I have this inexplicable love for New Year's Eve and Day. It’s one of those times where I slow down and reflect on the year I’m leaving behind and dream about how I want the year ahead to look. Since 2018, I’ve kept a list of ‘one memorable thing’ that happens each month of a year so that I don’t...
By Aimee Picchi
Senior citizens and others who receive Social Security checks will soon see a 5.9% increase in their monthly payments, the biggest annual "raise" since 1982. But experts warn that the boost may not be enough to offset fast-rising inflation.
On top of that, seniors will be...
By Emily Brandon
Your Social Security payment amount is determined by how much you earn while working and when you elect to start receiving payments. Married individuals are additionally eligible for spousal and survivor's payments. But there are many strategies you can use to increase how much...
One of my favorite holiday rituals has always been the outing to pick out our Christmas tree. When the kids were younger we would get them a giant candy cane (everything is more fun with sugar) and they piled into the car wearing their Santa hats. Arriving at the tree farm, we always forgot which...
By Robert Powell
Many people might think that estate planning isn’t for them.
They don’t have wealth like Bill Gates or Jeff Bezos, they don’t think of their belongings as an “estate.” And they might not even have much in the way of assets save an insurance policy, a retirement account or two...
It was shaping up to be an uneventful Friday evening. I had finished work and was heading out to pick up some takeout. But it all took a turn for the worse when I reached the two stairs leading down to the driveway. It happened so fast that I’m not entirely sure what went wrong. I can only...
By: Nora Daniels | Financial Planner Assistant
2021 has been a non-stop year for my family. There have been a lot of big ongoing projects as well as life changes. My husband, Cody, and I got away last week to celebrate one of the big projects finally completing. He has been studying for over...
By: Carla Fried, Benjamin Curry
The more you’ve managed to save in a traditional individual retirement account (IRA) or a traditional 401(k), the more you might want to consider a Roth conversion.
Why a Roth conversion? There are a few good reasons, chief among them managing taxes and...
By Andrea King Collier
In January, my husband Darnay and I started looking at all the things we needed to do financially to get ready for turning 65 later this year. Back in March, I wrote for Next Avenue about Step 1: cutting expenses. This month, I started wading into the minefield that is...
Both our kids are now fully engrossed with their college fall semester (or so they tell us), so Martha and I are working on how to be empty nesters. Fortunately we were able to recently enjoy two events we have been talking about for a while.
The first stop was Bruce Springsteen’s one-man show...
By: Tom Lally, CFP ®
Of all the social activity affected by Covid, weddings were high on the list. Planning the big day can be stressful enough without a global pandemic, so I’m sure it’s been a difficult 18 months for the recently betrothed. So I was all sorts of happy – and relieved – when...
By Rob Grubka
It’s open enrollment time at workplaces across the country – for health insurance as well as a bevy of other benefits. Here are four tips to help navigate the maze of benefit decisions.
The fall open enrollment season for employees is upon us, which means millions of American...
