Mutual Funds

The shocking death of Alex Kearns, a 20-year-old day trader who recently died by suicide, highlights a broader caution to young people: do not get sucked into digital trading platforms — no matter whether they have noble-sounding names or are “free.” You will most likely lose your money or worse. There are better ways to

WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 27: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a bill signing ceremony for … [+] H.R. 748, the CARES Act in the Oval Office of the White House on March 27, 2020 in Washington, DC. Earlier on Friday, the U.S. House of Representatives approved the $2 trillion stimulus bill that lawmakers hope

By Richard Eisenberg, Next Avenue Editor Marny Xiong, Michael Halkias and Yves-Emmanuel Segui Amee Xiong, Todd Heisler, Segui family/The New York TimesMarny Xiong, Michael Halkias and Yves-Emmanuel Segui You can learn in The New York Times how many humans have died from the coronavirus from its Tracking the Coronavirus graphic (472,125 as of June 23,

TOPLINE The stock market plunged on Wednesday as Wall Street grew increasingly concerned about a spike in new coronavirus cases impeding an economic recovery. Several states are seeing record numbers of new coronavirus cases. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images KEY FACTS The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down 2.7%, over 700 points, on Wednesday,

IRS’s 2020 RMD ruling favors those who took distributions in January and want to return those IRA … [+] funds. Getty Last April, in “Why the 2020 RMD Suspension is Not Fair to All,” I recounted the story of an early bird “RMD-er.” Ronald took his 2020 required minimum distribution (RMD) in January, as he has

TOPLINE Analysts from Morgan Stanley on Tuesday warned that Tesla stock, at over $1,000 per share, is grossly overvalued and set to plunge, with too many investors ignoring the risks of running a car company and instead treating Tesla like a high-growth tech company. It may be time to sell Tesla as shares edge towards

It is worth mentioning a few other annuities that could play a role in a retirement income plan, before digging into the discussion of deferred variable and fixed index annuities. Deferred Fixed Annuities Deferred fixed annuities (DFAs), or multiyear guaranteed annuities (MYGAs) may be used as an accumulation tool in the years leading up to

Getty The IRS expanded the number of taxpayers who qualify to tap into their retirement plans using the generous provisions of the CARES Act. The IRS also answered questions about details of distributions and loans under the CARES Act that have been asked by employers, employees, and plan administrators. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic

TOPLINE Asked whether the government will send Americans another stimulus check in an interview Monday with Scripps Washington correspondent Joe St. George, President Trump said, “Yeah, we are,” and indicated that another bipartisan stimulus bill is on the way, but did not elaborate further on the possibility of another round of direct payments to Americans. 

WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 27: The Internal Revenue Service headquarters building appeared to be mostly … [+] empty April 27, 2020 in the Federal Triangle section of Washington, DC. The IRS called about 10,000 volunteer employees back to work Monday at 10 of its mission critical locations to work on taxpayer correspondence, handling tax documents,

Lifestyle inflation happens when your expenses increase along with your income. Getty Lifestyle inflation happens when your expenses increase along with your income. As earnings increase, it’s natural to want to buy a better car or take another vacation. After all, it seems feasible. But if your savings rate isn’t at least keeping up with

Economic Security Planning, Inc. Today’s column addresses questions about early spousal benefits before full retirement benefits, survivor benefits, which month to start benefits to avoid early filing reductions, unpaid Social Security and Medicare taxes and benefits on an ex’s record after remarriage. Larry Kotlikoff is a Professor of Economics at Boston University and the founder

The IRS wants you to know that retirees may be targets of scams that relate to economic impact payments (EIPs). EIPS were authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). Senior Woman Giving Credit Card Details On The Phone Getty The U.S. Treasury is in the process of paying EIPs to

By Lindsay Jurist-Rosner, Next Avenue Contributor Getty America’s 66 million (pre-Covid-19) family caregivers — people caring for loved ones with complex, chronic and ongoing care needs — are thrust into their role with no training, no background and no support infrastructure. Preposterously, most feel like the only one on earth. Why? Because caregiving is the

TOPLINE Despite a minor sell-off on Friday, stocks have rebounded from the coronavirus recession strongly in recent months—too strongly, according to research from Vital Knowledge founder Adam Crisafulli, who believes investors are too optimistic about a quick economic recovery and the market is now overvalued. Investors aren’t paying “nearly enough attention to the enormous permanent

