Mutual Funds

By Richard Eisenberg, Next Avenue Managing Editor getty Before you close the book on your 2021 New Year’s resolutions, I’d like to share three that you might want to boost your investment income in retirement. They’re from the latest episode of the “Friends Talk Money” podcast I co-host with personal finance syndicated columnist Terry Savage

getty More than a year has passed since the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act passed Congress by a wide margin. Yet, many IRA beneficiaries don’t know about the law or are receiving bad information about it. The SECURE Act made a major change for IRA beneficiaries. Previously, someone who inherited an

Economic Security Planning, Inc. Today’s column addresses questions about filing and suspending before full retirement age, how remarriage after 60 can affect the availability of different benefits and how the WEP and GPO are applied when a public pension is taken as a lump sum. Larry Kotlikoff is a Professor of Economics at Boston University

Doing good for the world gives back to you. Getty The recent presidential inauguration ceremony was an inspiring yet sobering reminder of the challenges that collectively we face as Americans. But there’s a silver lining for many of us: Seniors and retirees possess life experience and expertise that our nation dearly needs to address these

getty Who would you rather show you how best to save and invest for retirement? An accomplished advertising copywriter? A radiant teacher? A celebrated movie director? If you answered “Yes!” to the above multiple-choice question you’re far more astute than you might give yourself credit for. This is about the above choice in terms of

Be cautious when shopping for Medicare insurance. getty The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period, from January 1 through March 31, brings with it many, many commercials. These focus on the low cost and benefits one can get simply by calling the phone number on the screen. Enrollment couldn’t be easier. However, a smart shopper will realize there

US President Barack Obama, alongside Secretary of Education Arne Duncan (R) and High School Senior … [+] Amirah Delwin (L), speaks with graduating seniors and their parents during a roundtable discussion on the interest rates of federal subsidized student loans at Washington-Lee High School in Arlington, Virginia, May 4, 2012. Without Congressional intervention, student loan

Estate planning documents. getty An unimaginable number of people are still dying from Covid complications, while others are dealing with life-threatening illnesses such as cancer, heart attacks and strokes. When it is your spouse who is ill, the pain is intensified by the anticipated loss of your life partner. It is heartbreaking.  Planning for the

The latest round of stimulus has offered help to individuals, but includes some desperately needed, … [+] and hopefully, very helpful stimulus aimed at small businesses. getty The Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) gave us some last-minute fiscal relief, notably $600 stimulus checks for individuals and provisions for some hard-hit areas aimed at mitigating the continuing

Economic Security Planning, Inc. Today’s column addresses questions about potential effects of filing for early retirement benefits on a spouse’s benefit, when reductions for filing early can and cannot be lifted and retirement benefit estimates on SSA’s website. Larry Kotlikoff is a Professor of Economics at Boston University and the founder and president of Economic

getty There are three risks that are most likely to derail retirement plans. The risks are real and substantial, almost regardless of an individual’s net worth. Fortunately, the potential damage from the risks can be reduced. Longevity risk is talked about a lot by economists and financial advisors but not by many retirees and pre-retirees.

getty The $15 minimum wage, on the agenda of activists for upwards of a decade and now a part of President-Elect Biden’s covid-relief plan, is, depending on who you listen to, either a boon to workers or the source of substantial lost jobs. After all, a CBO analysis from 2019 concluded that both effects would

By Kerry Hannon, Next Avenue Business owners Edith Cooper and daughter Jordan Taylor Edith Cooper When Jordan Taylor was a kid, going into the office with her mother, Edith Cooper, “was the biggest treat,” says Taylor, now 30. “Partially because the coffee machine was so much fun to play with.” Cooper, now 59, spent two

Corporate Profits Quickly Recovered From the Initial Shock. getty The country is experiencing two quite different paths since it plunged into a recession in the spring of 2020. Many families struggle with widespread and increasing job losses, long-term unemployment, more debt, hunger, poverty and the threat of evictions among a surging pandemic. In contrast, corporations

What is a Swap Power and Why do you Care? A “swap power” is also called a “power to substitute.” It is a special right reserved to you (or someone else) in a trust you create while you are alive. This right gives you the power to swap an asset of yours, say cash, for

Economic Security Planning, Inc. Today’s column addresses questions about whether to take a survivor’s benefit before a retirement benefit delayed until 70, how Canadian pensions can affect US Social Security benefits and how Social Security verifies marriages. Larry Kotlikoff is a Professor of Economics at Boston University and the founder and president of Economic Security

Mature woman helping elderly mother with paperwork getty If you have bought into the idea that aging in place in the home you’ve maintained for 30+ years is the best answer to the question of where to live as you age, I can only conclude that you have decided it’s payback time for your children.

