July, 2011
ARMs Making a Comeback
Since rates on ARMs reset and are subject to increases, you should ensure that your future income will be sufficient if interest rates (and your monthly payments) go up.
July, 2011
Four Tips for Improving Your Credit Score
Without a good credit score, you can find yourself fielding rejection notices when you apply for a loan or credit card.
June, 2011
Understanding 529 Plan Distributions
Parents looking to take advantage of the many benefits of saving for college with a 529 plan will want to know the full details on which educational expenses qualify for tax-free distribution status, and which do not.
June, 2011
New CDs Could Offer Advantages if Interest Rates Rise
With interest rates at historic lows and the markets on a roller coaster ride, investors who seek stability haven't had many options available to them lately. But that is starting to change. According to a recent study by Bankrate.com, banks are increasingly adding "rising rate" CDs to their menus.
June, 2011
Rollover IRAs Offer a Wide Range of Benefits
As compared with employer-sponsored retirement accounts, a rollover IRA can provide you with the broadest range of investment choices and the greatest flexibility for distribution planning. Also, a rollover IRA can typically be operated with fewer restrictions. This brief overview highlights some of the key benefits of a rollover IRA compared with an employer-sponsored plan.
June, 2011
The Pros and Cons of Custodial Accounts
Once you establish an UGMA or UTMA, the assets you place into it cannot be retrieved.
May, 2011
Three-Step Retirement Planning Strategy for Couples
Communication is one of the foundations of a successful relationship. It also can help you and your partner structure a solid retirement planning strategy. It's important for you and your partner to evaluate all of your portfolios at the same time to see whether the overall investment mix is well diversified.
May, 2011
Understanding Plan and Investment Fees: A Glossary of Key Terms
New fee disclosure rules will make it easier for participants in employer-sponsored retirement plans to find out how much they are paying to participate in their plan. But the terminology can be confusing.
May, 2011
Calculating Your Retirement Needs
Remember that your ultimate goal is to save as much money as possible for retirement regardless of what any calculator might suggest.
April, 2011
Three Steps to Help Save for Short-Term Goals
Safety and liquidity will be priorities if you need the money within a few years.
April, 2011
Navigating Medicare and Medigap
A standardized Medigap policy typically is guaranteed renewable, which means that, as long as you continue paying premiums, an insurer cannot use your health status as a rationale for cancelling the policy.
April, 2011
Money Market Funds: A Port in the Storm?
Despite their current low yields, however, money market funds still offer the stability and liquidity that many investors seek when markets get choppy.
April, 2011
Four Risks to Your Retirement Future
Because younger retirees typically are planning for a time horizon of 20 years or more, it is important that their portfolios include a source of growth that is likely to exceed inflation over the long term.
March, 2011
Four Tips for Tax Smart Investing
Savvy investors have long realized that what their investments earn after taxes is what really counts.
March, 2011
Five Reasons to Make an IRA Part of Your Planning Strategy
There could be an important tool already in your portfolio that can help you save more for retirement. It's your IRA.
February, 2011
Government Stepping In to Help Americans Pay for LTC Costs
The federal government is concerned about the rising costs of long-term health care for senior citizens and the disabled. And it is actually taking action.
February, 2011
Estate Planning: The Rules Change Again
The federal government isn't making it easy for Americans to feel confident about their estate plans. In the past four years, the estate tax exemption has performed a jitterbug -- jumping from $2 million with a 45% top tax rate in 2008, disappearing completely in 2010, and ratcheting up to $5 million with a 35% top rate in 2011.
February, 2011
New Fee Disclosure Rules Help Make Costs More Transparent
Ask most retirement plan participants how much they pay to participate in their workplace plan, and answer will probably be, "Nothing."
February, 2011
Simple Steps to Help Reduce Credit Card Debt
The U.S. has a cumulative revolving debt of more than $850 billion, according to the Federal Reserve. A whopping 98% of that figure is comprised of credit card debt -- with 54 million households in arrears for an average balance of $15,788. (1)
January, 2011
Buying Used is Smart in Any Economy
Even with hopes for a better economy in 2011, some habits learned in tough times could stand to become permanent ones. A good one might be continuing – or starting – to buy particular categories of merchandise that are used but still in good condition.
January, 2011
If Rates Are Heading Up, Should You Refinance Now?
As the economy recovers, homeowners are faced with the good news/bad news prospect of a better real estate market with the likelihood of higher mortgage interest rates. For many, that leaves three choices – sell, refinance or sit tight with the mortgage they have now.
January, 2011
Essential Financial Planning for Returning or Deploying Military Personnel and their Families
As the United States goes into its ninth year of military action in Afghanistan and Iraq, financial planning for military personnel and their families has taken on unprecedented importance. Multiple deployments during the longest wartime period of U.S. history has added considerable strain to military family budgets already shaken by the worst economic downturn in 70 years.
January, 2011
A One-Year Checklist to Retirement
One of the biggest lessons of the recent economy is that many people who thought they were financially ready for retirement…weren’t.
December, 2010
What’s Your Risk Tolerance?
Going into a New Year with hopefully better economic and market prospects, it’s a good time to start researching investments. With that, it’s also a good time to review how much risk you’re willing to take on when making those critical decisions. It’s reasonable to assume your risk tolerance has changed in recent years.
December, 2010
Premiums Increasing and a Major Carrier Exiting the Market: Should You Still Consider LTC Insurance?
On Nov. 11, insurance giant MetLife said it would sell no new long-term care (LTC) insurance policies after Dec. 30 though it would continue to service its 600,000 insured customers. The reason? “Financial challenges” in the long-term care insurance industry. What does that mean?