Category: Newsletters

The average FICO® credit score in the United States reached a record high of 711 in 2020, despite the financial challenges of the pandemic. In fact : contrary to what might be…

In 2020, 31% of U.S. workers with employer-sponsored health insurance had a high-deductible health plan (HDHP), up from 24% in 2015.1 These plans are also available outside the workplace through private insurers…

Your plan for drawing down retirement assets could be just as important as your approach to accumulating retirement savings. Experts recommend various methods, such as the so-called 4% rule : withdrawing 4%…

You may have purchased life insurance years ago and never gave it a second thought. Or perhaps you don’t have life insurance at all and now you need it. When your life…

On September 30, 2021, Congress averted a potential federal government shutdown by passing a last-minute bill to fund government operations through December 3, 2021.1 Two weeks later, another measure raised the debt…

A will is an essential legal document that describes how your estate should be distributed upon your death. It is the basis for the probate process and can serve as a guide…

Cash balance plans are defined benefit plans that share some key characteristics with 401(k) plans, which makes them flexible and appealing to a growing cadre of small employers. In fact, there was…

The opportunity to acquire company stock : inside or outside a workplace retirement plan : can be a lucrative employee benefit. Your compensation may include stock options or bonuses paid in company…

For the past decade, U.S. stocks have outperformed foreign stocks by a wide margin, due in large part to the stronger U.S. recovery after the Great Recession. In general, U.S. companies have…

In July, the president issued an executive order intended to “combat excessive consolidation of industry, abuses of market power, and the harmful effects of monopoly.” More than a dozen federal agencies were…

Although scammers often target older people, younger people who encounter scams are more likely to lose money to fraud, perhaps because they have less financial experience. When older people do fall for…

If you have ever been caught off-guard by a large medical bill, a long-running practice known as balance billing might be the reason. A balance bill : which is the difference between…

Too Hot to Handle: What’s Ahead for the U.S. Housing Market? The U.S. housing market, already strong before the pandemic, has heated up to record levels in 2021. The Case-Shiller U.S. National…

Many people allow their life insurance policies to expire once their children are grown. This may not be a good idea, especially if you have a mortgage or other substantial expenses and…

During the 12 months ending in June 2021, consumer prices shot up 5.4%, the highest inflation rate since 2008.1 The annual increase in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) :…

If you have qualifying children under the age of 18, you may be able to claim a child tax credit. (You may also be able to claim a partial credit for certain…

By one estimate, U.S. landlords were owed about $57 billion in unpaid back rent at the beginning of 2021. The average household that fell behind owed about four months of rent, or…

Inflation has been relatively low for the last decade, but the economic stimulus packages and recovery from the pandemic are expected to heat up the U.S. economy.1 Even so, the Federal Reserve…

Debt poses a growing threat to the financial security of many Americans : and not just college graduates with exorbitant student loans. Recent studies by the Center for Retirement Research at Boston…

Hostage Data: Ransomware and Protecting Your Digital Information On May 7, 2021, the Colonial Pipeline, which carries almost half of the East Coast’s fuel supply from Texas to New Jersey, shut down…