Whether through inertia or trepidation, investors who put off important investment decisions might consider the admonition offered by motivational speaker Brian Tracy, "Almost any decision is better than no decision at all." This investment inaction is played out in many ways, often silently, invisibly, and with potential consequences to an individual’s future financial security. Let's [...]
Besides slowing the economy, higher rates affect your personal finances. Unless you live on another planet, you are fully aware of this thing called inflation — whether you’re at the grocery store, a gas station, buying clothes online, hiring a contractor or doing almost any other thing that requires spending money for something. Earlier [...]
We received our final reading on Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation for 2022 this morning, which gave us the inflation numbers for December 2022. Helped by declining energy prices, the index fell 0.1% in December, in line with economists’ consensus expectation and the largest monthly decline since April 2020. Consumer inflation advanced less than [...]
Financial Planning - The Big Picture for You and Your Family Do you picture yourself owning a new home...starting a business... or retiring comfortably? These are a few of the financial goals that may be important to you, and each comes with a price tag. That's where financial planning comes in. Financial planning is [...]
Over the years, people have confessed to me the financial planning mistakes they've made. From cashing out retirement accounts to buying too much on credit... and everything in between. You can hear the regret in their voice. While we can never reverse history and take back those financial mistakes, we do have the opportunity [...]
Life insurance blah blah blah. Is that what you hear when someone mentions it as part of your new job’s employee benefits round-up or when you see something about it on TV or social media? Not to worry: we’ve got the low-down on what you need to know. And it’s really not as overwhelming (or [...]
These crucial years call for action. Today, retirement may seem nearer to you than it once did. The following moves might be worth making—and soon. Catch-up contributions to your retirement accounts. Starting in the year you turn 50, you may make a total of $1,000 in catch-up contributions to your IRAs each year [...]
Having a personal plan is the critical first step to organizing your finances and financial planning. Financial planning may seem daunting, if all you've ever done is pay bills and manage a checkbook. But personal planning is really, the first step to organizing your financial affairs and depends more on common sense than [...]
As you plan for the year ahead, is an investment checkup leading your list of resolutions? Taking time for a detailed financial review -- including retirement planning, college savings, and your tax situation -- may help you progress toward your long-term goals. Consider the following items as part of your checkup: Capitalize on tax reductions. [...]
Donating Stock - It can give you a tax break. It can give a charity a tax break in the future. Why sell shares when you can gift them? If you have appreciated stocks in your portfolio (and you hold them in a non-qualified account that doesn’t get special tax treatment), then you might want [...]
