What happens when the kids leave home?

A key part of your retirement financial plan may be based on a faulty assumption. I’m referring to whether you’ll save and invest more for your retirement after your children become financially indepe...

Opinion: I want to leave a Roth IRA to my sister with special needs — what’s the best way to do that?

Q.: I have a Roth IRA that I would like to leave to my sister. She has mental-health issues and I want to have a way to leave money to be distributed monthly without paying it all out in handling fees...

Opinion: Preparing for the great sunset: What you need to know if tax code provisions expire

The hot equities and housing markets have contributed to a surge in U.S. household wealth during the pandemic. According to the Federal Reserve, household wealth grew by $19 trillion to $137 trillion ...

Weekend reads: the slowing housing market and inverted yield curve signal a coming recession

It is human nature to fear missing out as prices skyrocket, But all bubbles burst eventually. Ian Shepherdson of Pantheon Macroeconomics predicts a 25% decline in U.S. home sales. What will that do to...

Vanguard reclaims top target-date fund manager spot it lost in 2020

Thomas Barwick | Digitalvision | Getty Images Vanguard Group captured the most new investor money in its target-date funds last year relative to other asset managers, reclaiming the top spot it’...

Opinion: The Trust Act is not the way to fix Social Security

Last month, I was invited to a forum on “Trust Fund Solutions,” which means Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) is still pushing his TRUST Act. One of the bill’s co-sponsors — Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) — also a...

Opinion: How ‘washed up…old man’ Warren Buffett is getting the last laugh

Poor old Warren Buffett. Poor, old, “washed up” Warren Buffett! It’s almost two years since the Berkshire Hathaway chairman, then 89, was publicly mocked by 40-something self-proclaimed stock market “...

Do I need to file a tax return if most of my income is Social Security?

Recently we received the following email from a reader: I would like to know if I live off my Social Security check and have no other income must I file a federal tax return? I have a yearly income of...

Stock market investors are in the danger zone. This all-weather investing strategy offers protection

We’re in a period of high inflation, with a war disrupting energy markets and the Federal Reserve raising interest rates. The murky outlook calls for a multiyear cycle of central-bank policy moves tha...

I now owe 3x what I originally borrowed in student loans. What can I do?

Borrowers with less-than-perfect credit records face challenges while climbing out of debt, and they can get steeper when you’re older because income tends to plateau. Getty Images/iStockphoto Questio...

Many companies are enriching their retirement benefits

Workers may be in for a treat – some companies plan to boost their retirement benefits in the next few years, as they look to hire and retain talent, according to a new survey.  U.S. employers are imp...

‘Motherhood Penalty’ Ranges as High as $600,000. Here Are Some Tips to Catch Up.

When the pandemic hit in 2020 and shut down schools, Samantha Goodman decided there was no way to work and care for her son, now 6. So for two years she gave up on having a job or saving for retiremen...

Yes, Roths Are Tax-Free Retirement Accounts. But TFRAs Refer to Something Else.

Dreamstime.com Text size Have a question about saving for retirement or your personal financial situation? Whatever the question, Barron’s Retirement can try to help. Email [email protected], and...

Will the Fed rate increase mean higher interest on your savings and not using your travel card rewards may not be such a bad thing

Hi, MarketWatchers. Don’t miss these top stories. Weekend reads: There’s a recession warning as the Federal Reserve fights inflation Also, value stocks, the wild market for crude oil and a U.S. compan...

Weekend reads: There’s a recession warning as the Federal Reserve fights inflation

The Federal Reserve this week increased the federal funds rate for the first time since 2018. Long-term market interest rates had risen significantly as investors anticipated that the central bank wou...

France is considering raising its retirement age to 65

French workers may see their legal retirement age jump from 62 to 65 if President Emmanuel Macron gets his way.  Macron, who is running for reelection, said the move is a natural progression. “We are ...

