Colette Leavitt faced a difficult financial decision a few years ago, as she approached her sixties. She originally planned to retire early, at age 62, with her mortgage paid off. She would be free and clear of the financial burden of monthly payment

The Roth IRA is popular once again. The new lower income tax rates make conversions to a Roth more favorable than they used to be. In addition, the low tax rates are set to expire in 2025, and there is an expectation that higher rates could be on the

Bitcoin has been one of the hottest financial topics of discussion lately. The skyrocketing value enticed curious investors to look into the cryptocurrency and spurred people to ask about adding bitcoin to their 401(k)s or other retirement savings pl

The biggest Social Security mistake isn't taking it too early. And taking it too late isn't it, either. It's failing to build a multidimensional plan. Regular or decaf? Paper or plastic? Take Social Security at age 62 or 70? Some decisions in life

[Question]My son is about to graduate from high school and will be living at home until he moves away in late summer for college. Can he just stay on my health insurance policy when he's in college? [Answer]Health insurers that provide dependent cove

Business development companies (BDCs), with dividend yields averaging between 8% and 11%, already are well worth considering as income investments. Now, thanks to a recent regulatory change, BDCs have even more appeal. BDCs make loans like banks but

Picking where to retire? Virginia probably isn't on the top of your list--but perhaps it should be near the top. After analyzing all 50 states for retirement based on financial factors critical to retirees, from living expenses and taxes to health ca

Deciding where to retire? You'll need to weigh the personal factors yourself, from preferred climate to proximity to family. But when it comes to financial factors, we can help. We ranked all 50 states for retirement based on the financial factors mo

When you're picking a place to retire, Florida will likely be among the top choices. And why not? The state appeals to the classic vision of the retirement lifestyle, from sunshine and beaches to golf courses and theme parks. But Florida's true allur

With tax reform likely to lead more taxpayers to use the standard deduction instead of itemizing, the move known as the qualified charitable distribution takes on a new sheen. A QCD allows taxpayers claiming the standard deduction to get a tax break

When it comes to wills, as a financial planner, I've seen a lot of sad, unfortunate or just plain weird things happen over the years. Poor estate documents can lead to people accidentally cutting loved ones out of inheritances, paying big tax bills u

Retirement is posing a lot of challenges for Baby Boomers as many feel their money won't last over 30 years. Lower interest rates and market fluctuations are making them pursue other options that will provide a safety net for the remainder of their l

Thanks to new technologies, investing is more accessible than ever. You can buy stocks, bonds and mutual funds with a click of a mouse, or even with an app on your phone. As a result of these technologies, we now have more, faster and cheaper informa

Headlines earlier this year announced the "doughnut hole" in Medicare's Part D prescription-drug coverage is closing ahead of schedule. That's welcome news for the beneficiaries who fall into the coverage gap, many of whom should see savings next yea

I get a kick out of the investment experts who are now telling us that making money in stocks isn't going to be easy anymore. For instance, Howard Marks of Oaktree Capital proclaimed earlier this year: "The easy money has been made." I hate to pick

If you're still working, you may not think much about the income taxes you pay until you're filing your tax return each year. Thanks to direct deposit, many of us never even see our pay stubs anymore -- we just know the money is going into the bank

Personal preferences matter when it comes to picking where to retire. Do you prefer year-round warm weather or all four seasons? Do you want to be near the grandkids or far away from family? These are questions you need to answer for yourself. What w

Tax reform didn't quite streamline the regular tax system to the point that taxpayers could file their returns on postcards. But the new law does simplify the parallel tax system known as the alternative minimum tax. Even better, the changes mean far

If the decision on where to retire came down to climate alone, we'd all live in Florida or Arizona. But there's more to retirement than sunshine and warm temperatures. Top of the list: Finding a place that fits your budget. We ranked all 50 states fo

Picking where to retire isn't an easy decision. From climate to being near family, personal preferences come into play. Money matters, too. That's where we can help the most. We ranked all 50 states for retirement based on financial factors, figuring

We like to think we're invincible. We tell ourselves it's not possible that one day we'll experience a health problem severe enough to keep us from working. But for many Americans, that "one day" arrives on a daily basis. In fact, one-in-four 20-year

Wake up calls are never pleasant, but this one was particularly harsh: Over the course of just nine trading days in late January and early February, U.S. stocks dropped 10% as investors fretted over a government report showing higher than expected wa

Hawaii fits the image of an idyllic retirement destination, but it doesn't fit the budget of every retiree. The overall cost of living in the Aloha State is undeniably high. But living expense is just one factor when it comes to picking a place to re

We've seen a massive movement toward convenience and automation in nearly every industry. As consumers move toward the option of ordering products online from sites like Amazon, the retail world has seen a record-breaking number of brick-and-mortar

Working with professional athletes and entertainers, I've come across some people who have come into wealth suddenly for the first time getting started on the financial planning path. There are a lot of decisions to make, not the least of which is wh