You can file your Free Application for Federal Student Aid as early as October 1 — and the sooner, the better. Getty Images By Kimberly Lankford, Contributing Editor October 5, 2017 QMy son is a senior in high school, and we’ll be applying to colleges this fall. When can I hand in my federal financial […]

Helpful tips to take the hassle out of getting away. Holiday air travel is hectic. Between long lines, weather delays, harried passengers and employees, and the stress of wanting to make the season perfect, getting to your destination can feel like a long, difficult process. SEE ALSO: 31 Best Travel Sites to Save You Money […]

To help keep costs under control during the school year, here are 15 things that parents of college students can think about trying. It’s back-to-school time, and if you have a child starting or returning to college, no doubt tuition costs are on your mind. Hopefully you’ve been saving up for years, but even if […]

Look beyond the P/E. These five firms are inexpensive based on free cash flow. Anyone who dabbles in individual stocks is probably familiar with price-earnings ratios. The P/E—simply a stock’s share price divided by the underlying company’s earnings per share—is the simplest, most elegant way of assessing value. It essentially tells you how much investors […]

Gasoline is just gasoline — or is it? Also, we wade into the premium vs. regular debate. By David Muhlbaum, Online Editor From Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, November 2017 My father was an all-gas-is-the-same guy who considered it a personal failure if he filled up at one station only to see gas sold for a few […]

Your best strategy is to carry on with what’s working, which is almost everything except the energy sector. By Jeffrey R. Kosnett, Senior Editor From Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, November 2017 Financial markets have had their pick of several key ingredients for a full-on panic (or at least a U-turn to bearish sentiment). Start with the […]

Wellington, a balanced fund, is almost 100 years old. Getty Images By Nellie S. Huang, Senior Associate Editor From Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, November 2017 The world has changed considerably since Vanguard Wellington (VWELX) opened to investors in July 1929, months before the stock market crashed. But the fund’s objective, to provide growth and income with […]

Baron Real Estate has cashed in by owning everything from builders to cruise lines. By Daren Fonda, Senior Associate EditorFrom Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, November 2017 Mutual funds that focus on real estate investment trusts—owners of apartments, offices and other types of property—have, on average, lost money over the past year. But a few real estate […]

From a misguided decision on when to retire to going too heavy in stocks, people make these same five mistakes every day. Don’t be one of them. It’s never too late to start getting smart about money. Maybe you’ve made it this far with few problems… you’ve done pretty well all alone just by winging […]

Star fund managers are a vanishing breed, but I still think they offer value to the investor. By James K. Glassman, Contributing Columnist From Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, November 2017 The era of the great mutual fund manager appears to be over. Investors are flocking to index funds, which essentially use computers to assemble portfolios that […]

While some kids have a unique bucket list of travel dreams and goals, nearly every child dreams of going to Disney World one day. For many kids — and many families — Disney is a box that must be checked off no matter the cost or the inconvenience involved. SEE ALSO: 31 Best Travel Sites […]

Quiz By Anne Kates Smith, Senior Editor | Kiplinger’s Personal FinanceOctober 2017 Getty Images There are few things scarier to an investor than bear markets. But they are a fact of life when it comes to both stocks and physics—what goes up must come down. The good news is that the long-term trend of stocks […]

Before you get into the landlord biz (or if you’d like to get out of it), there could be an easier way to invest in real estate, a Delaware Statutory Trust. Many people like to round out their portfolios with real estate investments. SEE ALSO: I’m a Landlord: Can I Ever Truly Retire? Some start […]

Better-than-expected sales and profits after Thursday’s closing bell would help allay investors’ Amazon.com fears. Courtesy Thelmadatter via CC BY-SA 3.0 Don’t blame owners of Costco Wholesale (COST) stock if they’re a little on edge as Thursday’s earnings report nears. After a go-go half-decade that saw shares of this safe consumer staples play more than double […]

Netflix (NFLX) is another company I really hate to include on this list because I consider management to be visionary, and I love their product. Netflix has changed the way that all of us watch TV. You can have anything you want anytime you want, on demand. “Binging” a TV show is no longer the […]

Even if you’ve been a diligent saver, any of these often-overlooked dangers might pose a threat to your future happiness. If you go to a retirement seminar looking only to score a free dinner, that might be all you’ll get. SEE ALSO: Top 10 Retirement Procrastination Problems Thank goodness, that’s not why a lot of […]

