🖨 Print⏱ 6 min readApart from the spike in inflation, 2023 ended the year with a relatively strong economy, boasting an unemployment rate of 3.5 percent (below the market forecast of 3.7 percent) with increases in wages, corporate profits, and economic growth over the past two quarters. Despite the positive data, a slate of companies, … Continue reading “401(k) Options After You Leave an Employer”
🖨 Print⏱ 4 min readEven if you have no heirs, you should have an estate plan. Otherwise, the state will determine the fate of your worldly possessions. In fact, if you pass away “intestate” (without a will), the state can even keep all of your assets for itself – if no heirs are found. The … Continue reading “No-Heir Estate Planning”
🖨 Print⏱ 4 min readAlthough you might get busy with the holiday season, don’t forget to consider ways to strengthen tax efficiencies for 2023 and beyond. 2023 Retirement Contribution Increases Set up your accounts to automatically defer money to meet the new increases in retirement contributions next year. In 2023, you can defer up to … Continue reading “Retirement Tax Planning For 2023”
🖨 Print⏱ 4 min readAre you a trader or an investor? The difference is frequently discerned by how closely you monitor the stock market and how quickly you move in and out of investments. Traders are often referred to as market timers because they actively seek to buy into positions when share prices drop, and … Continue reading “Do You Have an Investment Exit Strategy?”
🖨 Print⏱ 5 min readLong term care (LTC) is associated with the elderly for good reason. Over the past 50 years, life expectancy has increased significantly and is therefore something all families should be prepared to address. Even though we may live to a ripe old age, that doesn’t mean we will be healthy or … Continue reading “Recent Trends in Long Term Care Insurance”
🖨 Print⏱ 5 min readDuring the first year of the pandemic, many homeowners spent their down time upgrading their homes. The year 2020 alone experienced at 3 percent uptick in spending on home improvements – to the tune of nearly $420 billion nationwide. This included modifications for remote work, online schooling and leisure activities at … Continue reading “Should You Upgrade Your Homeowners Insurance?”
🖨 Print⏱ 5 min readImagine selling slices of a large pizza. You can cut it into four even slices and charge $2 a slice. Or, you can cut it into eight even slices and charge $1 per slice. Either way, the total value of the pizza will still be $8. That’s what happens when a … Continue reading “Stock Splits, Explained”
🖨 Print⏱ 5 min readOften the first house a person buys is an affordable condominium, townhouse or older single-family dwelling, also referred to as a “starter home.” It might be small and lack features they dream about, from new appliances in the kitchen, to dual sinks in the bath, to a large yard or a … Continue reading “Building Wealth Through Home Equity”
🖨 Print⏱ 4 min readThanks to the Great Resignation trend over the past year, there is a high availability of jobs. Therefore, now is a good time for retirees who would like to go back to work to ease into the job market. However, if you’ve already begun drawing Social Security benefits, you should understand … Continue reading “How Social Security Benefits Are Affected by Earned Income”
🖨 Print⏱ 3 min readStarting in 2020, new legislation increased the age to begin Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) from 70½ to 72. More recently, the IRS updated the Uniform Life Table for alignment with longer life expectancies. Note that it takes years for actuaries to work up new data for this table, and the recent … Continue reading “New Required Minimum Distribution Rules for 2022”
