The 2020 income tax season officially started on Monday, January 27, when the IRS started accepting tax returns. Despite the stereotype of people hating doing their taxes, for millions of taxpayers, tax season means getting a refund. But there’s no reason to get a refund loan or similar services, which often include steep fees, since […]
Health savings accounts can be a great tool for retirement medical costs — if you don’t make any mistakes using them. These accounts work alongside high-deductible health plans and they offer three major tax benefits. First, you can make pretax or tax-deductible contributions to your HSA. Second, your funds will grow tax free – and […]
Saving for retirement is likely one of the greatest financial challenges you’ll ever face. It takes decades to successfully prepare for retirement, and you’ll likely need to save hundreds of thousands of dollars (if not more than $1 million) to enjoy your senior years comfortably. While there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to preparing for the future, […]
A $100,000 or even $200,000 balance in a 401(k) plan might seem like a lofty amount of money — and it is — but it may not mean as much in your retirement as you think. As part of the new Secure Act, plan sponsors will have to show Americans how their account balances translate […]
With tax season officially open as of Jan. 27, taxpayers may feel a familiar sense of anxiety. In fact, about 1 in 3 taxpayers told Credit Karma Tax in a recent survey they typically get anxious about prepping their taxes. Tax anxieties are higher among younger Americans, with the survey finding that more than 40% […]
We’ve all heard that it’s a bad idea to put all your eggs in one basket, and the saying holds true for nest eggs as well. However, not everyone understands how the concept works when it comes to retirement saving, and that can be a costly mistake. More than half (55%) of Americans don’t know […]
It’s no secret that Americans aren’t doing all that well in the savings department. An estimated 39% of U.S. adults don’t have the money on hand to cover a $400 emergency, and 45% of Americans have no money earmarked for retirement savings. If your savings efforts have been far from fruitful in recent years, it’s […]
Taxes can be confusing, even for those of us who have done them a few dozen times. They can seem especially complicated to those who are new to doing their own taxes, but they don’t have to be. Unless you really love math, you’re probably going to use some sort of tax filing software, and […]
Nearly everyone expects to rely on Social Security for vital income during their retirement years. Some Americans work hard in an effort to boost their future Social Security benefits as much as they possibly can. Yet even with all those efforts, the average Social Security benefit for retired workers is just $1,503 per month, or […]
About 1 out of every 7 people will live past 95. And if they plan to retire in their 60s, that leaves a huge variable of how many years of retirement they will need to fund. An “interest only” retirement plan removes one of the biggest fears about life after leaving your job: Will my […]
Here’s a great way to save money when what you really want to do is enjoy the moment. Just close your eyes. Now think of something you really want: a trip to Europe, college for your kids, a nest egg that will give you a dream retirement. You’ve seen it on Oprah, but the idea […]
Social Security is or will be a vital source of retirement income for the vast majority of Americans. Indeed, it makes up 90% or more of the income for a fifth of married elderly Social Security recipients and for close to half of unmarried ones. Thus, it’s rather critical to get familiar with the program […]