More than 70% of savers are worried that inflation will affect their ability to retire

Inflation just hit its highest level in 40 years. Future inflation expectations have risen by a third in 12 months. And the federal government’s own “inflation protected” bonds, which were designed to...

My wife and I are in our 50s with $300,000 in a 401(k) and $700,000 in a pension. I can’t work much longer and am ‘embarrassed’ we didn’t prepare better. Will we be able to ‘live a simple life’ in retirement?

I’m 53 years old, a registered nurse and planning to retire at 58. I am married, my wife is two years older than I am and she plans to retire at 62. We have a good marriage and friendship. We have thr...

Americans are pausing investments because of the Russia-Ukraine war

The ongoing Russia-Ukraine war is degrading Americans’ financial outlook, sparking the desire to save more and postpone investing, according to a survey from MassMutual. But steering clear of st...

‘Where should I live and what am I going to do?’ Retirement advice we’re not getting from financial advisers

Retirement is one of the Top 10 most stressful life events, according to the psychiatrists Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe. As someone who recently began unretirement (or semiretirement), I concur. But...

I cosigned student loans for my daughter, but am now disabled. What can I do?

How to get out of student loan debt Getty Images/iStockphoto Question: I cosigned on a private student loan for my daughter in 2006. Soon afterwards my health deteriorated, and I was granted disabilit...

Inflation is causing some older Americans to delay retirement plans

As inflation rises, many Americans are shifting life milestones, including retirement. Some 13% of Gen Xers and baby boomers say they have postponed or considered delaying plans to leave the workforce...

Opinion: Top investors dump stocks — why that might mean you should buy

Well, here’s some cheerful news for all of us with a retirement portfolio: The geniuses running the world’s biggest investment funds have panicked and have bailed out of the market. If that’s not a go...

Investors Sue Vanguard After Target Date Funds’ Big Tax Bill

Three investors are suing Vanguard Group for alleged negligence and breach of fiduciary duty, saying that changes the company made to target date retirement funds resulted in “massive tax bills” for i...

Work at a small employer? You likely pay high 401(k) fees

Yongyuan | E+ | Getty Images Workers who save in a 401(k) plan offered by a small business pay fees that are twice as high as those paid by employees who work at the largest companies in the U.S. The ...

Want to Buy a Retirement Retreat? Here Are Some Risks and Costs to Consider.

Dreamstime Text size For 35 years, financial planner Harold Evensky watched clients retreat regularly to vacation homes, enjoying serene beaches or mountains and the joy of family gatherings. And befo...

Capital Gains and Dividend Tax Rates for 2021-2022

Investors with taxable accounts—as opposed to tax-favored retirement accounts such as individual retirement accounts or 401(k)s—are often eligible for lower tax rates and other benefits. When an inves...

Inflation isn’t likely to crush retirees for these expenses, report finds

High gas prices at stations in Garden Grove, California, on Monday, March 7, 2022. Jeff Gritchen | Medianews Group | Getty Images Inflation has continued to increase amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict a...

Crypto poses serious 401(k) risks, Biden administration warns

Xinhua News Agency | Xinhua News Agency | Getty Images Cryptocurrencies, such as bitcoin and other digital assets like non-fungible tokens, pose “significant risks and challenges” to 401(k...

Planning to retire? Don’t get hit with a surprise tax bill for this common mistake

How much of your salary is withheld from your paycheck affects what you receive, or owe, at tax time – with the wrong number selected, you could be in for quite a surprise.  Retirement Tip of the Week...

Scared of investing during the Ukraine invasion? Try this IRA maneuver

Moe, Larry and Curly have been watching stock markets plunge in the past two weeks in response to the Ukraine invasion. Each wants to invest, say, $100,000 in European stocks—for example through Vangu...

Here’s how urban and rural Americans build wealth differently

Doug Langley clears the combine harvester’s head from weed before he starts harvesting, during the wheat harvest in Shelbyville, Kentucky, June 29, 2021. Amira Karaoud | Reuters Many rural Ameri...