Personal finance
Annuity sales rise, buoyed by market fears and higher interest rates. What to know before you buy
Svetikd | E+ | Getty Images Annuities are on track for a banner year as consumers flee stock volatility and insurers offer more attractive rates. Limra, an insurance industry group, forecasts annuity sales of $267 billion to $288 billion in 2022, eclipsing the record ($265 billion) set in 2008. Consumers pumped $255 billion into annuities […]
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Why saving in a 401(k) plan may be tough for frequent job switchers
Damircudic | E+ | Getty Images Saving in a 401(k) plan may be tough for workers who switch jobs frequently — a dynamic that’s come into greater focus amid the Great Resignation. In 2021, 14% of people saving in a 401(k) plan left their employer, according to a new report from Vanguard Group, which is […]
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Here’s how to fight a higher-than-expected property tax bill
Momo Productions | Digitalvision | Getty Images If the value of your home ballooned during the Covid pandemic, you may receive an inflated property tax assessment in the mail. There are ways, however, to combat a higher bill, experts say. Despite double-digit growth in single-family home prices, property taxes only increased by 1.8% in 2021, […]
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Suze Orman: This is ‘the No. 1 investment’ to make right now, ‘no matter what’
Inflation is at historic highs, well above anything the U.S. has seen since the early 1980s. On Friday, June 10, investors and economists will be watching closely when the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases its latest consumer price index report, which measures the average change over time in prices paid by consumers for common goods […]
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Here’s when tax-loss harvesting makes sense … and when it doesn’t
When the stock market dips, a strategy known as tax-loss harvesting can be a silver lining. But it doesn’t make sense for all portfolios, financial experts say. Here’s how tax-loss harvesting works: You can sell declining assets from your brokerage account and use the losses to offset other profits. Once losses exceed gains, you can […]
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Your next quarterly 401(k) statement may be alarming. Here’s why
Your internal alarm bells may ring when reading your next 401(k) plan statement — at first blush, at least. Traditional 401(k) statements — regular notices that arrive by mail or online — show investors how much money they’ve saved for retirement, among other information such as investment allocations. Soon, they’ll also see how their nest […]
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Retirement tax breaks benefit higher earners, leaving middle-class savers behind, report finds
Fstop123 | E+ | Getty Images Tax breaks designed to boost retirement savings may primarily benefit higher earners, leaving middle-class workers behind, according to a report from the National Institute on Retirement Security. With most Americans receiving less than half of preretirement income from Social Security, many rely on employer-sponsored savings plans and individual retirement […]
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That socially responsible fund may not be as ‘green’ as you think. Here’s how to pick one
Tetra Images – Erik Isakson | Brand X Pictures | Getty Images Investment funds that promote values like the environment and social good have become more popular. But trying to pick a so-called ESG fund — especially one that aligns well with your interests — may seem about as easy as drying a towel in […]
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House Democrats push Treasury, IRS for repeal of rule blocking state and local taxes cap workaround
Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., speaks during a news conference announcing the State and Local Taxes (SALT) Caucus outside the U.S. Capitol on April 15, 2021. Sarah Silbiger | Bloomberg | Getty Images Three House Democrats are still pushing for relief on the $10,000 limit on the federal deduction for state and local taxes, known as […]
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‘Buy now, pay later’ loans make it tough to get a handle on your credit
Payment history often not reported BNPL companies generally don’t report to the credit-scoring companies when consumers use these loans. That makes it a challenge for a lender to know how many loans a consumer has outstanding. “That makes a big difference in terms of how much you should loan,” said Kenneth Lin, CEO of fintech […]
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