Symbol: T Share price: $39.48 Dividend yield: 5% Consecutive annual dividend increases: 33 Forward P/E: 13 Analysts’ opinion: 5 strong buy, 1 buy, 12 hold, 0 underperform, 0 sell The telecommunications services sector is well-known for dividends, and AT&T offers one of the best all-around yields in the space. The company has paid uninterrupted dividends […]

Compare state tax rates and rules — on income, ordinary purchases, gas, “sin” products, property, and more — across the U.S. Click on any state in the map below for a detailed summary of state taxes on income, property, and everything you buy. View additional maps below, including our picks for the 10 most tax-friendly […]

State income tax: 3% (on less than $5,000 of taxable income) — 5% (on more than $10,000 of taxable income). Beginning in 2018, income tax rates will be gradually reduced. By 2022, the first $5,000 of taxable income will be exempt.Effective income tax rate: 4.6%/individual, 4.9%/jointAverage state and local sales tax: 7.07%Gas taxes and fees: […]

State income tax: 1.4% (on income of up to $2,400/individual, $4,800/joint) – 8.25% (on income of more than $48,000/individual, $96,000/joint) Effective income tax rate: 6.5%/individual, 7.1%/joint Average state and local sales tax: 4.35% Gas taxes and fees: 44 cents per gallon (varies by county) Hawaii has the highest effective income tax rate of all 50 […]

State income tax: 3% (on less than $5,000 of taxable income) — 5% (on more than $10,000 of taxable income). Beginning in 2018, income tax rates will be gradually reduced. By 2022, the first $5,000 of taxable income will be exempt.Effective income tax rate: 4.6%/individual, 4.9%/jointAverage state and local sales tax: 7.07%Gas taxes and fees: […]

Women often face a savings shortfall as they approach retirement. The goal is to catch up as soon as possible. A number of years ago, I wrote a book about women and money called Think Single! The title wasn’t a reference to marital status. Rather, it counseled all women to think independently about their finances. […]

To prevent ID theft, credit card issuers monitor the dark web for your personal information. Getty Images By Lisa Gerstner, Contributing Editor From Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, November 2017 With identity theft on the rise, credit card issuers are introducing new benefits designed to make you feel more secure. Discover recently announced that cardholders can sign […]

Is it suddenly quiet around the house? Knuckle down and get those retirement funds topped up. By Elizabeth Leary, Contributing Editor From Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, November 2017 The birds have flown, and the tuition bills have been paid. Retirement may still be a decade away, giving you plenty of time to plan and fund catch-up […]

Tips on how to steer clear of fraud and late shipments when you’re doing your holiday shopping. Getty Images By Brendan Pedersen, Editorial Intern From Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, November 2017 With the winter holidays approaching, there’s a good chance you’ll start chipping away at your gift list online. But the rise in e-commerce has also […]

Before you agree to work with a particular remodeling company, here’s what you need to know. Hiring a contractor is the most important step in any remodeling project, so carefully check out candidates, even those recommended by friends and neighbors. SEE ALSO: How to Remodel Your Home Our organization, Consumers’ Checkbook, can help with the […]

It may seem like you’re facing the storm of the century every time you turn on the news, but the markets have survived far worse. By Kathy Kristof, Contributing Editor From Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, November 2017 My husband, Sean, is a methodical guy who carefully weighs all possibilities before acting. So when he broached the […]

Transform your home the way you want, on time and on budget. By Pat Mertz Esswein, Associate Editor From Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, November 2017 Jason and Carrie Kelroy of Wauwatosa, Wis., loved their 2,200-square-foot, 1930s-era colonial, and they loved their neighborhood, where they could walk to schools, their church and a coffee shop, or drive […]

Even do-it-yourselfers may want a pro’s help with an exotic vacation or a complicated itinerary. Before the internet put trip-planning tools at your fingertips, you might have popped into a travel agency to shop for airline tickets or flip through brochures. Now, online booking engines and review sites can spark vacation ideas and point you […]

I took control of my parents’ finances when Dad showed signs of dementia. We cite a statistic in this month’s article about helping aging parents with their finances that hit a little too close to home: Our ability to handle complex tasks diminishes as we age (okay, I knew that), and when it comes to […]

