by Kenny | Oct 7, 2024
Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education The recent final required minimum distribution (RMD) regulations include a new rule change that may be beneficial for IRA owners who name trusts as beneficiaries. In the new regulations, the IRS allows separate...
by Kenny | Oct 6, 2024
-Darren Leavitt, CFA The S&P 500 closed higher for a fourth consecutive quarter, the first time it has done so since 2011. Investors continued to face a challenging macro environment. Escalating tensions in the Middle East, a Longshoremen’s strike, the aftermath...
by Kenny | Oct 3, 2024
Summary – However, almost 8 in 10 workers and 7 in 10 retirees are concerned that the U. S. government could make significant changes to the American retirement system – A new report published today from the 34th annual Retirement Confidence Survey finds... by Kenny | Oct 2, 2024
By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst When a traditional IRA owner wants to convert all or a portion of his account to a Roth IRA, he needs to think long and hard about the transaction. For example, some questions to consider: 1. When will this money be needed?... by Kenny | Sep 30, 2024
By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst A big change made by the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022 was adding a new statute of limitations (SOL) for the IRS to assess penalties for missed required minimum distributions (RMDs) and excess IRA contributions. On its face, it looks like...
by Kenny | Sep 29, 2024
-Darren Leavitt, CFA US equity markets posted a third week of gains as global central banks continued to cut monetary policy rates. China, Switzerland, Mexico, Hungry, and the Czech Republic cut their policy rates. Chinese markets gained on the news that several...
by Kenny | Sep 27, 2024
Critically underprepared for retirement, 55-year-old Americans enter a crucial 10-year countdown to plan and prepare With just a decade until retirement, 55-year-old Americans have less than $50K in median retirement savings First modern generation confronting... by Kenny | Sep 26, 2024
Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Question: When an IRA owner dies after their required beginning date, can an eligible designated beneficiary choose either the life expectancy option or the 10-year payout rule? Answer: If an IRA owner dies on or... by Kenny | Sep 25, 2024
By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education It happens. You have made a 2023 contribution to the wrong type of IRA. All is not lost. That contribution can be recharacterized. While recharacterization of Roth IRA conversions was eliminated by the Tax... by Kenny | Sep 23, 2024
By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst When presenting a particular section of our training manual, I usually make the joke that, “if we were playing an acronym drinking game, we would all be on our way to a hangover.” The segment is titled: “Missed stretch IRA...
by Kenny | Sep 22, 2024
The S&P 500 notched its 39th record high in 2024 on the back of a fifty-basis-point rate cut by the Federal Reserve. Global central banks took center stage this week, with the Fed playing the headliner. Leading into the Fed’s decision, the street was divided over...
by Kenny | Sep 15, 2024
-Darren Leavitt, CFA Markets bounced back nicely in the second week of September. It was an intriguing week of trade with several undercurrents to consider. The first and likely only Presidential debate between Harris and Trump appeared to be won by Harris, although...
by Kenny | Sep 12, 2024
Saving and investing early, often, and continuously throughout your entire working career is absolutely critical to securing your financial future in retirement. Making contributions to your 401(k) or IRA provides tax benefits, allowing you to defer taxes owed on your...
by Kenny | Sep 8, 2024
-Darren Leavitt, CFA Global equity markets tumbled due to economic growth concerns as the US Treasuries extended their gains from August. The holiday-shortened week started with weaker-than-anticipated manufacturing data out of China, which highlighted just how weak...
by Kenny | Sep 6, 2024
Three significant 401(k) plan changes coming in 2025 are worth paying attention to, regardless of when you plan to retire, whether you work full-time or part-time, or whether you even have a 401(k) yet. In late 2022, Congress passed a law to help savers build their...
by Kenny | Sep 2, 2024
-Darren Leavitt, CFA The final week of August was all about NVidia’s second-quarter earnings results and the Fed’s preferred measure of inflation, the PCE. Expectations for NVidia’s earnings were so high that some decided to throw pre/post-earnings...
by Kenny | Aug 29, 2024
Big changes are coming to retirement savings in 2025. The shifts in retirement planning come after Congress passed the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act (SECURE Act) in 2019 and its 2022 follow-up, the SECURE 2.0, which further expanded and...
by Kenny | Aug 26, 2024
Weekly Market Commentary – 8/23/2024 US financial markets inked another week of gains as investors cheered what they heard from global central bankers at the Jackson Hole Economic Symposium. In fact, the bulk of the gains were made on Friday after Fed Chairman...
by Kenny | Aug 22, 2024
If you claim benefits early, income from work can reduce your monthly payments “Retirement” used to be synonymous with “not working.” Not anymore. More than a quarter of U.S. adults ages 65 to 74 are still in the workforce, according to the federal Bureau of Labor...
Retirement isn’t one-size-fits-all. Two people can retire the same year with the same savings and still need completely different strategies—because… Read more: Personalized Retirement Strategy: A Plan Built Around You