The end of the year is an important time for making financial decisions that can have an impact in the year ahead — and for years to come. From your work to your savings and investments to spending an...
Tag: financial planning
3 Ways to Take Advantage of Today’s High Cash Yields
Cash has been a refuge during this volatile year when stocks, bonds, and cryptocurrencies have cratered—especially since savers can now earn some of the highest yields in more than a decade. Interest...
Inflation Is Forcing Many Retirees to Put Long-Awaited Plans on Hold—Again
Brenda Dickason dreamed of traveling to Europe in retirement. Instead, the former teacher and police detective spent 2022 watching TV with her husband at their Tucson, Ariz., home and selling homemade...
Here are 3 ways Gen Z workers can start saving now for retirement
Luis Alvarez | Digitalvision | Getty Images If you’re just out of college, you may be wondering when the right time is to get started with a retirement savings plan. The answer is now, experts s...
The biggest tax changes to know before filing your 2022 return
Tom Werner | DigitalVision | Getty Images Certain tax credits have been reduced One possible reason for a smaller tax refund is the child tax credit and the child and dependent care tax credit have b...
Here’s why your tax refund may be smaller in 2023, the IRS says
If you’re expecting a tax refund in 2023, it may be smaller than this year’s payment, according to the IRS. Typically, you get a federal refund when you’ve overpaid yearly taxes or ...
Top Advisors Share the Best Financial Moves to Make Now
It’s easy to get swept up in how stocks, bonds, or your portfolio performed today, this month, or this year, and that’s especially true during market upheavals. But a longer-term view is required to a...
How to Put Together an All-Cash Home Purchase
As home-financing costs have skyrocketed, cash is king once again. Nearly one in 10 new homes in the third quarter were purchased with cash, according to Census Bureau data—the largest share since 201...
How to Maximize Your Wealth Over the Next Decade
Investors accustomed to blockbuster returns faced a reckoning this year, as the great bull market ended with high inflation, soaring interest rates, and fears of a recession. The uncertainty persists,...
Reasons to say ‘no’ to a store credit card offer this Black Friday
Prostock-studio | Istock | Getty Images In the rush at the store checkout this holiday season, you may be tempted to say yes when asked if you want to apply for a store credit card — especially if you...
Here’s how to score a charitable tax break on ‘Giving Tuesday’
Ariel Skelley | Getty Images You must ‘itemize’ to claim the charitable deduction When filing your return, you reduce your taxable income by subtracting the greater of either the standard ...
Why Your Money May Not Go to the Heirs in Your Will
Text size If you have given power of attorney to someone, you may have to sign a separate agreement at your bank to ensure access to funds. Dreamstime When it comes to distributing assets to loved one...
Schwab’s Liz Ann Sonders Sees Trouble Still Ahead. Where to Invest Now.
Though the U.S. stock market looks healthier than it did during its rough patch over the summer, Charles Schwab Chief Investment Strategist Liz Ann Sonders sees potential trouble still ahead, especial...
Preferred Dividends Are Part Stock, Part Bond. How They Can Provide Income.
We won’t know for a while if the recent rally in bonds has legs. Yields tumbled Thursday, pushing up prices, after a relatively tame inflation reading, as investors bet that the Federal Reserve will e...
Market Losses Can Reduce Your Tax Bill for Years. Here’s How.
This year’s market mayhem could shave your tax bill for years to come. With just weeks to go, 2022 is poised for steep negative annual returns in both stocks and bonds, a correlated collapse that has ...
What an inverted yield curve means for the economy
Catherine Yeulet | Getty Images What the inverted yield curve means Generally, longer-term bonds pay more than bonds with shorter maturities. Since longer-maturity bonds are more vulnerable to price c...
TreasuryDirect crashes as investors try to beat key I bond deadline
Shapecharge | E+ | Getty Images Investors crashed the Treasury Department website for Series I bonds on Friday as they clamored to lock in a record-high interest rate before a key deadline. I bonds ha...
Americans Say They Need $1.2 Million to Retire. Most Aren’t Saving Enough.
When it comes to retirement, Americans are simultaneously determining they need more stashed away to have a comfortable retirement and falling behind their savings goals. That’s according to two new s...
You must buy Series I bonds by Oct. 28 to get 9.62% annual interest
Insta_photos | Istock | Getty Images If you’re eager to secure 9.62% annual interest for Series I bonds for six months, the deadline is quickly approaching. You must purchase I bonds and receive...
How to save above 401(k) deferral limits with after-tax contributions
If you’ve already maxed out 401(k) plan contributions for 2022 and you’re eager to save more for retirement, some plans have an under-the-radar option, experts say. For 2022, you can defer...
How much income you can have for 0% capital gains taxes in 2023
If you’re planning to sell investments or rebalance your taxable portfolio, you may be less likely to trigger a tax bill in 2023, experts say. This week, the IRS released dozens of inflation adj...
Here Is the New Standard Deduction and Federal Income Tax Brackets For 2023
The IRS has announced inflation adjustments to the standard deduction and other tax provisions for the 2023 tax year. The standard deduction for married couples filing jointly for tax year 2023 will r...
Medicare Open Enrollment Starts Today. Here’s What to Know.
Medicare’s open enrollment period arrives predictably each fall, blanketing beneficiaries in advertisements. While there’s no need to look at everything, it pays to review your coverage and make sure ...
Beneficiaries of Inherited Retirement Accounts Dodge a Tax Bullet
New legislation related to taxes can come with plenty of ambiguities and complexities, but the IRS often irons them out in the regulations it proposes. Al Drago/Bloomberg Sometimes these efforts fail...