Yet another family-driven throwback ownership structure – and another one many investors don’t even realize is in place – is that of Ford (F, $12.09). As of the most recent look, Henry Ford’s family only owns about 6% of the company’s total equity – but claims about 40% of the car company’s voting rights thanks […]

They aren’t for everyone, but this donation could generate income. By Eileen Ambrose, Senior EditorFrom Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, November 2017 Q. My alma mater is offering a charitable gift annuity. Is that a good way to generate income? See Also: Are Annuities Right for You? If you want to give money to your school as […]

The research behind our judgments. To create our rankings, we evaluated data and state tax-policy details from a wide range of sources. These include: Kiplinger Tax Map, 2017 Income tax We looked at each state’s tax agency, plus this helpful document from the Tax Foundation. To determine the effective tax rates in each state, we […]

Crackdown aimed at protecting nest eggs of clients age 65 and older. Getty Images By Eileen Ambrose, Senior EditorFrom Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, November 2017 Regulators are adding new tools to help investment firms protect older clients against fraud. Starting in February 2018, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority will require brokerages to ask clients for the […]

When it’s time to step in, avoid the stumbling blocks with these strategies. By Eileen Ambrose, Senior Editor and Sandra Block, Senior Editor From Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, November 2017 Mark Kress, 59, of Sterling, Va., first realized his 88-year-old father, Willard, needed help after he saw some bills with past-due balances stacked on his father’s […]

Most large employers plan to boost salaries for 2018, but the average increase will be about 3%. If the low unemployment numbers make you think that you’ll finally get a bigger raise in January, think again. Most large employers plan to boost salaries for 2018, but the average increase will be about 3%—roughly the same […]

If converting from a traditional IRA to a Roth makes sense, do it. If tax rates drop, you can undo the conversion later. Getty Images By Kimberly Lankford, Contributing Editor From Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, November 2017 QI’m thinking of converting money from a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA, but I’m hesitant to make the […]

Don’t settle for the first one who asks for your number. Do some checking to know the type of person you’re dealing with. It seems to me that people too often take the path of least resistance in finding a financial professional. And that’s probably at least partially the industry’s fault. SEE ALSO: Bigger Isn’t […]

Whether you’re starting out, have already retired or are somewhere in between, we show you how to make your money grow and last. Getty Images/Echo By Elizabeth Leary, Contributing Editor From Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, November 2017 If you’re a typical investor, you’ll likely spend some 60 years of your life moonlighting as a money manager. […]

The way in which you tap your assets can have long-term tax consequences for you and for your heirs. It’s always nice to have options, and when retirees have $1 million or more in assets, they have a lot of options. But they also have a lot of decisions. SEE ALSO: How Do You Know […]

Certified financial planners aim to put you first at all times. Getty Images By Eileen Ambrose, Senior EditorFrom Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, November 2017 Back in June, it appeared that the Department of Labor regulation that requires financial professionals to act in the best interests of clients when giving retirement account advice would be implemented on […]

Colleges have many potent options for getting students to square their accounts. Getty Images By Knight Kiplinger, Editor in Chief From Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, November 2017 Q I hear that some public colleges turn over the overdue bursar accounts of current students to private collection agencies, which sometimes charge fees as high as 30% of […]

It’s tough to get started saving when you have debt hanging over you. But once you get access to a retirement plan, make sure to fund it. By Elizabeth Leary, Contributing Editor From Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, November 2017 If you’ve never invested before, you should start once you land your first job with access to […]

You’ve accumulated money. Now, time to shuffle it around and get everything in order. iStockphoto By Elizabeth Leary, Contributing Editor From Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, November 2017 Once you reach your final five years in the workforce, you should begin shifting your portfolio toward the types of investments you’ll hold in retirement. Best Investing Moves at […]

A recent lawsuit against private student loan borrowers has been dismissed. Here’s what you need to know. Getty Images By Kaitlin Pitsker, Staff Writer From Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, November 2017 Judges recently dismissed dozens of lawsuits against private student loan borrowers because of shoddy record keeping by companies claiming to own the debt. That could […]

