Federal Student Loan Relief June 1, 2020 How does it work? What should you do? Are you or someone you know currently making federal student loan payments? In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, some welcome relief may be on the way. Thanks to the recent passage of the CARES Act, the U.S. Department of Education will allow you to temporarily halt your [...]
Tax-Loss Harvesting June 1, 2020 A useful year-end move to counteract capital gains. Even though this may end up being a subpar year for stocks, you may realize capital gains, which is a taxable event. What can you do about them? You can do what some investors do – you could recognize investments with a loss and practice “tax-loss harvesting.” [...]
Coronavirus & More May 18, 2020 The 24-Hour News Cycle moves from Impeachment to COVID-19 to the Primaries – What’s next? In recent weeks, we’ve seen several major stories in the news. On the political front, in addition to the arrival of the presidential election through the 2020 caucuses and primaries, we have just experienced the third presidential impeachment in American [...]
Should You Care What the Financial Markets Do Each Day? May 18, 2020 Focusing on Your Strategy During Turbulent Times. Investors are people, and people are often impatient. No one likes to wait in line or wait longer than they have to for something, especially today when so much is just a click or two away. This impatience also manifests itself in the financial markets. When stocks slip, [...]
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How Women Can Prepare For Retirement May 11, 2020 A practical financial checklist for the future. When our parents retired, living to 75 amounted to a nice long life, and Social Security was often supplemented by a pension. The Social Security Administration estimates that today’s average 65-year-old woman will live to age 86½. Given these projections, it appears that a retirement of 20 years [...]
Pullbacks, Corrections, and Bear Markets May 11, 2020 What’s the difference? What do these terms mean for you? The COVID-19 outbreak has put tremendous pressure on stock prices, prompting some investors to blindly and indiscriminately sell positions at a time when the entire market is trending lower. Worried investors believe “this time it’s different.” When the market drops, some investors lose perspective that [...]
Roth IRA Conversion in the Era of COVID-19 May 4, 2020 Is it right for you? The COVID-19 pandemic has shaken up nearly every aspect of American life. To say it’s been a difficult time would be an understatement. However, difficult times may open doors to new possibilities. Businesses are changing their ways of operating, and individuals are exploring new avenues for investment. It may be [...]
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What is an Annuity? May 4, 2020 What you should know about them. Individuals hold about $2.2 trillion in annuity contracts; a tidy sum considering an estimated $9.2 trillion is held in all types of IRAs.1 Annuity contracts are purchased from an insurance company. In exchange, the insurance company makes regular payments to the buyer — either immediately or at some future [...]
The Federal Reserve’s Unprecedented Moves April 27, 2020 What they are. How they help. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, almost every state in America is under some sort of stay-at-home order. This unprecedented time has also led many businesses, large and small, to downsize or close up shop entirely. In response to the drastic impact that COVID-19 has had on global and [...]
Why Having a Financial Professional Matters April 27, 2020 A good professional provides important guidance and insight through the years. What kind of role can a financial professional play for an investor? The answer: a very important one. While the value of such a relationship is hard to quantify, the intangible benefits may be significant and long-lasting. There are certain investors who turn to [...]
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