Retirement

By Christine D. Moriarty, Next Avenue When it comes to where to retire, people often get caught up in the illusion, rather than the reality. Before making a commitment to move, understand this change is a fine mix of dreams, practicalities and your vision. You can find your perfect mix when you consider all the

From Alaska to Florida, America’s state and local governments have long been pushing their workers out of pensions into 401(k)-type retirement plans in response to looming budget deficits—misleadingly claiming the retirement benefits are comparable. Nearly two decades later, state workers have awakened to discover they were hoodwinked by their employers and retained financial advisors. Warnings

Questions from beneficiaries who inherited IRAs (individual retirement accounts) continue to come in, which is not a surprise. Two laws changed the landscape for inheritors of tax-deferred accounts with the passage of the first SECURE Act (“SECURE 1.0”), which took effect in 2020, and SECURE 2.0 (signed into law in 2022). Plus, the IRS issued

Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Semiconductors are a vital part of virtually all industries. Here’s how to get exposure to them. “Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives,” says the familiar opening of NBC’s Days Of Our Lives. In the decade prior to the premiere of

When Jackie called for advice about her mother in assisted living, she had been told that there was “a Medicare solution”. Her Mom, Perla, had been in a memory care home for three years and was running out of money. Someone had fed Jackie a falsehood. She had been told that the home would never

Are you looking for the best side hustle out there? Do you believe there’s one that makes the most money in the shortest period of time? Does such a side hustle exist? Here’s a clue for you: stop looking and start digging. There is a “most successful” side hustle. More precisely, there are many “most

Regina called AgingParents.com in desperation. She has an 85 year old neighbor, Tony, who lives alone and he’s in big trouble. He just can’t take care of himself and he has a lot of medical issues. He says he has no family. He reaches out to her sometimes and she has been helping him pay

6 Tips for Managing Your Zero-interest Promotion When shopping for furniture for a home my wife and I purchased two years ago, the store in which we found many wonderful pieces was offering a promotion of zero interest for two years. All we had to do was qualify based on our credit rating. The stipulation

Introduction A recent federal law, the Corporate Transparency Act (not so affectionately called by the acronym “CTA”) may have a significant and perhaps disturbing impact on your planning. The CTA mandates a new type of reporting to the government that no one has experienced yet in the U.S. It is all encompassing and despite its

Next week at the National Institute on Retirement Security’s 14th annual retirement policy conference, veteran financial journalist Mark Miller will share insight from his new book, Retirement Reboot: Commonsense Financial Strategies for Getting Back on Track (Agate Publishing, January 2023). The book serves as a guide for the millions of Americans who just aren’t financially

Cigar entreprenuer Marvin Samel is bringing a deeply-personal film he wrote and produced about his family to the world with love, humility, and knowledge that the odds are stacked against him. “We are the little movie that can,” says Samel. In 2001, entrepreneur Marvin Samel was highlighted in Forbes, in an article titled “Cult Brands.”

For years, retirement researchers — including me — have consistently recommended that you delay beginning Social Security retirement benefits as close to age 70 as possible. New research evidence bolsters that recommendation. Delaying Social Security benefits to age 70 instead of 62 increases monthly benefits by 77% in inflation-adjusted terms, according to a new paper

A strong labor market currently provides households with lots of jobs and rising wages that make it easier to pay off their debt, even as households are borrowing more money, especially on credit cards. Right now, delinquencies on consumer credit are still well below their already fairly low levels before the pandemic. But, this could

You’ve been playing around with your side hustle for some time now. It’s still fun, but you’re wondering if it could be more fun. And by “more fun,” you’re thinking, “generate more business.” It doesn’t have to be more business that pushes your side hustle into the full-time tier. Maybe it’s just a few extra

The start line of the annual race in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, was crowded. A rain delay had participants just waiting. I looked over at a woman next to me, and said “hello”. She was friendly and we had a conversation. When the announcer asked who was celebrating a birthday, we both raised our

At a recent social event, as so often happens, the conversation turned to Medicare. An acquaintance mentioned that, since he has long-term care (LTC LTC ) insurance, he doesn’t need a Medigap policy. His comment reminded me of some of the misconceptions I’ve heard about Medigap policies. If these are not clarified, Medicare beneficiaries can

Your imagination contains hidden treasures. If you allow it to percolate for only a moment or two, you can smell that delicious meal you’re about to cook. If you let it simmer longer, a creative story leaps from your mind. If you permit yourself to dive deeper, a beautiful work of art emerges. And that’s

On any given day, the financial press is chocked full of articles about how the stock market is poised to skyrocket, or is on the precipice of a profound decline—often by 20% or more. The most sensational predictions seem to draw the most readers. Pundits who at some time in the past, say in 2001,

Public employers, especially state and local governments, who employ by far the largest share of public employees, have a hard time filling positions in a tight labor market. At the same time, many public employees face financial difficulties. Employers often have only limited room to quickly raise wages, but they can provide meaningful benefits that

Buying real estate with someone other than a spouse can be a costly mistake. If you are married and split up, you have rights that are addressed in the divorce process. However, if you are not married and no longer see eye to eye, you are going to need to resolve the issues on your