Retirement

raccoon in a trash can Getty Most stocks that pay more than 10% are, honestly, trash. Their yields usually look big because their stocks have split once or twice “the wrong way.” Take Tupperware Brands (TUP), for example. The party ended abruptly for these shareholders. I feel bad for anyone who was mistakenly holding these

Getty Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: the earnings gap between men and women affects not merely their living standards in the short-term, but also their well-being in retirement. There’s nothing surprising here. But the whole discussion is very narrowly focused on income. There’s an elephant in the room: marriage. Let’s start with

By Elizabeth Alterman, Next Avenue Contributor Ruth and Al Brod and family in their dining room Ruth and Al Brod When Ruth Brod retired from her job as a probation officer in 2004, she and her retired husband, Al, decided to sell their 1,600-square-foot house in New Hyde Park, N.Y. and move into a 2,800-square-foot

Trickle-down tax cuts do not build a strong middle class Getty Many families still struggle financially, even though the economy has been on the mend for more than a decade. It becomes increasingly clear that something must fundamentally change for a broad and secure middle class to reemerge. Real economic security for more families won’t

(Rancho Santa Fe, CA)Clinical Pharmacist Jason Kim consults patients with Medicare questions (Photo … [+] by Mark Boster/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) Los Angeles Times via Getty Images One of the biggest misconceptions seniors have about health care is this: I have Medicare so don’t need to worry about medical costs in old age. It

Getty The Internal Revenue Service announced today the official estate and gift tax limits for 2020: The estate and gift tax exemption is $11.58 million per individual, up from $11.4 million in 2019. That means an individual can leave $11.58 million to heirs and pay no federal estate or gift tax, while a married couple

null Getty It’s been a terrific year for one specific group of funds—and that means, if you’re one of many people who own them, you need to be very careful. I’m talking about senior-loan (also known as floating-rate) funds, which have made big gains in 2019. That’s lulled many folks into a false sense of

Put more into your piggy bank with tax-planning strategies for capital gains. Getty Let’s say you own stock that may generate a big capital gain when you sell it. It could be shares in Apple or Amazon that you purchased a long time ago, founder’s stock in a startup that turned into a hot IPO

The challenge in building an effective retirement income plan is to use available income tools and tactics in a strategic manner to meet the financial goals of retirement while also managing the risks confronting those goals. The financial goals of retirement include sustainably meeting a lifestyle spending goal for as long as one lives, providing

Getty If you have a college-aged child, estate planning is probably the last thing on your mind. However, estate planning isn’t just for the wealthy and aging. It also includes provisions for while you’re still alive, and everyone can benefit from having a plan in place if they’re no longer able to care for themselves

Presidential candidates Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders have proposed expensive across-the-board increases in Social Security benefits, premised on the idea, as Warren says, that “It’s too hard to save enough for a decent retirement — and it’s only getting harder.” Congressional Democrats are ready to back the candidates’ promises, with near-unanimous House Democrat support for

Team of doctors Getty Elizabeth Warren just released her proposal for funding the single-payer healthcare system she calls “Medicare for All” but which is far more generous than the existing Medicare system, promising all medically necessary/appropriate services/treatments not just with respect to traditional healthcare but also dental, hearing, vision, and long-term care, both in-home and

Families Need More Financial Help, Unions Can Deliver Getty A lot of American working-class families struggle financially. A range of organizations thus encourage employers to help their employees gain more financial security. The goal is to provide families with some peace of mind, so that they become better at their jobs. Real employee financial security

By Alexandra Kathryn Mosca, Next Avenue Contributor Getty From the time I could first hold a pen, it was my dream to make a living from the written word. As a child, I was awed by the power of books and the worlds they opened. My career path, however, took a very different turn — until

A new study has shown that high intensity exercise improves memory in seniors. Getty High-intensity treadmill workouts may not immediately spring to mind when considering a suitable exercise regimen for seniors. But, according to a new study, these workouts can significantly boost memory function by up to 30%. Researchers from McMaster University in Ontario, Canada

Mature couple doing family finances at home. Senior couple discussing home economics sitting at … [+] table. Happy couple sitting at home planning household financials. Getty I recently illustrated the dangers of trusting the Dividend Aristocrats to take care of your retirement needs. Their average yield of 2.4% is a fraction of what you’ll need

A forensic review of the endangered mine workers pension should be undertaken immediately. Workers and retirees deserve answers and once the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation takes over the plan, it will be too late.   The bankruptcy of Murray Energy, America’s largest private coal mining company has coal workers “nervous and scared” for their pensions,

Getty This past summer, Next Avenue published “Retiring on a Shoestring,” about a newly retired couple trying to live well on a limited budget. It hit a nerve with readers. But even though it’s not easy to live large on savings, some retirees are enjoying the extras of retirement. They’re getting deals on travel, dining

Economic Security Planning, Inc. Today’s column addresses when a person can receive an excess spousal benefit, whether both spouses can be eligible for spousal benefits, spousal benefits after retirement benefits, more on excess spousal benefits and becoming eligible for retirement benefits. Larry Kotlikoff is a Professor of Economics at Boston University and the founder and

health insurance concept – stethoscope over the money on the table Getty Many people know that Health Savings Accounts (HSA) are a great way to pay for qualified medical expenses with their triple-tax advantage features. However, what many people might not know is that there is an IRS loophole that will allow you flexibility in