- Best Places to Retire in the Northeast – 2021 Study
Not everyone retires in Florida. For some, the Northeast is a preferable retirement destination for its seasonal changes, blend of cities and countryside, and rich history. Despite generally high costs of living when compared with other regions of the country, a comfortable retirement in the Northeast is possible if you know where to look. To determine the… read more…
- This Chart Shows Why You Shouldn’t Wait to Claim Social Security
Your health status, anticipated longevity and retirement cash needs all factor into when it makes sense to claim Social Security. Of course, you’re eligible to start taking Social Security at 62. But the longer you wait, the higher your monthly benefit will be, and conventional wisdom says that you should hold out as long as… read more…
- Where Do Americans Give the Most to Charity? – 2021 Edition
Charitable giving increased by 5.1% in 2020, as Americans donated $471.44 billion during a year defined by COVID-19. Of those donations, 28% went to religious organizations, 15% to education and 14% to human services, according to the National Philanthropic Trust. Giving to charity not only allows a person to support the causes they value, it can also… read more…
- Fastest-Growing Jobs for Young Professionals in America – 2021 Edition
For young professionals looking to kickstart their career, the current labor market offers many jobs, with companies taking steps to attract new workers into the fold. Keeping this in mind, SmartAsset wanted to look at the past few years to see which types of jobs have big gains among young professionals between the ages of… read more…
- States Where Credit Card Debt Is Becoming More Manageable – 2021 Study
Credit cards can be useful, especially if you use them responsibly to gain points, airline miles and other perks. That said, it is easy to let your credit card debt get out of control and end up in serious trouble. For the second quarter of 2021, Experian says that the average card balance was $5,525… read more…
- Best Cities for Military Retirees – 2021 Study
When the time comes for members of the American military to hang up their uniforms for good, they’ll inevitably face the same question anyone else asks themselves when nearing retirement: Where will I live? There are a number of factors that make a city or town a good place to retire. But which cities are… read more…
- Top Boomtowns in America – 2021 Edition
The U.S. recently hit a large milestone on the road to recovery from the economic fallout of COVID-19. In the second quarter of 2021, real gross domestic product (GDP) exceeded its pre-pandemic level, according to Bureau of Economic Analysis data. This rebound comes exactly a year after real GDP hit its lowest point during the… read more…
- Largest RIAs Nationally and in Each State – 2021 Study
Over the past decade, the total number of U.S.-based registered investment advisors (RIAs) has increased by 20.29%. Total assets managed by RIAs have grown at an even steeper rate, more than doubling over the same period. Assets managed by Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) RIAs rose from $43.8 trillion in 2010 to more than $110… read more…
- How Much Does the First Year of Homeownership Cost in Large U.S. Cities? – 2021 Study
The first year of homeownership can often be the most expensive, especially when paying a sizable down payment and taking closing costs into account. More times than not, the most affordable places to buy homes are smaller and more rural. But how much does the first year of homeownership cost in America’s largest cities? To answer… read more…
- Fastest-Growing Jobs for Women in America – 2021 Edition
According to Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data, in January of 2021 the labor force participation rate for women dropped to 57%. This was the lowest it had been since 1988, when it fell to less than 58% (compared to when it reached above 60% in the late 90s and into the aughts). It is… read more…
- Best Places to Celebrate Halloween in 2021
Listen up, ladies and ghouls – it’s Spooky Season once again. Get out your favorite decorations, figure out your costume ideas and get ready to eat more candy than you should, because Halloween is upon us. While the COVID-19 pandemic may still put a bit of a damper on the holiday once again this year,… read more…
- Best Small Cities for Retirement – 2021 Study
Nearly 400,000 people moved for retirement in 2020, a study conducted by HigherAHelper found. While the study’s data showed that retirees are twice as likely to move to a new state than all other movers, more than a quarter of retirees who moved in 2020 chose to leave larger cities and metropolitan areas. Smaller cities… read more…
- Where Divorces Are Becoming More Common – 2021 Study
Divorce can be a pricey proposition – according to a 2019 survey by the legal website Nolo, the average cost of a divorce is around $12,900, including more than $11,000 in attorney’s fees. Divorce at ages 50 and older – often known as gray divorce – may especially lead to various levels of financial insecurity.… read more…
