retirement

Incorporate some — or all — of these ideas to keep your space from feeling too clinical and boring. Modern bathroom design is often all about going minimalist with clean finishes for a spa-like feel. But sometimes the look ends up feeling clinical. To make sure your space feels just as inviting as the rest […]

For starters, they do more research and they panic less. And­ guess what—they get better results. By Kathy Kristof, Contributing Editor From Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, April 2016 Women used to get a bad rap on Wall Street. Industry observers maintained that women started too late, saved too little and invested too conservatively. But research is […]

You can also save money on net investment income taxes. If you plan to sell a substantially appreciated asset, property or business, you can save money with what’s called a two-year installment sale. Basically, it’s a double-sale strategy to create a taxation timing gap between when the asset sale proceeds are received and when they’re […]

The “orphan children” of the fund management industry, some CEFs are worth considering in a diversified portfolio. Amidst the excess of investment vehicles today, closed-end funds (CEFs) have lost their allure with many investors, yet can present very good opportunities for particular asset classes, namely fixed income. While CEFs may not be right for every […]

Can you answer these core questions about your investing philosophy and strategy? 2016 would be a good time to start. If you are like many investors, you find yourself dazzled by the sound and fury of the stock market. Months (if not years) of speculation about rising interest rates, the carnage in the oil sector, […]

Tough topics — such as advance directives and saving for retirement — are best approached face to face. The holiday season is often the time when families gather together. Here’s a suggestion: Why not take this opportunity to engage in a meaningful conversation with your family members about how you’d like them to be as […]

Ignore the doom and gloom. Keep your eye on stock fundamentals. It was only two years ago that David Fish, Moneypaper executive editor, observed that “(m)ost of the ‘noise’ coming out of Wall Street focuses on how high the major indexes have risen and whether the new highs represent a peak.” His point? The market […]

Taking care of others can be a wonderful thing. But to eliminate the stress, you must be both smart and financially wise. It’s important to help your parents plan. See Also: Great Places to Retire in Every State I’m speaking from personal experience here. My dad recently passed away after his nine-year struggle with Parkinson’s […]

These simple, low-cost vehicles tend to be the most efficient and effective ways to engage in charitable giving. According to the National Philanthropic Trust, Americans gave $358.38 billion to charities in 2014, a 7.1% uptick from the previous year. And with the deadline for deducting charitable contributions approaching on Dec. 31, now is a good […]

Market timing for fun and profit! Now that sounds good, right? Who wouldn’t want to have fun while making a profit? In the investment world, that’s the siren song of the market timer. They ask the obvious question, “Why would you want to invest in the market when it’s going down?” Of course no one […]

Our rational side knows market timing is a fool’s game. Yet, short-term trends sometimes drive our decisions. Humans are hard-wired in ways that helped our ancestors survive over thousands of years. Investing in markets is a recent concept – the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) was founded in 1817. Unfortunately, the cognitive processes that aided […]

Sitting down to review the past six months’ worth of activity can do wonders for achieving your financial goals by year-end. Call it a financial checkpoint or a mid-year review: July is a great time to slow down and take a look at your to-date financial progress. How are you tracking against those goals set […]

New research shows a comprehensive approach can boost investment return over the long term. Since our start in 1985, Mercer Advisors has firmly believed that investors have the most to gain by looking at their financial lives holistically – a mixture of investment advice, comprehensive planning, and life-driven goals. Recent research has put a value […]

Neither company has been particularly friendly to dividend investors. And managers and activists know their votes hardly matter. Big institutional money managers tend to be the conventional sort, though I’m not talking about their blue power suits or country club memberships. I’m talking about their stock holdings. Managers tend to pile into the same set […]

There’s not a lot of enthusiasm for trading with borrowed money, despite low interest rates. That’s a contrarian bullish sign. Thinkstock By Charles Lewis Sizemore, CFA, Chief Investment Officer | Sizemore Capital ManagementJune 2015Contact Me The current bull market, which started in early 2009, has been called “the most hated bull market in history.” It […]

The latest and greatest deals by category as tracked by Bankrate.com. iStockphoto By the editors of Kiplinger’s Personal FinanceUpdated January 2015 It can be tricky to choose the right credit card for you, especially considering the range of card types and deals out there. This tool takes out the guesswork. Kiplinger.com and Bankrate.com have teamed […]

