|
Anti-Trump protests this weekend turn focus to community action NPRMore than 400 anti-Trump rallies planned in another wave of US protests The GuardianNationwide ‘50501' protests to rally against Trump administration's policies The Washington PostAnti-Trump protest locations: Where is the ‘Day of Action' rally happening in your city? Hindustan TimesList of Citi
|
|
Trump moves to invoke Schedule F to make it easier to fire some federal workers AP NewsTrump says career gov employees working on policy will be fired if they don't adhere to his agenda Fox NewsTrump administration estimates 50,000 federal employees will lose civil service protections Federal News NetworkOPM proposes rule to formally revive Schedule F Govern
|
|
The AI revolution keeps steamrolling ahead—disrupting industries, delivering newer, smarter tools every day, propelled by billion-dollar investments. But there are real risks AI could upend the labor market.
|
|
If you're like most Americans nearing retirement, you're worried about whether you have enough savings. In fact, only 22% of those approaching retirement believe they've saved enough to retire comfortably.
At a time when the stock market is down, inflation is rising and Americans are living longer than ever, concerns over the sustainability of retirement savings are no surprise. What you may not realize is that there are approaches that can stretch the savings you do have to position yourself more favorably in retirement.
SEE MORE Even the Experts Can't Figure Out How to Plan for Retirement Income
One such strategy is Roth IRA conversions. Essentially, when you make a Roth conversion, you pay the taxes that would otherwise be due during retirement at the time you convert. Then, when you retire, you've already paid the tax that you would otherwise pay during retirement on required minimum withdrawals (RMDs) from traditional IRAs. As tax laws currently stand, those withdrawals must begin at age 72.
By engaging in Roth conversions, you gain freedom from at least some of your RMD requirements, while also positioning yourself to ultimately pay lower taxes in retirement. In this article, I'll walk you through the four-step process you can follow to lower your taxes and stretch your savings dollars further in retirement.
Step #1: Assess Your Retirement Savings
The first step in this process is to analyze your retirement savings. By
|
|
When you've just lost your spouse, you may be dealing with the loss of your life companion, your partner and best friend. It can be an overwhelming time, and it may be difficult to see a light at the end of the tunnel, to a day when you might feel better and brighter about your emotional and financial future.
In times like these, it can be comforting to hear from women who have been there and made it to the other side.
Every year, women who lose their spouse are able to start fresh, move beyond the immediate and uncertain aftermath of this time, and begin living new lives. Here's a look at how five of Francis Financial's clients were able to get back on track after losing their partners.
SEE MORE From One Widow to Another: Words of Wisdom for Hope and Happiness
|
|
Dreaming of an early retirement? You're not alone. In the midst of the pandemic, the number of retirees 55 and older grew by 3.5 million according to the Pew Research Center. But it's not just those over 50 looking to retire, according to a recent study by Northwestern, millennials are twice as likely to be thinking about early retirement as Gen Zers and three times as likely as Gen Xers.
An early retirement sounds nice, though there are challenges. Consider you may be forgoing additional savings, your Social Security benefits may be impacted if you stop contributing, and with life expectancy increasing over the years, you may have to rely on your savings for longer than if you waited. But if you really want to get serious about early retirement, then I suggest taking a careful, thoughtful approach. After all, you only want to retire once - you will want to get it right the first time.
Here to help get you started are a few suggestions I share with my clients who want to retire early.
1. Retire with a realistic picture of your income and expenses
Estimating retirement expenses is tricky, given all the unknowns. In my experience, I see retirement spending generally stays about the same in the first few years of retirement. Clients are the most active in this phase, given all the travel and bucket list items they want to accomplish. Spending eventually levels off, and usually declines later in life. Housing, health care, caring for adult children, taxes and travel make up the bulk of the typical retiree's budget in my experience.
SEE MORE
|
|