17 states and the District of Columbia impose estate or inheritance taxes separate from the federal … [+] estate tax levy. getty As states address budget woes due to the pandemic, one place they may turn to for revenue as they have in past economic crises is death taxes. Already the District of Columbia has

Hundreds of people line up to receive food and goods distributed by volunteers from the Chelsea … [+] Collaborative Inc. outside the Pan Y Cafe in Chelsea, Massachusetts on April 14, 2020. – Cmany families not eligible for state and federal help. (Photo by Joseph Prezioso / AFP) (Photo by JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images)

By Jonathan Littman and Susanna Camp, Next Avenue Entrepreneur Uwe Diegel successfully pitching his startup Courtesy of Uwe Diegel You may be surprised to hear it, but there’s never been a better time to pitch your startup. And for that, you can thank the pandemic. Entrepreneurship is being driven by massive layoffs and the realization

The stock market scorecard can help you invest for retirement with confidence. Getty Images, contributor gopixa If a baseball or basketball team had a win/loss record of 70-25, you’d say it dominated the field. Well, 70-25 has been the win/loss record for the annual rate of return on the S&P 500 since 1926.  Impressive scores

With this understanding about how life insurance is priced, I can create a simple model to consider four different potential roles for this whole life insurance policy in retirement income planning. First, the death benefit for life insurance provides a method to meet a legacy goal using risk pooling and tax advantages that is distinct

Economic Security Planning, Inc. Today’s column addresses questions about when Social Security will recognize recent high income, what happens to benefit checks received in the month a person passes away and how the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) can affect benefits. Larry Kotlikoff is a Professor of Economics at Boston University and the founder and president

getty What will happen to your bitcoin when you’re gone? Do you know who will be able to access your email, social media accounts, online dating profile, digital subscriptions and memberships, rewards points and other digital assets? Do you know the value of your online life, and have you considered addressing your digital assets in

The red fire pumps by the real squad fire truck in Chicago Fire Department at the quarters of Engine … [+] Co. 5, filmed in the legendary series ‘Chicago Fire.’ getty In the Chicago Sun Times on Monday, a headline: “Illinois Senate passes firefighter pension bill over mayor’s strenuous objections.” “With the spotlight focused elsewhere

By Richard Eisenberg, Next Avenue Editor getty Usually around this time of year, I write a post revealing the “best places to retire abroad” based on the new annual rankings from International Living (IL) and Live and Invest Overseas and explain why the winners won. Well, their new lists are out, but I can’t write

Dutch boy saves the dike, from Hans Brinker. Illustration. BPA2# 2334 Bettmann Archive Yes, the Dutch boy who saved his city by plugging a hole in the dike with his finger, crying out, “Haarlem shall not be drowned while I am here!” is fictional, but recent reports call him to mind. The $2,000 check plan

Economic Security Planning, Inc. Today’s column addresses questions about what happens to a person’s benefit when an ex files on their record, how to file for retirement benefits after taking spousal benefits first and whether it would be a good idea to take early retirement after disability benefits. Larry Kotlikoff is a Professor of Economics

NurPhoto via Getty Images The American justice system is going to be very busy in both civil and criminal courts in the coming months and years as a result of the Capitol riot. It stands to reason that many of the individuals who will stand trial or plea bargain for having participated in this event

The simplest and most seemingly innocent things are costing lives. It’s natural for us to want to gather, no matter what warnings the CDC issues about Covid-19. Holidays are so important that many people chose to travel for family gatherings, figuring that they could minimize risks by sanitizing surfaces and wearing masks on planes or