More risks stemming from hack of Equifax
Long after the Equifax breach was announced, people were still struggling to freeze their credit reports as credit bureau websites failed, lured people to look-alike products, or even redirected visitors to download malicious software. But that’s just the start of the gauntlet people may have to run to protect their financial lives. The Equifax hack exposed the names,... READ MORE
Are your bonds lowering or raising risk?
Most retirees hold a mix of stocks and bonds, assuming that their bonds will not only generate income but also cushion the fall if stocks crash. But are your bonds really taming your portfolio’s risk — or amping it up? For much of the past two decades, bonds could be depended on to zig when stocks zag. But now, some analysts and money managers are warning that the correlation between ... READ MORE
Making the most of your donor dollars
This year’s seemingly endless string of natural disasters has inspired countless acts of heroism and generosity. But as the year-end giving season begins, some philanthropy experts worry that a phenomenon known as “donor fatigue” could affect individuals’ willingness to support other worthwhile causes. Many global crises don’t get much news coverage in the U.S. For example,... READ MORE
Calculating the true cost of divorce at 50+
You’re sitting across the kitchen table from your spouse, when she informs you that she wants to separate. After decades of marriage, you’re facing divorce.While becoming unwillingly single can be difficult at any stage of life, splitting up after the age of 50 can be doubly devastating, because you have a limited amount of time to financially recover before retirement. online... READ MORE
Several good reasons to buy used goods
Bedbugs. Weird smells. The possibility of imminent breakdowns. People have all sorts of excuses for not buying used stuff.Those who deliberately buy used items, though, say such fears are not just overblown — they’re also expensive. online pharmacy actos no prescription Katy Wolk-Stanley, a labor and delivery nurse, has a short list of things she’ll buy new, including... READ MORE
Don’t procrastinate rebalancing portfolio
Rebalancing a portfolio is like going to the gym. You know you should, but it’s so easy to put the task off until tomorrow, or next week, or next year. That’s especially true when stocks, now in the ninth year of a bull market, seem to march ever higher. Shifting money from winning stocks to low-yielding bonds may sound tougher than tackling that treadmill.Older investors may... READ MORE
Strategies to stop being the family ATM
If you want someone to stop asking you for money, the worst thing you can do is say no and then give in after persistent pleading.Such “intermittent reinforcement” — granting a reward after an unpredictable number of requests — makes it more likely the person will ask for another handout than if you just said yes at the start, said Brad Klontz, a certified financial... READ MORE
Fiduciary rule means better money advice
In a Harris Poll conducted in March on behalf of Personal Capital, a digital wealth management firm, 46 percent of respondents said they believed all financial professionals are legally required to always act in their clients’ best interest. Another 31 percent were unsure whether this was the case.Imagine those individuals’ surprise (and maybe yours), in the coming weeks and... READ MORE
Find out if the Equifax hack stole your ID
By now you’ve probably heard that Equifax — which as one of the three major U.S. credit agencies collect loads of sensitive data on consumers — suffered a massive breach, potentially affecting 143 million Americans.In the ongoing saga of rampant data breaches, it’s a stomach-churning twist, and it’s especially galling given that, as one component of its... READ MORE
A way to pick up a few bucks
Barry Belle spent 30 years as a project manager for the Whiting-Turner Contracting Company. But when the 75-year-old Pikesville resident retired in 2014, he still wanted to work — just not as much. “I just wanted to get out of the house two or three days a week,” said Belle, who’s now a driver for the ride-booking services Uber and Lyft, in addition to having private... READ MORE
