Resources

Q: Under current law, at what age can you begin receiving Social Security benefits?

A: The earliest age at which you can begin receiving Social Security benefits is 62. However, you will receive a reduced benefit if you retire before your full retirement age.

Q: What are some big mistakes that people make concerning their retirement?

A: Not contributing to an IRA, a 401(k…

With President Obama’s first term in office coming to a close, here’s the result of an investigation into the relationship between the composition of the legislative and executive branches of the U.S. government and market performance. The "unified" situation refers to years when the Senate, the House of Representatives, and the White House were all controlled by the same party. The "partially…

The Consumer Price Index (CPI), a measure of inflation, is a monthly statistic that measures the change in prices paid consumers for a basket of goods and services. While this measure serves more as an official gauge, a lot of consumers seem to have a different sense of their inflation rate when paying for goods. The question often arises: Why is the official rate seems so much lower than what…

At times it can be tempting to get caught up with the crowd and excitement when certain parts of the market soar based on a analyst report or trend. While great potential may exist, sector investing can also come with great risk.

If you take a look at the image below, you’ll notice that what is hot one year isn’t always hot the next. Interested investors should be willing to follow a…

Asset Allocation is an investment strategy that attempts to balance risk and reward by allocating a certain percentage of each asset in accordance to an investors risk tolerance, goals and investment horizon.

What is often overlooked is the importance that taxes will play in this decision making process and the location of those assets. Here are a…

In an uncertain market and economic environment, it pays to take advantage of all the sure things you can. A prime example is paying down any debt you have, even mortgages and other loans that some might classify as "good debt" because they carry relatively low interest rates and may offer tax deductions. By chipping away at your borrowing costs, you'll reduce the interest you owe over the…

Thinking about rolling over your 401(k)? Make sure you do your homework first.

Getting advice is easy. Just look on the internet and you’ll see opinions everywhere. But before you make any moves, you should ask yourself: “Does this advice benefit me or someone else?” This is important because your 401(k)’s performance will impact your quality of life during retirement. So it’s crucial…

Shuffling the cards makes winners and losers

Much in the press has highlighted the "victory" of keeping the interest rates on Stafford student loans from doubling to 6.8%. The 3.4% interest rates seems like a victory to the millions paying back their student debt. But is it really? Here is the full picture:

Background

Part of the deal Congress struck to expand the National…

Approaching retirement with too little money is unfortunate. Furthermore, getting drawn into the daily hype that has people jumping in and out of the stock market can be disastrous. The market will inevitably go down once in a while, but history proves that despite this, the long-term trend for the market is up. Taking that into account, the earlier an individual begins to invest, the better…