Archives : Feb-2019

Jamie Cattanach iStock Depending on your financial situation, a Roth IRA is one of the savviest ways to save for retirement. It’s an investment account whose contributions are taxed today, but whose earnings then grow tax-free — and can then be a source of tax-free income upon retirement. Roth IRAs […]

Peter Fleming iStock Interest rates rise and fall based on changes in the economy. When the economy is weak, the Federal Reserve (the Fed) — which controls the federal funds rate — may lower rates to support the economy. As the economy begins to gain strength, the Fed may choose […]

Kate Ashford As you near retirement, one of the big questions you’ll have to consider is when to start taking your Social Security payments. Throughout a working lifetime, workers pay money into the Social Security system, and then they collect money back in a stream of income payments that often […]

Dori Zinn Finding money for an emergency isn’t easy. The Federal Reserve Board says 40% of Americans can’t cover a $400 emergency. Whatever unexpected cost comes up, you might not be able to afford it.But if you have a decent retirement fund set up, you might be able to take […]

Ben Moore If you went to the bank today to withdraw $500 in cash, you’d be handed five $100 bills or perhaps 25 crisp $20 bills. But there was a time when much larger bills were in circulation, and the bank teller would have handed you just one $500 bill. […]

Emily Guy Birken It’s easy to assume that merely making regular contributions to your 401(k) account is enough to ensure that you are prepared for retirement. After all, when you first enrolled in the plan you decided what your contributions would be invested in, and simply adding money to the […]

Every year after the Winter Holidays, Americans wait for yet another glad tiding whilst getting butterflies in their stomach. It should not be hard for you to guess what we are talking about. TAX REFUNDS… waiting for them is just like a throbbing ache in larynx which dissipates only after […]

Christy Rakoczy iStock You have $1,000 and need to figure out what to do with it. Whether it came from a tax refund, a bonus at work or your hard-earned savings, a wise investment strategy could turn that cool grand into a boon for your financial life. Unfortunately, there isn’t […]

Roger Wohlner iStock Stock trading generally is considered to be a short-term approach to investing. Successful stock traders can make outsize profits, but there is a lot of risk involved as well. Taking advantage of tools designed to help traders analyze potential investments can minimize risk and provide an edge […]

Emily Guy Birken With so much retirement advice focused on how to save as much as possible, the question of how to access the money in your 401(k) account can often get overlooked. But understanding how to turn your employer-sponsored retirement account into retirement income is an essential part of […]