Should You Pay Off Your Mortgage or Invest? Owning a home outright is a dream that many Americans share. Having a mortgage can be a huge burden, and paying it off may be the first item on your financial to-do list. But competing with the desire to own your home free and clear is your [...]
How to Get a Bigger Social Security Retirement Benefit Many people decide to begin receiving early Social Security retirement benefits. In fact, according to the Social Security Administration, about 72% of retired workers receive benefits prior to their full retirement age. 1 But waiting longer could significantly increase your monthly retirement income, so weigh your [...]
Five Things to Know About Inherited IRAs When an IRA owner dies, the IRA proceeds are payable to the named beneficiary--or to the owner's estate if no beneficiary is named. If you've been designated as the beneficiary of a traditional or Roth IRA, it's important that you understand the special rules that apply to "inherited [...]
The Markets (as of market close August 5, 2016) Oil prices continued to fall early last week, sending large-cap indexes lower. As the week progressed, oil prices gained some momentum, as did U.S. stock indexes. On the heels of a favorable jobs report, stocks rebounded by the end of last week to post gains in [...]
Pay Yourself First Each month you settle down to pay bills. You pay your mortgage lender. You pay the electric company. You pay the trash collector. But do you pay yourself? One of the most basic tenets of sound investing involves the simple habit of “paying yourself first,” in other words, making the first payment [...]
Earnings for All Seasons While nature offers four seasons, Wall Street offers only one—four times a year. It’s called “earnings season,” and it can move the markets. So what is earnings season and why is it important? Earnings season is the month of the year that follows each calendar quarter-end month (January, April, July, and [...]
The Markets (as of market close July 15, 2016) Stocks continued to surge for the third week in a row as each of the indexes listed here posted significant gains by last week's end. The Dow gained almost 370 points and over 2.0%, and is substantially ahead of its 2015 closing value. The S&P 500 [...]
Choices for Your 401(k) at a Former Employer One of the common threads of a mobile workforce is that many individuals who leave their job are faced with a decision about what to do with their 401(k) account.¹ Individuals have three basic choices with the 401(k) account they accrued at a previous employer. Choice 1: [...]
The Markets (as of market close July 8, 2016) Equities continue to put the upheaval caused by Brexit in the rearview mirror as several of the indexes listed here are above their 2015 closing values. Of those indexes, only the Nasdaq and Global Dow remain below their end-of-year values. The S&P 500 exceeded its record [...]
Tips for Inflation In 2014, the country witnessed the historic appointment of Janet Yellen as Chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. She became the first woman to take the helm of the world's most influential central bank.¹ She and the Fed governors are tasked with adjusting short-term interest rates to [...]
