Category: Personal Finance

Age 65 is a major milestone, and one worth celebrating. If you’re turning 65 in the coming year, here are a few important things to be aware of. 1. You can enroll in Medicare — but doing so might not make sense Medicare eligibility kicks in at age 65, and your initial enrollment period begins three […]

These are the best Fidelity funds by performance for your Fidelity 401(k). Fidelity Investments is a powerhouse in retirement planning. Investors put $6.8 trillion in Fidelity 401(k)s, or more than Japan’s $5.4 trillion gross domestic product. Although stock funds are usually your best bet for high returns, investing entirely in stock may not be the […]

Medicare health insurance premiums can add up to big bucks, especially if you’re married and both you and your spouse are paying. In this column, I’ll list the 2018 and 2019 premium amounts and explain when you can potentially claim tax deductions for them. Here goes. Medicare Part A Premiums Medicare Part A coverage is […]

If 2018 taught us anything, it was that it’s just a matter of time before hackers come across our personal information online. After a string of major hacks affecting millions of internet users, there are few people left online who haven’t been affected. Between Equifax EFX, -0.10% exposing the data of 148 million customers, Marriott MAR, -1.01%  exposing the data of 500 million […]

Maxing out your 401(k) each year is not unlike scaling Mount Everest. “What a feat!” you might say. And: “No way am I doing that.” While challenging, it’s doable, according to a survey of people who’ve contributed the max, or almost that, to their 401(k)s. “One thing they’re not doing is living miserable lives,” says […]

Every year, investors come into the new year with enthusiasm about their prospects for generating strong returns on their portfolios. Yet especially for those who don’t have a ton of experience with investing, it’s all too easy to fall prey to common misconceptions about how the stock market works — and those mistakes can be […]

Are you finding it difficult to open a new bank account due to a previous mismanaged account? Your bridges with your bank may not have burned down completely. Get back into your bank’s good graces with a second chance checking account. Fresh Start, Second Chance Checking Account According to an FDIC National Survey, as of […]

For those lucky enough to be nearing retirement, or at least discussing the possibilities for your retirement, you may be regularly checking your State Pension age in case of any changes. The State Pension age is the earliest age you can start receiving your State Pension. This age may be different from the age which […]

Americans have a savings crisis on their hands. Roughly 40% of Americans don’t have enough in savings to cover an unexpected $400 expense, according to a report released in May by the Federal Reserve. And a separate report by personal-finance website Bankrate found that one in five Americans have more credit-card debt than they do in emergency savings. Meanwhile, a […]

Many workers spend upward of 40 hours a week on the job, and a large chunk of us go so far as to regularly log in after hours and on weekends to get our work done. Given the amount of time we all spend working and the massive collective effort we put in, you’d think […]

Goodbye, 2018. Hello, 2019! As the new year gets underway, there are 10 steps in financial planning you should take to position your investments, finances and estate plan to flourish in 2019. Call this your must-do financial checklist for the new year. Best of all, these steps in financial planning do not require you to […]