Tanya Constantine | Tetra images | Getty Images For a while there, it looked like tax season might not deliver the usual refund euphoria that a majority of Americans have become accustomed to receiving each year. With so many people drawing unemployment benefits last year and changes around tax withholding meaning less is being pulled
Advisors
Luis Alvarez | DigitalVision | Getty Images Ivory Johnson was one of the many financial advisors who were forced to pivot quickly when the pandemic hit the U.S. more than a year ago. In a business that is often relationship-driven, Covid largely put a halt to in-person meetings for advisors, including Johnson. However, the shift
Westend61 | Westend61 | Getty Images Stocks are booming and seniors are struggling with long-term unemployment. Taken together, poor job prospects and a healthy nest egg may make it seem like a good time to retire. In fact, it may be a particularly dangerous time for Americans to do so, according to financial experts. More
Getty Images A fourth batch of more than 25 million $1,400 stimulus payments has been sent, and this time Social Security beneficiaries received most of the money. The IRS announced on Wednesday that new stimulus checks totaling more than $36 billion had been issued. Those payments began processing on Friday, April 2, and had an
Win McNamee | Getty Images News | Getty Images Taxes on retirement savings are inevitable — it’s really a question of now or later. President Joe Biden’s tax plan may make it better to pay Uncle Sam now. Taxpayers can do that by saving in a Roth account or converting a traditional, pre-tax account to
Sawitree Pamee / EyeEm | EyeEm | Getty Images The recent ascent of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies has enriched early investors with returns more akin to the lottery than your typical bread-and-butter investment. After all, a $10,000 investment at $100 per bitcoin would currently be worth an estimated $5 million. Of course, when an asset
bymuratdeniz | iStock | Getty Images That early withdrawal from your retirement account last year may have been a life saver. Now, it’s time to start paying the taxman. Most retirement savers did not take a distribution under legislation that authorized penalty-free early withdrawals amid the pandemic. However, for those who did, the majority (69%)
Jim McGuire | Getty Images When faced with a quiz on Social Security claiming rules, many people who are on the brink of retirement fail. MassMutual recently gave a 12-question true/false quiz to 1,500 people ages 55 to 65 who have not yet claimed their benefits. Just 3% of the respondents were able to answer
aldomurillo | E+ | Getty Images Retired, vaccinated and ready to hit the road? Don’t forget to check whether your Medicare plan will travel with you. While coverage when you’re away from home depends partly on where you’re headed, it also hinges on the specifics of your coverage. Whether the care you receive is routine
Constantine Johnny | Moment | Getty Images The IRS may be extending the deadline to file your annual taxes for 2020 to May 17, but there’s no time like now to get started on them — no matter your circumstances. Perhaps you owe money that you don’t currently have. Maybe your life has been turned
fstop123 | E+ | Getty Images Despite concern over rising bond yields, many investors see today as the best of times. The economy is growing and should get stronger as stimulus checks and child-care tax credits help millions of American families. More people are getting vaccinated daily, raising the prospect of a more open economy.
Getty Images Between stimulus checks and expanded tax credits in the latest Covid-relief package, most U.S. households are poised to get some extra cash. The amount? An average of $3,450 for the bottom 60% of earners ($65,000 or less), according to research from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. The number reflects direct stimulus
Supoj Buranaprapapong | Getty Images It’s always nice getting a raise, but it could affect your ability to save for retirement through your 401(k) plan. Highly compensated employees — those making more than $130,000 annually — may not be able to contribute the maximum to their tax-deferred retirement plan if their lower-paid colleagues aren’t diligently
Rosamund Pike accepts the Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical/Comedy, award for “I Care a Lot” via video from Ben Stiller at the 78th Annual Golden Globe Awards on Feb. 28, 2021 in New York. Peter Kramer/NBC | NBCUniversal | Getty Images The Netflix movie “I Care A Lot” provides insight on how to
recep-bg | E+ | Getty Images Spring typically represents a new beginning, a fresh start and a bright outlook for the future. This also indicates that the time is approaching for hundreds of thousands of high school seniors to decide on what college they will be attending. As a wealth advisor and parent of one
Tetra Images | Tetra images | Getty Images A few years ago, I had a client tell me he invested in a fancy bowling alley — the new party hot spot in town. It’s since shut down. Another client shared that he joined the board of a start-up and they’re looking to raise capital. He
Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, at the announcement of the $900 billion Covid-19 relief bill on Capitol Hill on Dec. 1, 2020. Tasos Katopodis | Getty Images News | Getty Images The IRS may not have extended the deadline for Americans to file their tax returns as they did last year, but chances are millions of
Ty Wright | Bloomberg | Getty Images For car buyers, the end of the year typically marks the best time to get a great deal. Things look a bit different this time around. While there are still discounts and special financing on certain makes and models, those incentives generally are not as generous as in
Getty Images Sitting on a growing bitcoin fortune? Consider giving away some of it to charity. As 2020 draws to a close, the cryptocurrency has seen a massive surge in appreciation. The value of a single unit of bitcoin is now hovering around $27,000. Though long-time holders of the virtual currency are rejoicing, they run
Oranut Fankhaenel / EyeEm | EyeEm | Getty Images Sustainability ratings are useful tools for assessing the environmental, sustainability and corporate governance-worthiness of mutual funds and exchange-traded funds. But how do you navigate between different ratings providers, especially when they can have different results for the same fund? CNBC looked under the hood at some