As a manager, it’s your job to ensure that your workers are as productive as possible. After all, the better your team’s output, the better you all look collectively. But if you’re not happy with your employees’ performance on the whole, it could be that you’re the reason they’re not as productive as they could […]
Many households come to experience their share of financial challenges over time. Some folks lose their jobs and struggle to find work. Others encounter costly medical issues that cause them to rack up debt. And while these and other financial shocks might easily come out of the blue, the fact of the matter is that […]
If you’re making plans to save for retirement, it makes sense to take advantage of generous tax breaks. There are different kinds of accounts in which you can make tax deductible investments, which effectively amounts to the government subsidizing your retirement savings. IRAs are among those types of accounts. What is an IRA? While many […]
Millions of seniors rely on Medicare to pay for their health-related needs. But many near-retirees make one dangerous assumption: that they’ll be eligible for Medicare coverage the moment they leave the workforce. If you’re wondering whether you can get on Medicare as soon as you retire, the answer is that it depends on when you […]
The midterm elections could represent the peak for a U.S. stock market that has so far been resilient to political risks and trade fears. That is according to analysts at Société Générale who see President Donald Trump’s economic plans pausing after the November midterm elections, when the Democrats are likely gain a majority in the […]
Stocks could be bucking for new highs, even as the market deals with negative cross currents in what historically has been a weak month. The S&P 500 closed out a positive week Friday with a gain of 1.2 percent to 2,904 and is now 12 points away from its all-time high. But traders are perplexed […]
The Americans who can least afford it are spending the highest percentage of their income on what the folks at Bankrate describe as “financial vices.” People in the lowest income bracket — those earning under $30,000 a year — spend “an average of $2,118 annually on restaurant food, prepared drinks (such as such as coffee, […]
As employers phased out traditional pensions, 401(k) plans were introduced to fill in the gaps. Named for the subsection of Internal Revenue Service code that allows for them, these accounts have become the primary retirement savings vehicle for many people. The tax benefits of traditional 401(k) plans are important. For 2018, contributions of up to […]
If you’re in the market for a new car, you may already have some sort of money-saving plan. Perhaps you’re waiting until the end of the model year when dealers are trying to get rid of their inventory. Or maybe you’ve had your current car detailed in order to maximize its trade-in value. While those […]
The tax reform bill that became law toward the end of 2017 took effect for the 2018 tax year. When you file your 2018 return early next year, you’ll get your first chance to see the actual impact of the many changes to the tax laws that the legislation made. One of the biggest changes […]
For those unaware, your credit report is a snapshot of your entire credit history — that is, all of the credit cards and loans in your name, along with details on payment history, previous judgments, and bankruptcies. Having a good credit report is as essential to securing a loan as having a good resume is […]
Thanks to tax reform, many Americans will see their tax bills go down in 2018. The marginal tax rates have gone down, and the Child Tax Credit has doubled, just to name a couple of the changes that should put additional money back in the pockets of millions of Americans. That said, while your taxes […]
