Keeping tabs on the estate-planning rules during the past few years has been a little like watching Olympic-level table tennis: The action moves quickly, and it’s difficult to keep up. However, no matter how laws and rules change, there are a few basic tasks that are actually pretty evergreen and
Monthly Market Commentary Even though the U.S. market lost 3.5% in January, investors still seemed hopeful about continued low interest rates (now more likely, given soft economic activity) and about the potential for slower Fed tapering of bond purchases. (However, interest rates continue to decline even as the Fed tapers.)
Over the last 20 years, markets have experienced many shocks and recessions, including the Asian currency crisis, the Russian debt default, the dot-com crash of the early 2000s, and the recent global financial crisis. When these events occur, investors frequently attempt to reduce (or increase) investments to certain asset classes
The stock markets of the world turned in stellar results in 2013, and it was almost guaranteed that at some point there would be a pullback. Looking domestically, the S&P 500 reached a recent high of 1848.38 on January 15th, and in the period of a few weeks, is now
Monthly Market Commentary Recent economic data has not been uplifting, with poor auto sales, a subpar retail holiday season, and a weak employment report. Even home-price growth has been showing signs of slowing down. Only the trade report data was unequivocally good, though perhaps a little too good to be
In 2014, the income limit for Roth contributions is $129,000 for single filers and $191,000 for married couples filing jointly. For high-income earners who earn too much to contribute to a Roth IRA directly, the only method of getting new assets into a Roth IRA is to go in through
The onslaught of positive economic news during the past couple of weeks has been relentless. Even fears of an earlier Federal Reserve reduction in bond purchases couldn’t dampen spirits on Dec. 6 when a positive jobs report had everyone cheering. This and other recent numbers put a lot of fears
The arrival of a baby is an exciting event, but it also brings additional financial challenges and decisions for the whole family. Outlined below are four key financial considerations to help new parents prepare for many of life’s unknowns. Prepare for the Unexpected: Check your individual health insurance policy for
The market endured yet another month of Fed-watching as investors moved markets upward when more quantitative easing looked possible and downward when it looked like tapering of bond purchases was around the corner. In the past, easing and tightening measures by the Fed have been nearly perfect predictors of stock-
Financial planning may present different challenges for women as opposed to men for various reasons. Knowing these challenges, when and if they are likely to occur is crucial for women to successfully manage income, expenses, retirement planning, college planning for children, and any other money matters that need attention. Challenge