- Best Places for Outdoor Enthusiasts to Live and Work – 2021 Edition
As the COVID-19 pandemic upended daily life and caused nationwide shutdowns, more people participated in outdoor recreation in 2020 than ever before. More than 50% of Americans ages 6 and older participated in outdoor recreation (like biking or hiking) at least once, according to the 2021 Outdoor Participation Trends Report commissioned by the Outdoor Foundation.… read more…
- Which Investors Are Most Interested in Socially Responsible Investing? – 2021 Study
Socially responsible investing – commonly referred to as environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing – is gaining traction among institutional investors as well as individuals. According to a recent Natixis report, the percentage of institutional investors that implement ESG approaches increased by 18% from 2019 to 2021. Similarly, Natixis reports that a growing number of individual… read more…
- Places Where People Spend the Most on Food – 2021 Edition
While inflation continues to linger, the price of food is among the few commodities that hasn’t skyrocketed in the last year. According to the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, which tracks the price of goods and services, food prices were just 3.7% higher in August than they were 12 months earlier. That may… read more…
- Fastest-Growing Jobs for Hispanic and Latino Americans – 2021 Study
Hispanic and Latino Americans have seen some of the highest unemployment rates during the COVID-19 pandemic of any race and ethnic group for which the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports data. In the second quarter of 2020, the Hispanic and Latino unemployment rate was 16.7%, the highest unemployment rate in that period compared to… read more…
- How Long Does It Take to Become a Homeowner? – 2021 Edition
Though the COVID-19 pandemic has financially impacted Americans in many ways, the homeownership rate has risen and stayed elevated. Census Bureau data shows that the homeownership rate actually hit 67.9% in the second quarter of 2020, up from 64.1% from a year before. More recently, the national homeownership rate was 65.4% in the second quarter… read more…
- States With the Most Financial Advisors Per Capita – 2021 Study
There are 218,100 personal financial advisors in the U.S., according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This means that there are 9.70 financial advisors for every 10,000 adults ages 25 and older. Of course, financial advisors are more concentrated in some areas than others. To find where Americans may have the largest selection of experts to… read more…
- Best-Paying Places for Nurses – 2021 Study
An increasing number of nurses are trading in traditional hospital-staffing positions for higher-paying temporary jobs with traveling nurse agencies. The difference in pay is often significant. The Associated Press reported in September 2021 that nurses working for traveling nurse agencies make $70 to $90 per hour on average, which is two to three times higher… read more…
- Places Where Residents Are Investing More – 2021 Edition
While the COVID-19 pandemic hit millions of Americans in their wallets, it also created a surge of new retail investors looking to capitalize on stock market volatility. A survey conducted by the FINRA Investor Education Foundation and National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago found that 57% of respondents opened a taxable investment… read more…
- Where Hispanics and Latinos Fare Best Economically – 2021 Study
Hispanics and Latinos make up almost 19% of the U.S. population (or 62.1 million out of more than 332 million), according to the 2020 Census. And according to data from the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals, they are becoming an increasingly important economic force, with almost 9 million homeowners nationwide, after growing by more… read more…
- Best States for Homeowners – 2021 Edition
Homeownership is often viewed as a fundamental pillar of investing and building wealth. While real estate markets vary from city to city, home values have historically risen over the decades. In fact, home values across the U.S. have increased by nearly 17% over the last year, rising to $298,933 by the end of July 2021, according… read more…
- How Do Financial Advisors Quantify Success? – 2021 Study
Business growth is often top-of-mind for financial advisors. Many financial advisory firms follow an “economies of scale” model – that is, larger advisory firms generally tend to be more cost-efficient as they attract and service larger clients. This was shown recently by InvestmentNews’ 2020 Pricing and Profitability study, which found that firm revenue, average assets managed per client and average… read more…
- Where Upper-Middle-Class People Are Moving – 2021 Edition
Tax filers with higher adjusted gross incomes (AGIs) tend to move less than filers with lower AGIs. This may be due to various reasons, including that taxpayers in higher income brackets often skew older or are more established in their careers. Regardless of the cause, IRS migration data shows that roughly 3% of filers with… read more…