Since its debut nearly 40 years ago, the 401(k) has emerged as one of the premier tools to save for retirement in America. In fact, when we poll 401(k) participants across the country, the majority of them consistently say it’s their largest — or only — source of retirement savings.* One of the main reasons […]
IF YOU’RE NEWLY divorced and you have children, odds are you’re probably just getting acquainted with the concept of child support. After all, child support law and regulation can be complex and confusing. “I have never met a parent who felt like he or she was receiving sufficient child support. Likewise, most parents who pay […]
Every worker Opens a New Window. at some point starts to think about retirement and applying for Social Security benefits Opens a New Window. . The big question is: When should you start collecting Social Security? Generally, the key to that answer lies in what is considered your “full retirement age” because that is the […]
Financial rules of thumb circle around the internet like flotsam caught in an eddy. We scrutinized five particularly persistent ones to see how they hold up. Our conclusion: Most have merit as a starting point for setting a financial goal. But depending on your personal circumstances, you may benefit from bending the rules. Budget Spend […]
The interest rates on federal student loans will go down next academic year. The government sets the annual rates on those loans once a year, based on the 10-year Treasury note, which has also been on the decline. The interest rate on new undergraduate Stafford loans will be 4.5% for the 2019-2020 academic year, down […]
Billionaires feel at home in the Big Apple. New York has the largest billionaire population globally (105 individuals), followed by Hong Kong (87), San Francisco (75), Moscow (70), London (65) and Beijing (55). To put that in context, San Francisco has over 860,000 residents. New York has over 8.6 million. That’s according to data released […]
It kills some people to talk about death. Some 60% of people say they know very little about death, and they’re almost as likely to get their information about the end of life from movies and TV dramas as they are from medical professionals, according to a new poll by the U.K.-based Academy of Medical […]
Are you saving enough for retirement? For a lot of us, it’s hard to say—but we can look at how our savings compare to other people in our age group. As Investopedia explains: A June 2018 report from the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies looked at a nationally representative sample of 6,372 workers, age 18 […]
If you want to grow your net worth, saving as much of your income as possible is a good start—but it’ll only get you so far. To truly maximize your income’s potential, you’re going to have to do more than stick it in a savings account. You’re going to need to invest. This means setting […]
For many people, retirement plan assets make up a meaningful portion of their financial wealth. In a divorce proceeding, retirement plans often present additional challenges to an already difficult process. Most states treat retirement plan assets as marital property. Therefore, unless you’re operating under a prenuptial agreement, you’re legally entitled to a portion of your […]
You’ve heard of savings accounts and money market accounts. Which one should you choose? Savings accounts are great for when you want to put away your money but still want relatively easy access. It’s not a checking account — that’s used for everyday transactions. The idea is to save your money. And keep it in […]
Charlotte Stewart’s Personal Finance Class at Tug Valley High School has completed a 10-week simulation with H&R Block. The H&R Budget Challenge is a personal finance simulation played in real time over a 10-week period. Students receive paychecks and bills in real time and are challenged to build a budget that allows them to pay […]
