Advisors

In this article AMP Luis Alvarez | Digitalvision | Getty Images In my long career of recruiting experienced financial advisors, I’ve seen how different economic cycles have impacted retention and attrition. In times of uncertainty, advisors crave stability and want to work with a firm with the financial foundation to weather the storm. Alternatively, when

Marko Geber | DigitalVision | Getty Images If you’re eyeing ways to fight swelling prices, I bonds, an inflation-protected and nearly risk-free asset, may now be even more appealing. I bonds are paying a 9.62% annual rate through October 2022, the highest yield since being introduced in 1998, the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced

Consumers are spending more to keep up with the surging cost of living and it may get worse before it gets better. “Even though wage growth has been the best in decades, it’s been outpaced by increased household costs,” said Greg McBride, chief financial analyst at Bankrate.com. “With inflation at a 40-year high, that has

Kali9 | E+ | Getty Images The loss of a spouse is up there with the most challenging experiences you might face in this lifetime. With the understandable barrage of emotions you might face, it is probably hard to imagine taking concrete steps to secure your financial future. But this is exactly the time to

miodrag ignjatovic | E+ | Getty Images If you have a Medicare supplement plan — aka, Medigap — there may be times when it’s worth making sure it’s still the best fit for you. Medigap policies are standardized — same-named plans offer identical benefits no matter which private insurance company sells it — but the

Building wealth is cool. That’s a mantra of Modern Blk Girl, a community aimed at teaching Black women the importance of investing and wealth creation that was founded by Tiffany James when she was just 25. Like most newly minted college graduates, James had student loan debt and was living just barely within her means

Israel Sebastian | Moment | Getty Images There are some financial goals more pressing for adults right now than bulking up their nest egg. For 2022, just 17% have made saving for retirement their top financial priority, according to First National Bank of Omaha‘s latest financial wellness survey. And nearly half of respondents — 46%

Tetra Images | Tetra images | Getty Images There’s a recent uptick in states swapping tiered income taxes for a flat tax, charging the same rate to all residents, regardless of earnings. Over the past 100 years, only four states have changed from graduated rates to flat taxes, according to the Tax Foundation. Another three

GlobalStock | Getty Images Deciding at what point you will collect Social Security benefits may be one of the biggest decisions you make in retirement. Yet many people who are at or near the age when they face that choice may need to brush up on the program’s rules before they do. MassMutual recently gave

Westend61 Whether you got a refund or owed money this tax season, it’s never too soon to start thinking about next year’s bill.  Boosting your 401(k) contributions for 2022 may provide two benefits: reducing your adjusted gross income while also padding your retirement savings.   What’s more, there’s a higher 401(k) employee deferral limit for 2022,

Sean Gladwell | Moment | Getty Images Inflation is at a 40-year high. That means consumers are losing buying power at a faster-than-usual pace. Just how quickly is inflation eating away at your savings? The so-called rule of 72 can help gauge its long-term impact. This rule of thumb is generally applied to investment returns.

manusapon kasosod | Moment | Getty Images As part of President Biden’s 2023 budget, the administration proposed severe limitations to so-called 1031 exchanges. A 1031 exchange is part of the IRS tax code, allowing real estate investors to defer taxes by exchanging “like-kind” properties. The term “like-kind” refers to the nature or character of the

Westend61 | Westend61 | Getty Images Fidelity Investments is offering bitcoin to 401(k) investors. But before retirement savers get access, employers must give the green light — and that’s often much more complicated than it sounds. Fidelity administered almost $2.9 trillion of 401(k) and other workplace retirement plan assets (representing over a quarter of the

Alxeypnferov | Istock | Getty Images As more people head back to the office, they may not be able to rely anymore on their work wardrobe from more than two years ago. Their tastes or size may have changed during the pandemic, or their company might have amended expectations around professional attire. Restocking your closet

Ariel Skelley | Digitalvision | Getty Images How would it feel to give your children an enormous leg up on saving for retirement while also helping them form healthy money habits? The answer could be opening a Roth individual retirement account for them. To start, a Roth IRA is a special retirement account that allows

Getty Images If you filed a last-minute tax return, you may see your 2021 refund faster than you’d expect.  Nine of 10 refunds have arrived within 21 days this season, according to the IRS. As of April 15, the agency has issued more than 78 million refunds worth over $242 billion in total, and the

cdwheatley | E+ | Getty Images People have wide-ranging views of what it means to be “high net worth,” according to a survey from digital wealth manager Personal Capital. Yet most people — 74% — don’t see themselves ever fitting into that category. When 2,209 adults were asked what they would consider high net worth,

Fizkes | Istock | Getty Images For some consumers, medical debt they don’t even owe appears to ends up haunting them anyway. Complaints jumped 31% from 2018 to 2021 about debt collectors attempting to get consumers to fork over amounts that already were paid or otherwise not owed, according to a new report from the

Many Americans agree it now takes a six-figure salary — at least — to get by amid today’s rising prices and economic uncertainty. Yet, 72% of six-figure earners are men, according to a recent report by MagnifyMoney that’s based on an analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data. For every woman who makes at least $100,000,

Thomas Barwich | Getty Images Skyrocketing student debt has been devastating for young adults. As the cost of college has risen, more students have had to borrow to help pay for school. Now, recent graduates are delaying some of life’s major milestones because of their loan burdens.  Americans across all generations have made such sacrifices,