On paper, it checks all the boxes. It provides a defined amount of income in retirement that’s adjusted to a standard-of-living index. You get to contribute as much or as little as you want toward your retirement nest egg. And there’s liquidity and transparency. The only problem? This near-perfectRead More →
With all the rest of the news, it is easy to forget that the President’s proposal to delay the payment of social security contributions came into force on 1 September. Specifically, for employees earning less than $104,000, employers could stop withholding 6.2 percent of the employee’s share of socialRead More →
In today’s world, a “one-size-fits-all” retirement concept is not for everyone. Rather than defining retirement as the complete end of a 40-year working career, individuals are increasingly taking early retirement, taking several smaller retirements, or working longer, but only partially. Fortunately, there is a savings instrument that offers specificRead More →
Reykjavík — Life in Iceland is almost back to normal again. The curfews on gatherings and the social distancing mandates have been lifted; gyms, swimming pools and restaurants are reopening. Icelanders are traveling around the island again. Iceland will open its airports to tourism on June 15, and the peopleRead More →
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Last year may have been one of Warren Buffett’s worst years ever. We won’t know for sure until Berkshire Hathaway BRK.A, -0.24% BRK.B, -0.25%, of which Buffett is chairman and CEO, releases its earnings Feb. 22, at which point we will learn how much the company’sRead More →
If you’re actually hoping to retire at any point, the chances are you’re going to need Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. So when the president unveiled his latest budget proposals, amid a chorus of partisan claims and counterclaims, try to block out the noise, and instead focus on the numbersRead More →
Dear Moneyist, When my father passed away, he left his house and all his money to my son. I was not included in the will. I took care of my father seven days a week when he came back from the hospital. I never received any payment from him exceptRead More →
Dear Moneyist, On May 30, 2018 my mother moved out all her belongings and informed my father that she was leaving him after 30 years of marriage, and that she would be seeking a divorce. No papers had been filed at that point. The next day my father went toRead More →
Climate change is making extreme weather worse and, right now, Americans are paying the price. Over the past two years, wildfires in California, floods along the Mississippi River and hurricanes in the Southeastern United States have caused tens of billions of dollars in damage. In 2018, weather-related catastrophes prompted $215Read More →
On this Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Americans will pause to reflect on the civil-rights movement — the progress made and the lingering challenges. More than half a century after Dr. King’s untimely death, the U.S. has made strides toward realizing his vision, but discrimination still exists — both inRead More →
President Donald Trump says our economy is “the best it has ever been,” and he is planning to ride that false claim to a second term. I won’t let him get away with it. I have the track record — in business and government — to show America what realRead More →
Fiona Goodall/Getty Images A new study looks at the bottom line results for small Danish companies when women left on parental leave. There’s “no measurable effect” on the profits, viability and long-term survival of companies where workers take paid time off to be with their newborn child, a new studyRead More →
President Trump signed the SECURE Act this week as part of the government’s spending bill and it will inevitably affect most retirement savers, for better or worse. The SECURE legislation — which stands for “Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement” — puts into place numerous provisions intended to strengthenRead More →
MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images Tourists at the Khazneh, or Treasury, in Petra, Jordan. The popular destination is in a region of the world where tensions can be expected to rise after an U.S. airstrike in Baghdad, Iraq, killed a top Iranian military official. Iran and Iraq are obviously notRead More →
Dear Moneyist, My husband was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2001. Doctors told us not to bother acquiring long-term health care since he wouldn’t live five years. Hey, we were happy. He could have been hit by a bus. He passed in 2016. I turned out to be his long-termRead More →
Indicators don’t always a pattern make. Every few weeks, most of us who work in financial services must digest a new set of data that measure various parts of the U.S. economy. For example, new U.S. residential home sales in September were up almost 16% over the past year (whereas housing starts were upRead More →
Diana Perez, 29, grew up in Paterson, N.J., with a single mother. She began using drugs as a teen, and upon moving to New York at age 21, she partied and used cocaine heavily. After losing her Starbucks SBUX, +0.52% job and falling short on rent, Perez found herself sporadicallyRead More →
TOKYO (Reuters) – An investigation by the Japan Post group has found some 9,000 cases of improperly sold insurance, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported on Sunday, adding the group will release the findings on Dec. 18. Japan Post Insurance Co Ltd (T:), a unit of Japan Post Holdings (T:), said inRead More →
Hi Catey, I’m 65 and my wife is 61. I’m working and plan to retire at 71. My question is should my wife take her Social Security benefits next year and then get 50% of mine added to hers when I retire? Or wait? She makes about $50,000 and IRead More →
iStock/okskaz Prescription drug prices are rocketing into the stratosphere according to critics of the industry. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Democrats have a plan to bring those back down to earth. Currently, pharmaceutical companies and pharmacy benefit managers can set whatever prices they like for new drugs, because MedicareRead More →
Dear Moneyist, My wife and I have two sons, both close to 50, both married, only one with children. We are hard-working and have been financially conservative throughout our marriage, and have managed to save approximately $1.25 million in liquid assets and another $1 million in real-estate equity, though (whoRead More →
Dear Catey, I am 68, work full-time for the federal government, and plan to retire at age 70. I earn $135,000 a year, but have about 18 months to go to hit my five-year employment anniversary which will get me a $12,000 a year pension and continued health care coverageRead More →
Dear Moneyist, While helping my brother-in-law clean and organize his home two years after my sister passed away I found documents among her things belonging to our late mother. My sister, who was her executor, had always said that our mother left both of her houses to all four ofRead More →
Dear Moneyist, My stepfather passed away last year. His will was very confusing and not updated after he married mother. His children (me, my stepbrother and stepsister) were left his businesses and his home. His life insurance was supposed to go to my mother, but the policy was terminated aRead More →
Dear Moneyist, My dad is downsizing and moving into a condo before marrying his lady friend. He has told my brother and me that he wants her to live out her life in the condo should he pass away before her. That shouldn’t be a problem if neither of themRead More →
