- AllianceBernstein Tells Investors to Consider These 3 Investments for 2023
Sinking stocks, battered bonds, rising rates and stubbornly high inflation roiled the markets during 2022, making it a challenging year for investors to find any kind of reliable income stream. But as the year draws to a close, a few… read more…
- High-Net-Worth Financial Planning
Financial planning is the process of creating a plan for managing your money and assets. High-net-worth financial planning is aimed specifically at individuals and families who have accumulated a greater degree of wealth. If you’re a high-net-worth individual (HNWI), it’s… read more…
- Ask an Advisor: When Taking RMDs, How Do I Avoid Locking in Losses? I’ll Be 72 Years Old Soon, and My Stocks Are ‘Way Down’ This Year
I will be 72 years old on Feb. 10, 2023. I have a traditional individual retirement (IRA) account. Most of the money is tied in stocks, and the stocks this year are way down. If I sell to pay the… read more…
- What Is Copy Trading and Should You Do It?
If you want a portfolio that matches the performance of investing pros, copy trading may help. In a nutshell, copy trading emulates a stock market expert’s trading activity. If you think this sounds like a smart strategy, keep in mind… read more…
- Social Security Disability Benefits for Dependents
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) can pay benefits to the family members of someone who is disabled and unable to work. Spouses, children and even ex-spouses of someone receiving SSDI benefits may qualify for their own monthly payments. Each qualifying… read more…
- Private Banking vs. Wealth Management
While some may use the terms private banking and wealth management interchangeably, there are important differences between them. Wealth management typically involves tailored financial planning services, investment management or a combination of both. Private banking usually entails a variety of… read more…
- How Do Medical Savings Accounts Work?
A medical savings account (MSA) is a tax-advantaged account in some Medicare Advantage plans with high deductibles. MSAs resemble the health savings accounts (HSAs) available to members of non-Medicare high-deductible health plans (HDHPs). Medicare funds MSAs with tax-free contributions, and… read more…
- Investors Are Woefully Ignorant on Financial Advisor Fees: Are You Different?
Investors don’t understand the fees they pay for investment products and advice especially well, according to a recent State Street Global Advisors survey. State Street’s Low-Cost Investing Survey found a general lack of understanding when it comes to the management… read more…
- Here’s How Much Money You Lose by Not Diversifying (It’s a Lot)
Whether you’ve inherited stock, received equity in your company or simply own only a few holdings, a highly-concentrated portfolios may cause you to miss out on significant wealth by not diversifying. Research from Dimensional Fund Advisors shows that liquidating a… read more…
- This Automatic 401(k) Rollover Legislation Could Protect Your Nest Egg And Help You Find Lost Retirement Money
Workers with employer-sponsored 401(k) accounts and other defined contribution retirement plans lose an estimated $92.4 billion every year when they change jobs, a problem that new legislation in Congress aims to solve by automatically moving that money into new accounts.… read more…
- Fidelity’s Six Year-end Money Moves You Shouldn’t Forget
As 2022 draws to a close, it’s an excellent time to make important year-end financial moves — perhaps with the guidance of a financial advisor. And depending on the tasks you complete, you could lower your tax liability, boost your… read more…
- What Is a Legal Separation?
Legal separation describes a state that you can think of as being somewhere between marriage and divorce. The partners’ union is not formally dissolved, although legal separation can be a step toward accomplishing just that. Nor is legally separating the… read more…
- It Pays to Procrastinate: The New 6.89% I bonds Will Beat the Old 9.62% Bonds in Just 4 Years
With a yield of 9.62%, the recently expired Series I bond was understandably popular. With interest rates rising, bond funds are down this year and banks continue to offer miserly rates on deposit accounts. So it’s no wonder that a… read more…
- Divorce Process: Step-by-Step Guide
Getting divorced can be much more complicated than getting married. The process required to end a marriage also involves lots more interaction with the legal system and, in some cases, can require the help of attorneys, many thousands of dollars… read more…
- How to Use an AB Trust in Your Estate Plan
An AB trust is a legal arrangement for married couples that can minimize estate taxes by splitting assets between two separate trusts when one spouse dies. While a federal provision that went into effect in 2011 rendered AB trusts unnecessary… read more…
- What to Do With an Inheritance
2 Receiving an inheritance from a family member can create a large windfall of cash, and with it, new financial opportunities. What you do with the money will depend on the size of the inheritance, your financial situation and level… read more…
- Ask an Advisor: Do I Need Life Insurance Once My Children Are Grown?
Do I need to carry life insurance after my children have reached adult age? If so, what type makes the most sense? – Greg Becoming an empty nester is a prime time to re-evaluate your life insurance needs. Life insurance… read more…
- Everything You Need to Know About Hiring a Financial Advisor
Finding a financial advisor isn’t like buying a carton of milk — you don’t want to just show up and pick the first one off the shelf. That said, it also isn’t like buying a car, where you can test… read more…
- Divorce After 50: Financial Guide
Grey divorce rates are rising fast — the over-50 crowd makes up a quarter of all divorces, according to the American Bar Association. A seismic financial shift like divorce so close to retirement has the potential to be ruinous, but it doesn’t… read more…
- Here’s the One-Word Secret to Lowering the Tax Hit on your IRA RMDs
Everybody hates being told what to do, and retirement investors hate it even more when being told what to do comes with a hefty tax bill – which brings us to the IRS rule known as required minimum withdrawals, or… read more…
- Ask an Advisor: ‘I’m Too Trusting and Gullible.’ How Do I Find a Financial Advisor Who Truly Acts as a Fiduciary?
How can I reliably verify that a specific financial advisor is a true and full fiduciary – and that they’re not just conning and misleading me? Is there a respectable and independent professional group that independently investigates and reliably certifies… read more…
- How to Go to College Debt-Free
Education is an important milestone to kick off your career, but college tuition is no longer affordable for many families. As tuition costs have increased, people have become more reliant on student loans to offset their higher education costs. Fortunately,… read more…
- How to Find Compensation Expense for Stock Options
Public companies often compensate employees in part by giving them stock options. This form of employee compensation conserves cash, improves retention and aligns employees’ interests with the interests of their employers. However, stock option compensation also dilutes ownership of existing… read more…
- Can Parents Agree to No Child Support?
The issue of child support is one of the most contentious issues that couples face during a divorce. Child support is usually paid by the non-custodial parent to the custodial parent to cover expenses associated with the child or children… read more…
- Recession vs. Inflation: Investment Guide
A recession is defined as two consecutive months when the GDP is negative. During a recessionary economy, policymakers are striving to keep inflation and interest rates low and unemployment stable. Inflation is simply a decrease in the value of a… read more…