Blog
Four Year-End Tax Planning Strategies
Consider these four proactive planning moves from our expert that may help you lower your 2022 tax bill. If you are feeling deflated by several months of soaring inflation, investment market losses, and interest rate hikes, there is still time to save money on taxes...
Just Starting Out? Learn From Our Mistakes
Many or all of the products featured here are from our partners who compensate us. This may influence which products we write about and where and how the product appears on a page. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Here is a...
3 reasons you should avoid borrowing against your home right now
Housing prices can go down as well as up: Here’s when you should not tap home equity Do you have enough saved for retirement? You may need that home equity later. Soaring real estate values mean many homeowners are awash in equity — the difference between what...
How the Federal Reserve Works
Have you ever taken a close look at paper money? Each U.S. bill has the words “Federal Reserve Note” imprinted across the top. But many individuals may not know why the bill is issued by the Federal Reserve and what role the Federal Reserve plays in the economy....
Breaking Down the Parts of Medicare
Generally, the different parts of Medicare help cover specific services. Most beneficiaries choose to receive their Parts A and B benefits through Original Medicare, the traditional fee-for-service program offered directly through the federal government. It is...
Rate resets on 9.62% interest, taxes, inherited assets:
Experts weigh in on 3 tricky questions about Series I bonds KEY POINTS The demand for Series I bonds has skyrocketed as investors seek refuge from soaring prices and stock market volatility. Experts cover the key things to know about interest rate resets, taxes and...
How to calculate your own personal inflation rate amid rising prices
Inflation dropped slightly in April, yet it’s still close to a 40-year high, with consumer prices rising at an annual rate of 8.3%. Rising costs for housing, food, airfares and new cars were the biggest contributors to that key gauge of inflation. The typical...
Worried about an economic downturn?
Here’s what you can expect in a typical recession, according to economists There has been a lot of chatter recently about the possibility of a recession. Yet what exactly does that mean — and what would a potential downturn look like? A recession is defined as “a...
Does inflation have you worried about retirement?
Here’s what experts say to do Inflation may have you worried about your retirement. Prices have been rising on everything from food to housing. In April, the consumer price index, which measures the prices of goods and services, notched an 8.3% increase from the...
Retiring Soon With a Pension?
Here’s how rising interest rates can affect your lump-sum benefits KEY POINTS Many companies that offer traditional pensions give workers the option to take their benefits as a lump sum instead of as an annuity. The higher the rate used to calculate a lump sum — to...