You’re headed for trouble if you pick up these distress signals. iStockphoto By the editors of Kiplinger’s Personal FinanceUpdated January 2015 A long-standing rule of thumb holds that monthly payments on debts (not including a home mortgage, which is really more of an investment) shouldn’t exceed 20% of take-home pay. The closer you get to […]

Second-generation Windows 8 devices give you the best of both touch-screen and desktop computers. By Jeff Bertolucci, Contributing Writer From Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, May 2014 Courtesy of Microsoft If you’ve yearned for a device that’s light like a tablet but allows you hassle-free access to traditional Windows programs such as Word and Excel, one of […]

Alexandria Convention & Visitors Association City population: 146,294 Percentage of population age 45 to 64: 24.6% Crime rate: 2.45 crimes per 100 residents Cost of living: 21% above the national average State’s retiree tax picture: Mixed Government shutdowns aside, Uncle Sam is a stable employer, buoying the local economies of the nation’s capital and its […]

Kiplinger forecasts a 2.6% growth rate nationally next year, after a projected 2% gain in 2013. Here are our growth forecasts for all 50 states for 2014. By Gillian B. White, Reporter October 11, 2013 After a disappointing year of economic growth in 2013, things are looking up for next year at both the national […]

Use this calculator to see how additional contributions to your 401(k) plan can add up over time. Use this calculator to see how additional contributions to your 401(k) plan can add up over time.  Enter the additional monthly contribution and select your tax bracket, matching employer contribution. Source: Kiplinger The Power of Boosting 401(k) Contributions

By Caitlin Dewey, Online Associate Editor January 9, 2012 With the national unemployment rate at 8.5%, any job search can seem daunting. But there are actually some U.S. cities where high-paying jobs abound. SEE ALSO: The 12 Best Cities for High-Paying Jobs Take, for instance, Manchester, N.H., where the ratio of job-seekers to high-paying job […]

We plotted the cost of Lipitor in more than 300 cities to see who will benefit most from the drug’s generic version. By Caitlin Dewey, Online Associate Editor November 30, 2011 Pfizer lost its patent on the cholesterol-lowering drug Lipitor on November 30 — which spells big savings for many of the 8.7 million Americans […]

Here are some timeless classics from which we all can learn valuable personal-finance lessons Editor’s Note: This is an updated version of a story that first appeared on Kiplinger.com in January 2010. Enjoy Oscar night — and please pass the popcorn! The stage is set for the 82nd Academy Awards Sunday, March 7. So let’s […]

By Cameron Huddleston, Online Editor August 12, 2009 I got a press release today with the headline “Consumer Debt Decreases in July,” which seemed encouraging until I took a closer look at the numbers. Unfortunately, the decrease is pretty small and the average credit-card debt still is pretty large. According to Credit Karma’s U.S. Credit […]

By Cameron Huddleston, Online Editor August 3, 2009 My daughter starts kindergarten August 6, which is a big step for any child — and parent. As difficult as it may be to send my child to school for the first time, I have it easy compared with parents who are sending kids off to college […]

By Cameron Huddleston, Online Editor July 29, 2009 An attorney friend told me recently that her attempt to hire a new receptionist had been frustrating. Because of the recession, she expected to receive several qualified applicants but the résumés that had trickled in had been disappointing. She laughed as she recalled one candidate who filled […]

By Cameron Huddleston, Online Editor July 22, 2009 Perhaps a silver lining to the recession is that women now are as likely as men to contribute to a workplace retirement savings plan. That wasn’t the case two years ago before the economic downturn began. According to the Employee Benefit Research Institute’s 2009 Retirement Confidence Survey, […]

May 21, 2009 Get a two-minute primer on mutual funds. In this Kip Tip video, Manny Schiffres reviews three key factors the pros look for when picking a mutual fund. Find out how to use historical returns to your advantage and when to bet on a fund manger. //services.brightcove.com/services/viewer/ See funds we’re talking about at […]

May 5, 2009 Who couldn’t use a little extra cash these days, but is selling that old gold jewelry a good option?  And will you get a fair price? Liz Crenshaw, senior consumer reporter for NBC’s Washington DC station, recently bought $163 of 14k gold jewelry at retail price and then solicited offers on the […]

April 29, 2009 Have started your spring cleaning yet? Tackled the clutter in the garage? Kipliner’s Editor, Janet Bodnar, has tips to help you turn that pile of unwanted wares into extra cash, just in time to pay for summer camp or top off your vacation fund. Watch her video below:  //c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/ You can find […]

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