Financial tasks to tackle at the new year
The beginning of the year is a good time to mark some items off your financial checklist, such as reviewing beneficiary designations, updating contact information and visiting your safe deposit box. A task without a deadline is just wishful thinking. Sometimes, you can get away with procrastinating. If you never get around to alphabetizing your spices, no one’s life will change. But... READ MORE
Protect yourself from fraud by a fiduciary
One in 20 older adults is a victim of financial mistreatment, according to the National Adult Protective Services Association. Most fail to report their victimization, fearing a loss of independence. In part, that’s because the most common perpetrators of financial abuse are family members, unscrupulous caregivers and professional advisers, such as lawyers, accountants and financial... READ MORE
Tax reduction via opportunity zone funds
It’s tough to think of a highly appreciated asset as the problem child in a portfolio. The goal is to choose investments that will flourish, after all. And those strong performers are typically the ones you love best and hold onto the longest. But things can get complicated when it’s time to let go — when that stock stops growing and you’re ready to sell, or when you’re... READ MORE
Questions to ask before investing money
Many people who ask me about investments or setting up an appointment often preface it by saying, “I’m sorry, this is probably a stupid question, but…” Most people are afraid to ask questions about their investments for fear of sounding ignorant or admitting in some way that they don’t have all of their “stuff together.” But there truly are no stupid questions when it... READ MORE
New law changes RMD and IRA rules
With the decline of traditional pensions, most of us are now responsible for squirrelling away money for our own retirement. In today’s do-it-yourself retirement savings world, we rely largely on 401(k) plans and IRAs. However, there are obviously flaws with the system because about one-fourth of working Americans have no retirement savings at all — including 13% of workers 60 and... READ MORE
Involve your spouse in financial decisions
When I taught courses in personal financial planning at the New School for Social Research in New York City for 18 years, most of my students were women. Periodically, I teach courses at local colleges and still find a large percentage of women in my courses. Many of them were widows who had not actively participated in basic personal financial decisions, such as investing and... READ MORE
Smart ways to choose a financial planner
Dear Savvy Senior, Can you recommend some tips on finding and choosing a good financial planner? My wife and I are both in our late 50s and would like to get some professional advice to help us better prepare for our retirement years. Seeking Advice Dear Seeking, online pharmacy... READ MORE
When parents need your financial help
Most parents in the U.S. provide some sort of financial support to their adult children, multiple surveys have found. But often, financial aid goes the other way. A 2015 survey by TD Ameritrade found 13% of American adults provided financial support to a parent. Millennials were far more likely than older generations to report they were helping their folks. Of people born between 1981 ... READ MORE
Hardships with medical bills is common
More than half of seriously ill Medicare enrollees face financial hardships with medical bills, and prescription drug costs are the leading problem, according to a study published last month. The study in the journal Health Affairs comes as legislation to curb drug costs for seniors languishes in Congress and the growing financial exposure of patients with insurance is getting more... READ MORE
Could your tax bill explode in retirement?
Remember when you first started earning a decent salary, and it seemed as if everybody — your parents, your boss, the nice lady in Human Resources and, of course, your tax preparer — all told you to put as much money as you could into your employer’s 401(k) plan? Grab the employer match, they said. Get the growth that the market has to offer. And take advantage of the tax break,... READ MORE
