The Strong Dollar: Good or Bad? What is dollar strength & who invests in it? You may have heard that the dollar is “strong” right now. You may have also heard that a strong dollar amounts to a headwind against commodities and stocks. While there is some truth to that, there is more to the story. A strong dollar does not necessarily rein in the bulls, and dollar strength can work for the economy and the markets. The U.S. [...]
A Roth IRA’s Many Benefits Why do so many people choose them over traditional IRAs? The IRA that changed the whole retirement savings perspective. Since the Roth IRA was introduced, it has become a fixture in many retirement planning strategies. The key argument for going Roth can be summed up in a sentence: Paying taxes on your retirement contributions today is better than paying taxes on your retirement savings tomorrow. Here is a closer look at the trade-off you [...]
How Long Do You Have To Keep Your Statements? A year? Seven years? It depends. “You should retain copies of your federal tax returns for 7 years.” Is that true, or a myth? How long should you keep those quarterly and annual statements you get about your investment accounts? And how long should you keep bank statements before throwing them away? Your age, wealth & health might shape your answer. If you are not yet retired, then you may [...]
The A, B, C, & D of Medicare Breaking down the basics & what each part covers. Whether your 65th birthday is on the horizon or decades away, you should understand the parts of Medicare what they cover, and where they come from. Parts A & B: Original Medicare. America created a national health insurance program for seniors in 1965 with two components. Part A is hospital insurance. It provides coverage for inpatient stays at medical facilities. It can [...]
What’s Your Financial Health Score? Can a 5-question test predict how wealthy you will become? In the future, will you become wealthier or poorer? Who knows, right? It seems like you would need a crystal ball to really answer that question given life’s up and downs. What if the answer is right in front of you? What if you can determine it from your present financial behaviors? Two economists present a brief questionnaire – and an audacious claim. Last month, [...]