We own a home in the Sacramento region with $ 400,000 equity – we owe $ 255,000 on a home valued at $ 675,000. I can retire as early as 2029 with about $ 75,000 in a pension from the public retirement system and healthcare taken care of. The home loan will be about $…
Today’s preretirees and retirees face several financial challenges in addition to concerns about the world we leave our children and grandchildren, as described in the first part of this series. To face these challenges, we’ll need to make many small, medium, and large steps in our lives that will improve our finances while helping to…
Read More “12 ways to make your retirement better for the planet” »
Given today’s challenging markets and unprecedented economic circumstances, a midyear review of your investments and wealth plan takes on a heightened sense of urgency this year. Stock prices are down, interest rates are up, the pandemic is still lurking and inflation hovers at a four-decade high. Add the looming retirement for many boomers, as well…
Read More “Opinion: 10 things to talk about with your financial adviser” »
Here’s how best to play the market for the rest of 2022: Don’t look. I offer this advice not because I believe the bear market will continue — though of course it could. I would offer the same advice if I thought the next leg of the bull market is about to begin. The reason…
Paid medical debt is rolling off consumer credit reports in an overhaul that the credit bureaus say will improve people’s financial wellbeing. In a time of rising interest rates and increased costs with the pandemic’s scariest days hopefully done, for some it can’t come a moment too soon. Equifax, Experian and TransUnion are dropping the…
Now may be a good time to do a Roth conversion. But, contrary to an argument that’s popular right now in financial planning circles, “the factors that make such a conversion a good or bad idea have nothing to do with the fact that the stock market is so much lower than where it stood…
“Stranger Things” is no stranger to shilling things. The fourth season of the hit Netflix series continues the show’s tradition of featuring countless consumer brands front and center. The main characters are dipping into jars of Jif peanut butter, playing games of Dungeons & Dragons, or sporting a cool Levi’s denim vest. And let’s not…
Investing conservatively is understandable, especially considering the uncertainty around the stock market and worrying about making your money stretch through a period of high inflation, but many investors are falling below the recommended amount of stocks in their portfolios, which could hurt their savings prospects later in life. The market is giving everyone a roller-coaster…
Read More “Scared of stocks? Most investors are too conservative with their retirement plans.” »
By the time you turn 65, you probably have a good feel for what health insurance does and doesn’t cover. But Medicare is a different beast – and there are some surprising things that don’t fall under Medicare’s umbrella. Medicare is the federal government’s health insurance coverage for people age 65 and older, and other…
Read More “Do you know the things Medicare doesn’t cover, and will you be able to afford them?” »
Credit card debt can be difficult to manage even in the best of times, but increasingly high interest rates are adding to that challenge. In June, the Federal Reserve announced a 0.75% increase to the federal funds rate – its largest hike in almost 30 years. Increases to this rate tend to make borrowing more…
