Blog

Terms of Reverse Mortgages continue to be misunderstood

A new government report shows many seniors are taking out reverse mortgages on their homes without fully understanding the ramifications, leading to foreclosures among borrowers and a tangle of problems for heirs after the borrower dies. “Consumer complaints tell us...

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How to Tell if Your Retirement Nest Egg Is Big Enough

Here we go again. During past bull markets, many Americans nearing retirement fleetingly acquired a nest egg adequate for later life. Then, as quickly as that nest egg came, it went—leaving behind regret, sleepless nights, and in the worst case, panic selling near the...

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The IRA Advantage of a Low Tax Bracket

What’s worse than paying taxes? Not paying any taxes at all and wasting a great opportunity. Suppose 2014 is a year when you’ll have little or no taxable income. Perhaps you’re out of work. Maybe you just retired, and you haven’t yet claimed Social Security or tapped...

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We Need Stock Prices to Fall 25%

In early October, as share prices wobbled, I had high hopes that U.S. stocks would plummet to attractive levels. Instead, shares have shot higher, adding to the rip-roaring bull market that has seen stocks triple since March 2009. The long rally has done wonders for...

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Bad Stock-Market Timing Fueled Wealth Disparity

Millions of Americans inadvertently made a classic investment mistake that contributed to today’s widening economic inequality: They bought high and sold low. Late in the stock-market booms of the 1990s and 2000s, more U.S. families clambered into stocks as indexes...

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Retirement: Many do-it-yourself investors not engaged

The majority of people are do-it-yourself investors when it comes to managing their retirement savings, according to a large study, out Tuesday. About two-thirds (63%) of workers with 401(k)s are going it alone, managing their own investments. About half of those...

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