Information vs. instinct. When it comes to investing, many people believe they have a “knack” for choosing good investments. But what exactly is that “knack” based on? The fact is, the choices we make with our assets can be strongly influenced by factors, many of them emotional, that we may...
As a young investor, you have a powerful ally on your side: time. When you start investing in your twenties or thirties for retirement, you can put it to work for you. The power of compounding. Many people underestimate it, so it is worth illustrating. Let’s take a look using a...
When you read about money matters, you may see the phrase, “getting your financial house in order.” What exactly does that mean? To some, when your financial “house is in order,” it means it is built on a solid foundation. It means that you have the “pillars” in place that...
When you marry or simply share a household with someone, your life changes—and your approach to managing your money may change as well. The good news is it’s usually not so difficult. At some point, you will have to ask yourselves some money questions—questions that pertain not only to...
The Internal Revenue Service estimates that taxpayers and businesses spend 8.1 billion hours a year complying with tax-filing requirements. To put this into perspective, if all this work were done by a single company, it would need about four million full-time employees and be one of the largest industries...
Some people approach buying a car like they approach marriage, “‘til death do us part.” Others prefer to keep their options open, trading in every few years for the latest make and model, the most cutting-edge technology, or the highest horsepower. Whichever describes you best, we all face a...
The city of Detroit emerged from bankruptcy in 2014. Still, its previous inability to pay investors left some questioning their long-held assumption about the relative safety of municipal bonds. Without question, in the wake of Detroit’s troubles, gaining a better understanding of municipal bonds makes more sense than ever....
Of those aged 65 and older, 15 to 20 percent have mild cognitive impairment. People living with mild cognitive impairment are more likely to develop Alzheimers, and almost two-thirds of people currently living with Alzheimers are women.1 There are three basic forms of cognitive decline associated with aging:2 Age-related...
Women can experience more challenges saving for retirement than men, and unfortunately, COVID-19 has added even more challenges. According to Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies report Women and Retirement: Risks and Realities Amid COVID-19, women continue to be at risk of saving enough for retirement: 52% experienced impacts to their employment...
The Social Security Administration has again approved a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for Social Security benefits starting in January 2021. The increase of 1.3 percent will increase $20 per month for the average American worker and is calculated based on the year-over-year inflation rate. The most significant change to Social...