On May 4, 2022, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) of the Federal Reserve raised the benchmark federal funds rate 0.50%. This is part of a series of increases that the FOMC expects to carry out over the next two years to combat high inflation.1 Along with announcing the current increase, … [Read more...]
What Do Rising Interest Rates Mean for Your Money?
Planning for Remarriage
If you're planning to remarry, you must decide how you and your fiancé will combine your finances, and you'll need to plan a financial strategy that considers the assets, liabilities, and financial responsibilities that each partner brings to the marriage. You'll find that financial planning for … [Read more...]
SECURE Act Changed IRA and Retirement Plan Inheritance Rules
At the end of 2019, President Trump signed a federal spending package that included the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act. A provision in this legislation effectively eliminated the "stretch IRA," an estate-planning strategy that allowed an IRA to continue benefiting … [Read more...]
Conducting a Periodic Review of Your Estate Plan
With your estate plan successfully implemented, one final but critical step remains: carrying out a periodic review and update. Imagine this: since you implemented your estate plan five years ago, you got divorced and remarried, sold your house and bought a boat to live on, sold your legal … [Read more...]
Investing in Bonds
Bonds may not be as glamorous as stocks or commodities, but they are a significant component of most investment portfolios. Bonds are traded in huge volumes every day, but their full usefulness is often underappreciated and underestimated. Why invest in bonds? Bonds can help diversify your … [Read more...]