The Move Toward Fee-Based Advisory Accounts
Why financial professionals are changing their business models.
The Snowball Effect
Save and invest, year after year, to put the full power of compounding on your side.
The Case for Women Working Past 65
Why striving to stay in the workforce a little longer may make financial sense.
Before You Claim Social Security
A few things you may want to think about before filing for benefits.
Are Your Beneficiary Designations Up to Date?
Who should inherit your IRA or 401(k)? See that they do…
Retirement Questions that Have Nothing to Do with Money
Think about these matters before you leave work for the last time.
The Equifax Data Breach
Have you been affected? If so, how can you try to protect yourself?
How Will You Spend Your Retirement Savings?
Keep an eye on where it goes, as some destinations may be better than others.
Saving $1 Million for Retirement
How can you plan to do it? What kind of financial commitment will it take?
Your Year-End Financial Checklist
Seven aspects of your financial life to review as the year draws to a close.
End of the Year Money Moves (& 7 Questions You Should Know the Answers To)
Here are 7 questions you should ask yourself. Even if your 2016 has been relatively uneventful, the end of the year is still a good time to get cracking and see where you can plan to save some taxes and/or build a little more wealth.
Good Retirement Savings Habits Before Age 40
Some early financial behaviors that may promote a comfortable future.
Protecting Your Parents From Elder Financial Abuse
How to help your family avoid scams and other fraud.
The Brexit Shakes Global Markets
Voters in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland were posed a simple question: “Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?” Seventy-two percent of the U.K. electorate went to the polls to answer the question, and in the final tally, Leave beat Remain 51.9% to 48.1%. A wave of anxiety has resulted...
Monthly Economic Update for March 2016
On February 29, the Dow closed at 16,516.50, the S&P 500 at 1,932.23, the Nasdaq at 4,557.95, and the Russell 2000 at 1,033.90. Across February, the Dow was the lone gainer, up 0.30%; the Russell lost 0.14%, the S&P 0.41%, and the Nasdaq 1.21%. February brought another advance for the CBOE VIX, which gained 1.73% to a month-end close of 20.55. The standout February performance came from the PHLX Gold/Silver index, which jumped 39.07% as precious metals prices climbed.
Monthly Economic Update for February, 2016
Just two U.S. equity indices had a positive January. The Dow Jones Utility Average rose an impressive 5.80%, and the PHLX Gold/Silver index advanced 1.47%. A different kind of benchmark did much better than that: the CBOE VIX. The “fear index” gained 10.93% in January to end the month at 20.20. Paralleling the Dow’s five-and-a-half percent fall, the two other major U.S. stock indices posted big monthly retreats, as evidenced by the Y-T-D column below. The Russell 2000 lost 8.85% in January, falling to a settlement of 1,035.38 as trading ended for the month on January 29. The Dow closed at 16,466.30 that day, the S&P at 1,940.24, and the Nasdaq at 4,613.95.