Good News: You Don’t Need An Existing Relationship With A Lender To Get A PPP Loan Deadline for small business owners to apply for financial aid is June 30, 2020. (Photo by ERIC … [+] BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images) AFP via Getty Images Yesterday (June 19), the Small Business Administration (SBA) launched a free online

The Retirement Income Scorecard Steve Vernon There are many types of retirement income generators (RIGs) that each produce different amounts of retirement income. My Retirement Income Scorecard compares the amounts of retirement income that are possible for 10 different RIGs, which is one consideration for choosing a RIG or combination of RIGs to build your

Take the time you need to learn about retirement income strategies. Getty How should you deploy your retirement savings to generate lifetime income? That’s one of several critical decisions pre-retirees face as they approach retirement.  To help you answer this question, let’s look at the “Retirement Income Scorecard” that I developed to estimate the amount

TOPLINE While cruise stocks have recently been rebounding amid optimism about reopening the economy, the industry remains paralyzed by the coronavirus pandemic for the foreseeable future, with major cruise operators facing big quarterly losses and on Friday announcing that they’re extending their suspension of sailing. Cruise operators are still hopeful that customers will return in

Getty The Covid-19 crisis has caused many Americans to reflect on their retirement plans. In fact, in April, the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies found that one in four U.S. workers (23 percent) say their confidence in their ability to retire comfortably has declined in light of the coronavirus pandemic. Further, the incidence of this drop

By Grace Birnstengel, Next Avenue Editor Getty Early on in the pandemic’s sweep over the U.S., a nursing home resident in Minnesota left her home for a weekend visit elsewhere. When she returned, the facility wouldn’t allow her back inside, for fears surrounding the coronavirus. The nursing home demanded a Covid-19 test. But at that

Economic Security Planning, Inc. Today’s column addresses questions about applying for benefits during the coronavirus pandemic, eligibility for spousal benefits, survivor benefit eligibility and calculation and when checks are deposited by SSA. Larry Kotlikoff is a Professor of Economics at Boston University and the founder and president of Economic Security Planning, Inc, which markets Maximize

The PPPFA offers greater clarity surrounding the forgiveness of PPP loans offered under the CARES … [+] Act. Getty On June 5, 2020, the Payroll Protection Program Flexibility Act of 2020 (PPPFA) became law. All the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) rules and false starts combined with the 41 changes that followed have given me (and

By Michele Turk, Next Avenue Contributor Getty By the time my doctor told me via FaceTime that I tested positive for Covid-19, my symptoms were long gone. I was probably not contagious anymore, and I had temporary immunity to the virus. For weeks afterward, the same thought replayed in my mind: I survived the coronavirus. How

Gambling to overcome coronavirus losses sounds like the “advice” you’d expect from a casino owner, … [+] not from the Chairman of a federal agency charged with protecting investors. ASSOCIATED PRESS Trump SEC Chairman Jay Clayton urges 401k plan sponsors and investors to gamble on private equity funds as a means of recovering coronavirus losses.

Variable Annuities Caveat In this discussion of variable annuities, I am mostly making an implicit assumption that the annuity is competitively priced. Fees reflect what is needed to support the guarantees provided by the insurance company and to keep the company profitable. But fees are not excessive such that the value to the consumer is

By Andrea Cooper, Next Avenue Contributor Nicole Dunn and her mother, who recently moved into an assisted living community Courtesy of Nicole Dunn Nicole Dunn was all set to move her mom, Barbara, into an assisted living community in St. Petersburg, Fla. in April. Then Covid-19 struck. The facility temporarily banned outsiders and “that meant

TOPLINE Stocks are jumping sharply Tuesday morning thanks to a record surge in retail sales last month, additional support from the Federal Reserve and hopes for more government stimulus. Stocks look set for a strong rally on Tuesday. Spencer Platt/Getty Images KEY FACTS The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 3.1%, over 800 points, at

By Grace Birnstengel, Next Avenue Editor Getty Right now, the idea of justice is on the minds and hearts of the masses. Justice is sought for anyone who is wronged. Justice can be defined by an individual and looks differently for everyone. Acts of injustice are seen on large scales against historically marginalized groups: People

By Richard Eisenberg, Next Avenue Editor Imani Woody, Larry Curley, Ron Long Next Avenue What does the future of aging in America look like? For answers, every year we ask some of our newest Influencers in Aging to offer their views at the American Society on Aging’s Aging in America conference. The pandemic turned this