This what you’ve planned for. Now, to keep the income flowing. By Elizabeth Leary, Contributing Editor From Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, November 2017 You can finally head off into the sunset, enjoying your hard-earned financial security without a care in the world. Alas, not quite. Now you shift your focus from helping your money grow to […]

Don’t let family demands on your income stint your retirement savings. By Elizabeth Leary, Contributing Editor From Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, November 2017 You probably have multiple goals for your money at this stage. The best way to plan, save and invest is to do so for each goal separately. Best Investing Moves at Every Age […]

Solving the retirement puzzle can require using investments for liquidity and growth, insurance products for income and principal protection and possibly alternative investments for diversification. That requires a plan. Remember that famous line from the movie Jaws: “You’re gonna need a bigger boat”? SEE ALSO: Bigger Isn’t Always Better When It Comes to Financial Advice […]

The Tisch family are value investors. That’s all they know. Since the beginning of 1966 through the end of 2016, Loews Corporation (L) stock has delivered a compound annual return of 17%. However, the past decade has been a tough one, lowering the return considerably from what it might have been had L stock not […]

Regularly updated insights on the economy’s next moves. Gross Domestic Product Gross domestic product is the broadest indicator of the economy, measuring the value of final goods and services produced in the U.S. in a given time period. It is perhaps the most closely watched indicator as well, serving as a guidepost for Federal Reserve […]

Global Entry speeds you through security wherever you go. iStockphotos By Miriam Cross, Staff Writer From Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, October 2017 Your laptop is safe from the cargo hold, now that airline passengers no longer need to check their electronics if they’re en route to the U.S. But new security measures may mean longer wait […]

New high-tech hearing aids let you listen to what you want and tune out everything else. Chances are that if you grooved to Motown, the Beatles and Simon and Garfunkel in the 1960s and ’70s, the sounds of silence may mean something different to you now. Roughly one-third of seniors between the ages of 65 […]

Some of the money your child earned over the summer could grow tax-free into a nice nest egg in a Roth IRA. Here are some tips to get them started and ideas to offer incentives. As kids across the country head back to school, many are leaving behind their summer jobs. Whether it’s a teenager […]

Stocks continue setting new all-time highs, so it’s understandable if some investors are getting nervous about holding on to their gains. It doesn’t help that it’s almost October – a month that has hosted some of the worst market crashes in history. If it’s all too much for your nerves, there’s nothing wrong with adding […]

For small business owners in need of a loan, getting an application approved can seem as mystifying as the illusions performed in a Las Vegas magic show. But the process gets a lot easier with the right preparation and an understanding of the importance of cash flow. SEE ALSO: 11 Sources of Funding for Your […]

Puerto Rico and other Caribbean islands will be recovering for years from Hurricane Maria’s destruction. If you want to help the islands and their residents, check out these charities. Irma Maldanado stands in what is left of her home in Corozal, Puerto Rico, that was destroyed by Hurricane Maria. Getty Images QAfter a month filled […]

Building a secure income plan — including an investing strategy and a withdrawal strategy — is easier if you identify your main objectives first. During your working years — the accumulation phase of your investing life — the path is pretty clear. SEE ALSO: Be More Like Warren Buffett, Less Like You, When Investing Your […]

USA International Trade Association Let’s cut to the chase when it comes to picking stocks for a retirement portfolio. There’s nothing wrong with sorting through individual names for desirable attributes such as reliable dividends, low volatility and secure business models. But it’s quicker, easier and perhaps wiser for retirees to first narrow down the field. […]

Strategies to respond, recover and move ahead. You did it: You applied for the position, went through rounds of interviews, and that all-important job offer landed in your lap. Then, for some reason, the employer changed their mind. SEE ALSO: 10 Best Jobs for the Future How did this happen? What did you do to […]

As the semiconductor sector as a whole moves toward its highest levels since the dot-com bubble, Intel Corporation (INTC) seems almost forgotten. And there are some reasons for concern. Competition is increasing. Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD) has become a legitimate rival in desktop and laptop computers with its new Ryzen line. With PC sales […]

Building a secure income plan — including an investing strategy and a withdrawal strategy — is easier if you identify your main objectives first. During your working years — the accumulation phase of your investing life — the path is pretty clear. SEE ALSO: Be More Like Warren Buffett, Less Like You, When Investing Your […]