Newsletters
Forty-three percent of Americans spent more time planning their most recent vacation than planning for their retirement.1
Will you outlive your retirement income? How much liability insurance should you have? Should you add stocks to your portfolio? Are your financial expectations for the coming year realistic?
Our financial newsletters are designed to provide helpful information on a wide variety of financial topics. Simply click on one of the newsletter topics below to read the article in its entirety.
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January
HOT TOPIC: What's Ahead for 2010?
Economists expect the economy to grow by a respectable 3% in 2010, but they don't hold out much hope for the employment situation. What else can investors and consumers expect from the coming year?
Are Target-Date Funds Off Target?
Target-date funds are not for everyone, so it's important to gather all the facts.
The Benefits of Social Security
Take this quiz to assess how much you know about Social Security benefits.
Love and Marriage and Retirement
More than 80% of married couples 45 to 72 say they don't agree on when they should retire, what their retirement lifestyle should look like, or whether they will work in retirement.
Beware the Better-Than-Average Effect
Economists have found that, on average, people tend to believe that their own lives are improving at a faster rate than most everyone else's.
When Tea Leaves Won't Do
Economic indicators can be a good source of clues about trends, but it takes experience and skill to interpret their meaning.
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December
Hot Topic: 2010: The Year of the Roth Conversion?
Starting in 2010, anyone, regardless of income, can convert retirement plan assets to a Roth IRA.
An Extra Layer of Protection
Umbrella liability insurance can help protect a family from the financial ruin that a civil liability trial could bring.
Getting the Right Mix
Asset allocation is the process of dividing investment dollars among asset classes that often behave differently in different market cycles.
New Year: Check and (Re)balance
Even if people have become jaded about making new year's resolutions, it shouldn't stop them from doing what they need to do to accomplish their financial goals.
Mark Your Calendar
Once we approach the end of our working years, birthdays take on a renewed importance.
Ready or Not, You're Retired!
In 2009, 47% of retirees left the workforce earlier than they expected.
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August
Municipal Haste
Municipal bonds offer an opportunity to earn an income that may be free of federal income tax.
The Long Road Ahead
The stock market has had its share of roller-coaster thrills lately, but don’t be tempted to react emotionally.
Looking for an End to the IPO Drought
Even if you never expect to participate in an IPO, it’s wise to keep an eye on the pace of new listings.
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July
HOT TOPIC: Looking for a Recovery in Odd Places
Are signs of an economic recovery showing up in hemlines and lipstick sales?
Get Your Retirement Reality Check
A retirement needs-calculation goes beyond the commonly suggested target to have 70% of pre-retirement income.
Higher Education Pays, But So Will You
It’s likely that admission to the nation’s top colleges and universities will remain competitive, but adequate college savings can help ensure that a student’s opportunity to attend his or her school of choice is not compromised by the lack of resources.
It's Not Too Late to Consider Life Insurance
Results from one survey suggest that confidence in financial security tends to increase as life insurance coverage increases.
Good Care Begins Early
Ironically, people who avoid important discussions because they don’t want to be a burden are sowing seeds for even greater troubles because they are forestalling preparation and ignoring the risks associated with aging, possibly until it’s too late.
Stalking the Mighty Consumer
Economists, traders, investors, and policymakers all take great interest in the financial health of consumers and what they may do next.
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June
HOT TOPIC: Social Security and Medicare in Crosshairs
An entitlement crisis has been looming on the horizon for several years. Unfortunately, according to the latest reports from the trustees of the Social Security and Medicare trust funds, a spike in unemployment has helped to hasten the arrival of these programs’ insolvency.
Estate of Emergency?
To help ensure that an estate is distributed according to one's wishes, it’s important to have certain legal documents in place.
It's Time to Get Real
During times of market volatility, it can be easy for investors to lose sight of two seemingly immovable obstacles standing in the way of their long-term investment goals: taxes and inflation.
Inflation Goes to College
Over the past 10 years, tuition and fees have grown more than 4% faster than the rate of general inflation at public four-year colleges and more than 2% faster than inflation at private four-year colleges.
Testing Your Liability Limits
This quiz tests the reader’s understanding of personal liability.
The Positives of Negative Correlation
Few asset groups are perfectly negatively correlated, but a portfolio may still be able to benefit from the correlation principle.
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May
Celebrate Life and the Benefits of Insuring It
In addition to the protection it can bring, life insurance can also offer some tax benefits.
A Question of Identity
Not only is identity theft costly, it can also be a major hassle that affects a person’s credit score for years. The key to preventing ID theft is awareness.
Exchange-Traded Funds Can Be for Conservative Portfolios, Too
If you avoided ETFs because they were predominantly composed of stocks, the growing availability of bond ETFs might warrant a second look.
The Land of Income Mobility
In America, just about anyone who is dissatisfied with his income has the opportunity to roll up his sleeves and move into a different income bracket.
Recapping Market Capitalization
The blurring of lines between large-cap, mid-cap, and small-cap companies is an indication that it may be time to evaluate whether your portfolio holdings have shifted toward or away from your investment objectives.
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April
HOT TOPIC: The Fed Plans to Spend Trillion or More to Spur Growth
For the first time in a generation, the Federal Reserve has undertaken a campaign to influence long-term interest rates, a departure from recent monetary policy that has focused almost exclusively on short-term rates.
Never Too Old—or Too Rich—to Consider Life Insurance
There are many possible reasons to consider owning life insurance, even if you have convinced yourself that it's no longer necessary in your situation.
Avoid the Timing Trap
Market timing is a risky approach that could have a significant effect on a portfolio’s long-term performance.
Income Now or Later
Immediate and deferred fixed annuities are insurance products that could help retirees safeguard some of their nest eggs and provide a steady income stream throughout retirement.
Defend Your Retirement from Inflation
Over long periods, inflation can pose a significant threat to quality of life for retirees, primarily because it reduces the purchasing power of their retirement incomes.
Separate Your Business from Your Portfolio
Allocating too much of your investment capital to one company — even your own — is a risky proposition.
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