- What Are Brokerage Fees?
So you’re starting your investment journey and are researching brokerage accounts. It should be no surprise that brokers charge fees for their services. Let’s break down different types of brokerage fees and how they impact your investing. A financial advisor… read more…
- Use the Holidays to Help Older Relatives Identify and Avoid Elder Financial Abuse
The holidays are a time when relatives get a chance to reconnect, especially after the disruptions that the COVID-19 pandemic created during the past two years. Family members visiting elderly relatives can use the occasion to make sure that parents,… read more…
- What Is a Bank Run?
Bank runs occur when many individual account holders withdraw large sums of money at the same time out of fear that the bank might fail. Here’s how bank runs works. To ensure you’re keeping your money in a secure institution,… read more…
- Who Is Responsible for Debt After a Divorce?
Divorce is always complicated – emotionally and financially. While a lot of the focus in a divorce goes to dividing assets, figuring out who is responsible for various debts can be just as important. Generally, after a divorce is final,… read more…
- Ask an Advisor: Help Me Understand the Math. How Does Donating to Charity Reduce My Taxes?
If I give $50,000 in cash to a charity, does that lower my taxable adjusted gross income (AGI) by $50,000? So if my adjusted gross income was $100,000, and I gave $50,000 to charity, is my taxable income now $50,000?… read more…
- How a Divorce from a Common Law Marriage Works
A common law marriage doesn’t involve a marriage license, but it’s treated similarly to a traditional marriage in states that recognize this sort of union. Partners in a common law marriage, have rights and responsibilities similar to other married couples.… read more…
- Divorce Planning Checklist: How to Prepare
Divorce is difficult, regardless of the circumstances. To get through this hard time, it can help to focus on concrete solutions. That’s where a divorce checklist comes in. A divorce checklist can offer a sense of clarity and direction when… read more…
- How to Buy a House While Getting a Divorce
It’s an understatement to say that divorce complicates things. Not only can it take an emotional toll, but a financial one too. With everything going on, you also may have to find a new place to live. But how do… read more…
- There’s a Silver-Lining to the Beating Your Portfolio Took: Tax-Loss Harvesting
If you’re one of the more than 24 million new investors who’ve jumped into stocks since 2016, you’ve never seen a down market except for 2018, when stocks were off a mere 6%. For this year, stocks are off more… read more…
- Everything You Need to Know About This Hot Investment That Can Generate Guaranteed Retirement Income
When planning for retirement, there are myriad options for how to invest. The most common option is to use a retirement account — either a workplace plan like a 401(k) or one you get through a financial institution like an… read more…
- You Need to Know These Defensive Investing Strategies Beyond Bonds
So far this year, stocks are down with the Standard & Poor’s 500 off some 20% and the traditional alternative of bonds isn’t doing much better, with most big bond funds down more than 16% so far this year. What’s… read more…
- What Is a Letter of Credit and How Is it Used?
A letter of credit is a written document from a bank guaranteeing the seller of a product or service will be paid as long as the goods or services are provided, as specified. Letters of credit are widely used as… read more…
- Long-Term Care Facility vs. Nursing Home
As we get older, many of us need help on a day-to-day basis. There are several different options for how to seek this kind of care, and two of the most common are long-term care facilities and nursing homes. Long-term care… read more…
- When Should You Hire a Financial Advisor?
Whether you’re a new parent or expecting to retire shortly, your financial situation requires attention, knowledge and care. While Googling answers or asking a friend for help can answer basic questions, a financial advisor can provide holistic services that protect… read more…
- UBS Says Investors Looking For Yield Should Explore This Country’s 84-Stock Index
Investors looking for a bull market have found one in Brazil, where the benchmark 84-stock Bovespa Index, best known as Ibovespa, is up 5.89% year to date here in early December, a welcome alternative to the 20% loss U.S. stocks… read more…
- Hit by Inflation? The IRS Has $1,400 Waiting For You
The IRS has started sending out letters to approximately 9 million households that might have missed out on several pandemic-related tax refunds and stimulus checks, which may include the third round of stimulus payments that delivered $1,400 to individuals, $2,800… read more…
- Top Morgan Stanley Strategist Says This Is When the Bear Market ‘Will Be Over Probably’
With U.S. stocks down more than 20% so far this year, investors are looking for some good news – and it may be coming from a prominent Wall Street analyst who says the current bear market could come to an… read more…
- Flat-Fee vs. AUM-Based Financial Advisors
Working with a professional financial advisor can make or break your long-term financial goals, but how are they paid and how do you pick one? Most financial advisors are paid through a flat fee or by being paid a percentage… read more…
- 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…