The Markets (as of market close July 14, 2023) Wall Street enjoyed a positive week of returns, with each of the benchmark indexes posting solid gains, despite a marginal downturn at the end of last week. The financial sector began releasing quarterly updates last Friday as investors focused on the state of the banking industry. A few major banks reported increasing profits in the second quarter, while more data will be released this week. The Russell 2000, the Global Dow, and the … [Read more...]

It's nice to own stocks, bonds, and other investments. Nice, that is, until it's time to fill out your federal income tax return. At that point, you may be left scratching your head. Just how do you report your investments and how are they taxed? Is it ordinary income or a capital gain? To determine how an investment vehicle is taxed in a given year, first ask yourself what went on with the investment that year. Did it generate interest income? If so, the income is probably considered … [Read more...]

Near-record levels. The Internal Revenue Service has released new limits for the coming year. After months of high inflation and financial uncertainty, some of these cost-of-living-based adjustments have reached near-record levels. Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs). IRA contribution limits are up $500 in 2023 to $6,500. Catch-up contributions for those over age 50 remain at $1,000, bringing the total limit to $7,500. Roth IRAs. The income phase-out range for Roth IRA contributions … [Read more...]

Baby boomers entering their “second acts” should think about these matters. Retirement is undeniably a major life and financial transition. Even so, baby boomers can run the risk of growing nonchalant about some of the financial challenges that retirement poses, for not all are immediately obvious. In looking forward to their “second acts,” boomers may overlook a few matters that a thorough retirement strategy needs to address. RMDs. The Internal Revenue Service directs seniors to withdraw … [Read more...]

Conventional wisdom says that what goes up, must come down. But even if you view market volatility as a normal occurrence, it can be tough to handle when it's your money at stake. Though there's no foolproof way to handle the ups and downs of the stock market, the following common sense tips can help. Don't put your eggs all in one basket Diversifying your investment portfolio is one of the key ways you can handle market volatility. Because asset classes often perform differently under … [Read more...]

Understanding mandatory retirement account withdrawals. If you are approaching your seventies, get ready for required minimum distributions. You may soon have to take RMDs, as they are called, from one or more of your retirement accounts. You can now take some RMDs a bit later in life, which is good. Recent rule changes give your invested savings a little more time to potentially grow in your retirement savings vehicles before that first required drawdown. What account types require … [Read more...]

It’s natural to think “defense” during a bearish market season. But why not mix in some “offense” with your defense? Here are three moves that, together, may be helpful during the current market downturn. Invest Your Excess Cash: If you have excess cash earmarked for a long-term goal (retirement or college, for example), a downturn may present an opportunity. Over the last three years, the Standard & Poor’s 500 compounded annual growth rate was 9.10%. Even with all the pandemic-related … [Read more...]

How might it affect you? “It turns out my job was not to find great investments but to help create great investors,” writes Carl Richards, author of “The Behavior Gap.” From increasing our budget mindfulness to taking a steadier approach to investing, Richards has drawn attention to how our unexamined behaviors and emotions can be to our detriment when it comes to living a happy and financially sound life. In many cases, we make poor financial decisions when experiencing panic or anxiety due … [Read more...]

Most people just invest for the future. You have a chance to do more. Across the country, people are saving for that “someday” called retirement. Someday, their careers will end. Someday, they may live off their savings or investments, plus Social Security.  They know this, but many of them do not know when, or how, it will happen. What is missing is a strategy – and a good strategy might make a great difference. A retirement strategy directly addresses the “when, why, and how” of … [Read more...]

A short guide. With inflation hovering near 40-year highs, some investors are looking for alternative ways to weather the storm. For many, a Series I Savings Bond is just the ticket. I Bonds give investors a rate of return plus inflation protection and are backed by the U.S. government. I Bonds are pretty simple to set up. You can go to TreasuryDirect.gov and open a free account to purchase these federally-backed securities directly from the U.S. Treasury.1 Here’s how to get … [Read more...]