. Of the indexes listed [...]
The Markets (as of market close October 21, 2016) Last week began with a whimper as equities closed down (the Dow fell 0.3%), while the 10-year Treasuries yield dropped 4 basis points and bond prices increased. Oil (WTI) fell below $50 per barrel before rallying to around $50.50 per barrel last Tuesday morning. Midweek saw [...]
The Markets (as of market close October 14, 2016) Oil prices reached a one-year high early last week, as Russia expressed its support of OPEC in its efforts to limit production, prompting stocks to post early week gains. With corporate earnings season upon us, early reports from some major companies were not encouraging. Globally, China's [...]
The Markets (as of market close October 7, 2016) Equities took a tumble early last week as the Dow, the Nasdaq, the S&P 500, and the Russell 2000 lost value. Only the Global Dow saw gains, largely feeding off the fading value of the British pound. Oil (WTI) opened last week on an uptick, gaining [...]
The Markets (as of market close September 30, 2016) The third quarter provided a bumpy ride for investors. Following the upheaval caused by the Brexit vote in June, July kicked off the third quarter by ending the month in favorable fashion, as each of the indexes listed here posted month-to-month gains, led by the Russell [...]
