The Markets (as of market close August 25, 2017) Amid a scarcity of economic data and the lightest trading levels of the year, stocks managed to end the week in positive territory, as measured by the indexes tracked below. The Russell 2000 was the week's leader, notching a weekly gain of nearly 1.5%, with all [...]
Tax filing season is here again. If you haven't done so already, you'll want to start pulling things together — that includes getting your hands on a copy of last year's tax return and gathering W-2s, 1099s, and deduction records. You'll need these records whether you're preparing your own return or paying someone else to [...]
The Markets (as of market close March 10, 2017) Stocks rallied last Friday, fueled by a robust jobs report. However, the end-of-week surge wasn't enough to overcome index losses from earlier in the week. Falling energy prices dragged down both the large-cap Dow and S&P 500, while the Russell 2000 dropped over 2.0% and is [...]
The Markets (as of market close March 3, 2017) The Dow reached 21115 last Wednesday, then fell back a bit, but still closed the week over 21000. The S&P 500 marked its sixth consecutive week of gains, while the Global Dow led the way, climbing over 1.0% by last week's end. Of the benchmarks listed [...]
The Markets (as of market close January 27, 2017) The Dow reached 20000 for the first time ever midweek, and each of the indexes listed here posted gains of at least 1.0% over the prior week. Both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq reached record highs as favorable earnings reports coupled with anticipated pro-business policies apparently [...]
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 August 19, 2016) By the close of last Monday, the Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq each had reached record highs for the second time in the past week, only to retreat by Tuesday's close. The dollar lost value against the euro, yen, and pound on the heels of a [...]
The Markets (as of market close July 22, 2016) The S&P 500 reached a record high last Friday as each of the indexes listed here posted marginal gains over the prior week. Equities have demonstrated a positive trend over the past several weeks. The Nasdaq eclipsed its previous high only to slip a bit by [...]
The ABCs of Mutual Fund Share Classes When investing in a mutual fund, you may have the opportunity to choose among several share classes, most commonly Class A, Class B, and Class C. This multi-class structure offers you the opportunity to select a share class that is best suited to your investment goals. The only [...]
Password Protection Strategies Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn—they’ve all fallen prey to hackers who exposed passwords and other personal information for hundreds of thousands of their users. If you haven’t yet had your password stolen, chances are, it may be only a matter of time. Hearing the word “hacker” may conjure up the image of a teenaged [...]
