Buying low and selling high is the oldest stock market adage. How does one put it into practice? Dollar cost averaging may give you a method to capture lower prices today and come out ahead tomorrow. How it works. Dollar cost averaging is a long-term investment strategy. It means investing in small increments. Through scheduled…
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Decades ago, retirement was fairly predictable: Social Security and a pension provided much of your income, you moved to the Sun Belt, played tennis or golf, and you lived to age 70 or 75. To varying degrees, this was the American retirement experience during the last few decades of the previous century. Those days are…
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Information vs. instinct. When it comes to investing, many people believe they have a “knack” for choosing good investments. But what exactly is that “knack” based on? The fact is, the choices we make with our assets can be strongly influenced by factors, many of them emotional, that we many not even be aware of.…
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Have you ever wanted to make a major charitable gift? Would you like a significant federal tax break in acknowledgment of that gift? If so, an IRA charitable rollover may be a good financial step to take. If you are age 70½ or older and have one or more traditional IRAs, you may want to…
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Ninety-five percent of married couples file joint federal tax returns. Filing jointly can be convenient. Frequently, there’s a financial advantage, but that does not mean it should be done without consideration. Years ago, there was less incentive to file jointly. That was because the “marriage penalty” for doing so was effectively greater. There is no…
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According to Sallie Mae, U.S. families with one or more college students spent an average of $26,458 on tuition, housing, and linked expenses from 2017-18. Statistics like these underline the importance of saving and investing to fund a university education, but that effort has become optional to many. In its annual How America Saves for…
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How can you cover your child’s future college costs? Saving early (and often) may be the key for most families. Here are some college savings vehicles to consider. 529 plans. Offered by states and some educational institutions, these plans let you save up to $14,000 per year for your child’s college costs without having to…
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If you want to save for college, you may wish to consider a UGMA or UTMA account. These custodial accounts are typically created by parents and other relatives who want to gift minors without having to set up a trust. Many parents and grandparents create UGMA or UTMA accounts as college savings vehicles. You can…
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Do you have a 529 plan account? Then you will want to know about a pair of federal tax law changes which may benefit you and your student, one involving a February 16 deadline. As 2015 ended, Congress passed the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act (PATH). Deep in its fine print were two “sweeteners”…
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You can invest your IRA assets in different ways. Should you invest a portion of those assets in real estate? At first thought, putting real estate into an IRA may seem like an off-the-wall idea. It is one you might want to consider, but you must be aware of the rules. The concept is not…
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