The Markets (as of market close February 24, 2017) Most of the benchmark indexes listed here rallied by the close of the market last Friday to finish ahead for the week. The Dow led the way by marking its 11th consecutive day of positive gains, followed by the S&P 500, which has not experienced a [...]
The Federal Reserve's actions can have a marked influence on the economy and financial markets. For instance, some market analysts believe that the Fed's massive, multi-year bond-buying program coupled with a record-setting period of near-zero interest rates fueled the six-year bull market for stocks. Now investors are awaiting news of when -- and by how [...]
The Markets (as of market close February 10, 2017) The stock indexes listed here posted a strong week of gains as the Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq each achieved record highs. Long-term bond prices also rose last week, with the yield on 10-year Treasuries falling 6 basis points. Favorable fourth-quarter corporate earnings reports, coupled with [...]
The Markets (as of market close January 31, 2017) Investors were cautious for much of the month, likely waiting to see what President Trump would do during his first few weeks in office. After a slow close to December, equities picked up the pace during the early part of January as each of the indexes [...]
The Markets (as of market close January 20, 2017) For most of last week, the market was fairly lackluster. By the close of the market last Thursday, the Dow had fallen to 19,732. However, equities rallied on Inauguration Day, recouping most of the value lost earlier in the week. Nevertheless, the Nasdaq and the large-cap [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Tips for Retooling Your Portfolio Like a closet that isn't reorganized from time to time, a portfolio that isn't reviewed regularly can leave you feeling like the pieces no longer fit. Last year, for example, stocks, as measured by the S&P 500 had annualized returns of 13.69%.1 U.S. investment grade bonds gained 5.97%, while international [...]
Top Year-End Investment Tips Just what you need, right? One more time-consuming task to be taken care of between now and the end of the year. But taking a little time out from the holiday chores to make some strategic saving and investing decisions before December 31 can affect not only your long-term ability to [...]
The Markets (as of market close September 23, 2016) Buoyed by news from the Fed and the Bank of Japan that measures intended to stimulate the economy would continue — at least in the short term — U.S. stock and bond prices posted gains for the week. While the response last Wednesday and Thursday was [...]
