International funds are poised for growth
Inflows to long-term mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) focused on international stocks have been increasing this year, and also outpacing flows into funds invested in U.S. stocks, according to data from the Investment Company Institute. The trend reflects optimism on the part of investors that a broad global economic resurgence that began last year will continue in 2018. And... READ MORE
Protect your assets in this volatile market
After a long stretch of calm and a relentless rally, the stock market recently took a breather. No one should be surprised — unless you’re surprised it took so long for this bull market to take some downtime. Stock market corrections, typically defined as a loss between 10 percent and 20 percent from the peak, occur about every two years, on average. The last one began in May 2015,... READ MORE
Simplify finances — for you and your heirs
Simplifying and organizing our financial lives can make things easier for us while we’re alive and for our survivors when we’re not. This task becomes more urgent as we age. Our financial decision-making abilities generally peak around age 53, researchers have found, while rates of cognitive decline and dementia start to climb at age 60. Over time, we tend to become more... READ MORE
Store card could torpedo your credit score
When a sales clerk cheerfully asks, “Would you like to save 20 percent on your purchases today by opening a card with us?” you may think you’re getting a bargain. But the reality sounds a lot less cheery: “Would you be interested in a low-limit card that could damage your credit standing?” Credit expert John Ulzheimer warns that opening a new store card could hurt your... READ MORE
How to make your encore career count
Marci Alboher is vice president of Encore.org, a nonprofit that encourages baby boomers to use their skills and experience to help their communities. She’s the author of The Encore Career Handbook: How to Make a Living and a Difference in the Second Half of Life. Here is an excerpt of a conversation with her from Kiplinger’s: Kiplinger: Are there particular fields that lend... READ MORE
Is more tech in mutual funds a good thing?
As technology takes over more of people’s daily lives, it’s also taking over ever-bigger chunks of their retirement accounts. Surging prices for technology stocks around the world mean the industry is making up a larger proportion of global markets. In the United States, Apple, Google’s parent company, and other tech companies account for nearly 24 percent of the Standard &... READ MORE
Despite concerns, bull market continues
Wall Street is forecasting another year of gains for stocks in 2018, even as worries rise that the end may be nearing for one of the market’s greatest runs in history. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index has nearly quadrupled since the dark days of early 2009, and this bull run of eight-plus years is well into old-age status. Only the rally of 1990 to 2000 lasted longer. But... READ MORE
Refusing to pay hurts you more than them
Oh, the injustice of it all. Who among us hasn’t felt abused as a consumer? We get billed for stuff we didn’t receive, or that doesn’t work, or that didn’t live up to its hype. Companies charge us unexpected fees and insist the costs were revealed in the fine print. Health insurers take customer disservice to a whole new, awful level, inexplicably refusing to pay for services... READ MORE
Reporting a tax-free transfer from your IRA to charity
Question: I have to take a $20,000 required minimum distribution from my Vanguard IRA this year. I’d like to give $5,000 tax-free to a charity and withdraw the remaining $15,000 for myself. A Vanguard rep said it would send me a check for $15,000 payable to me as well as a $5,000 check made payable to the charity that I could forward. The rep said that at the end of the year it would... READ MORE
How retirement savers can reduce RMDs
Required minimum distributions (RMDs) are the congressionally-mandated, annual taxable withdrawals from retirement accounts required of savers after they reach the age of 70½. The rules surrounding how and when to take RMDs are complicated and arcane, and taking them creates a ripple effect throughout your financial plan that could set you up for some unpleasant surprises. Those who... READ MORE
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