Considering a Roth IRA conversion? Here’s how to reduce the tax bite

If you’re considering a Roth conversion, your timing and yearly planning can significantly reduce the tax bite, financial experts say.  The popular retirement savings strategy allows higher earn...

‘What do we do with all that talent?’ Older workers and the new economy

Did you catch the half-time show at the Super Bowl highlighting hip-hop artists Dr. Dre, Mary J Blige, and Snoop Dogg? The performance garnered high praise among critics and the audience (including me...

How couples choose to handle money

DusanManic | iStock | Getty Images When it comes to handling money, couples have a choice: combine all of their accounts, keep them entirely separate or strive for something in between. But what is no...

U.S. Retirement Funds, Heavy on Stocks, Brace for Losses

Volatile stock markets are eroding the retirement savings of America’s teachers and firefighters after public pension systems ended last year with equity holdings at a 10-year high. Public pension fun...

The end (of the stock market correction) may be near

The end of the stock market’s correction may be near. That’s because I just received an email from a prominent money manager declaring that “buy and hold is dead.” Like the first robin of spring heral...

I’m 60 with ‘well into seven figures’ saved. Should I get a financial adviser?

Getty Images/iStockphoto Question: I am 60 years old, single and don’t have any children. I am well into seven figures with retirement savings, made up of three 401(k)s, two mutual funds and a $350,00...

Should you consider a Roth IRA conversion when the market drops?

If you’re considering a Roth conversion, stock market drops may make the strategy more appealing, according to financial experts.   While the popular move, allowing higher earners to bypass inco...

Homeowners hold record equity. What to know if you want to borrow

New homes under construction by CastleRock Communities in Kyle, Texas, in November 2021. Matthew Busch | Bloomberg | Getty Images Record increases in home prices are also pushing up the amount of equi...

Proposed LIFE Act Would Boost Annuities’ Role in Retirement Plans

The passage of the Secure Act in 2019 has led to some dramatic shifts in retirement plans. Of particular note, the law allowed for annuities providing guaranteed lifetime income to be incorporated int...

Don’t panic. How to control emotions during stock market volatility

Peopleimages | Istock | Getty Images The ups and downs of the stock market may have you tempted to make changes to your portfolio. Yet time and again experts will tell you to never let emotions drive ...

Go Ahead, Retire at 62 and Claim Social Security at 67. Your Benefit Will Climb.

Joni Hanebutt/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 retirement@ba...

Cheap, Boring Advice for Retirement Savers: Minimize Taxes, Rebalance Regularly

Wealth advisor Susan Elser of Indianapolis says investing should be cheap and unexciting. Her firm has six advisors and manages $635 million in assets. She has no research staff to keep costs down, an...

Opinion: How to invest like a millionaire and build wealth for retirement

Over the course of my career, I’ve had the opportunity to work with multiple self-made millionaires. Though they come from varied backgrounds, these investors have a few key habits in common—ones that...

Ranks of these investors are poised for fast growth in coming decade

Prasit photo | Moment | Getty Images The U.S. wealth management industry is poised to grow by about 5% annually over the next five years, while certain segments of the investor population are position...

IBM executives call older workers ‘dinobabies,’ discrimination lawsuit alleges

Executives at IBM IBM, -0.16% referred to the company’s older workers as “dinobabies” in internal email correspondence, according to a new age-discrimination lawsuit. These emails were submitted as ev...

Warren Buffett Lieutenant Ted Weschler Makes a Big Score on Dillard’s

Text size Ted Weschler, portfolio manager for Berkshire Hathaway. Photograph by Daniel Acker/Bloomberg Ted Weschler, an investment lieutenant for Warren Buffett, sold out of a hugely successful invest...

Retirees, pay attention – inflation is on the rise

Americans are spending more money because of high inflation — this can be a big problem for older individuals living on a fixed budget.  Inflation is at a 40-year-high, at around 7.5% in January, acco...

‘We live 5 minutes from our in-laws who have a larger home’: Is it a good idea to swap houses? Will I end up with a surprise tax bill?

I am a California resident. My husband and I own a 1,800-square-foot home that we bought in 2019 for $1.5 million. We have between 40% and 50% equity in the property due to a large down payment. We li...

Weekend reads: Inflation fear and opportunities for investors

U.S. consumer price inflation rose to a 40-year high of 7.5% in January. That pace is running way ahead of wage growth, and the official figures can mask even more pain, depending on a family’s circum...

How Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities can help your retirement savings weather 7.5% inflation

That’s not good news for retirement savers. And some might consider the stock market to be a bit frothy these days. So, it might make sense to invest a portion of your retirement nest egg conservative...

You have less money saved for retirement than you think

You almost certainly are too optimistic about how fast your retirement portfolio will grow. And that could cause grave problems for you in coming years. A too-high return assumption leads you to withd...

Opinion: How to profit from your losses on those ‘Cathie Wood’ stocks

Americans have lost billions of dollars from their retirement funds in the past year as some of the most popular recent investments have come crashing down to earth. As our chart above shows, many of ...

‘I don’t know if it’s worth dealing with tenants’: Should I convert my home into a rental, or sell it?

I have enough money to put down on a second home — I need a slightly bigger place and another bedroom. I currently live in Portland, Ore., but I am planning to move outside of Portland. However, I’m c...

Financial anxiety is high. Why financial planners may miss the signs

The Covid-19 pandemic has made it difficult for people to answer big questions about their futures, and many financial planners are underestimating the financial anxiety that is causing, according to ...

5 popular financial rules you might want to ditch

Traditional financial advice like the kind you got from your parents is often true but even experienced investors might rely on maxims that are outdated and no longer serving your financial well-being...

These end-of-life planning forms will save your family a lot of heartache, the trouble with Alaska’s oil fund and more retirement news

From MarketWatch: Opinion: Big money trouble with Alaska’s $80 billion oil fund: A major political row has broken out at Alaska’s Permanent Fund, the state’s giant $82 billion oil fund, where the firi...

Opinion: Should you add residential real estate to your retirement portfolio?

Is there a way to invest in residential real estate as an asset class? It’s a timely question since, as I pointed out last week, residential real estate can play an important role in reducing the prob...

‘No, no, no, no, no!’ My wife and I are close to retirement, but we want to buy a house. Should I empty my 401(k) for the down payment?

Dear MarketWatch, My wife and I have been renting for many years, and we think it’s time to buy our first house. We live in Westchester County, N.Y., and we are looking for a home in the $450,000 to $...

Opinion: ARK investors have lost $4 billion — ‘We believe we’re going to see the turn sooner rather than later,’ Cathie Wood says

Four billion dollars would provide for a lot of retirements. It would, for example, pay for about 80,000 of these popular recreational vehicles. Or about 40,000 of these popular boats. Or, more prosai...