Advisors

Rolf Bruderer | Tetra images | Getty Images The greatest wealth transfer in history is underway, and taxes may take a bite from inheritances without proper estate planning, financial advisors say. It’s estimated that nearly 45 million U.S. households will transfer more than $68 trillion over the next 25 years, according to Cerulli Associates. Baby

In this article MS Thomas Barwick When it comes to gender or racial diversity, the wealth management industry falls woefully short. Just about 23% of certified financial planners were female as of 2020, while less than 4% were Black or Latino, according to the CFP Board, which certifies planners. Executives from Morgan Stanley and Northwestern

Hero Images | Getty Images Many investors already know about the tax benefits of municipal bonds — also known as muni bonds or “munis.” Now these assets have also become popular among those who want to have an impact on climate and social change. In addition to tax savings and relatively low risk, muni bonds

boonchai wedmakawand | Moment | Getty Images While it’s not guaranteed that taxes are going up for wealthy Americans, it does look likely. To help fund the American Families Plan, the Biden Administration has proposed increasing capital gains taxes to 43.4%, including the net investment income surtax of 3.8%, from 23.8% for those who are

Ariel Skelley | DigitalVision | Getty Many consider 529 college savings plans to be for education, but these accounts also offer a flexible way to transfer wealth.  There’s currently an estate tax exemption of $11.7 million per person. Although President Joe Biden campaigned on slashing the write-off to $3.5 million, it hasn’t been part of

Thomas M. Barwick | Getty Images As investors become more interested in cryptocurrencies, financial advisors are feeling a new urgency to offer the investments to clients. About 49% of advisors said clients have asked about cryptocurrencies in the past six months, up from 17% in 2020, according to the Financial Planning Association and the Journal

urbazon | E+ | Getty Images It’s one of those debates that rarely seems to have a clear-cut winner: Should retirees pay off their mortgage or continue making those monthly payments? The answer — probably somewhat annoyingly — is that it depends. Of course, there are a couple of immediate benefits to paying off a

Kelvin Murray | Getty Images It’s no secret that the Covid-19 pandemic has hurt workers of all ages. Yet when it comes to older workers — those ages 50 to 62 and up — some may have fared worse than they did during the Great Recession, according to recent research from the Center for Retirement

Cars line up to pick up food boxes at the Athens County Fairgrounds in Athens, Ohio, on Dec. 19, 2020. BRAD LEE | AFP | Getty Images The U.S. economy is on the mend. But the unequal — or K-shaped — nature of the recovery persists. Economic activity is on pace to return to pre-pandemic

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal. Matt Stone | Boston Herald | Getty Images The House Ways and Means Committee is poised to consider a bill on Wednesday that would make changes to how U.S. workers save for retirement. The measure, known as the Securing a Strong Retirement Act of 2021, comes less

Tetra Images | Getty Images Tax refunds on 2020 unemployment benefits are slated to start this month. But some taxpayers — namely, single filers — will get the money sooner than others. It may be summer before other groups, such as married couples and those with complex tax returns, get their refunds, according to the

Bill and Melinda Gates Frederic Stevens | Getty Images Sure, you likely have nowhere near the wealth held by divorcing couple Bill and Melinda Gates. Yet when it comes to protecting your assets ahead of marriage, that doesn’t particularly matter, experts say. If you plan to wed, it may be worth determining how you and

Delmaine Donson | E+ | Getty Images A new set of $1,400 stimulus checks has been sent, bringing the total number of payments issued to 164 million, or about $386 billion. About 1.1 million payments were sent this time, representing more than $2 billion. About 600,000 of those payments were made using direct deposit, while

Aimstock | Getty Images If you receive Social Security or Supplemental Security Income benefits and are still waiting on a stimulus check, you should file a tax return as soon as possible in order to get your money, the Social Security Administration said. The announcement pertains to the first $1,200 and second $600 economic impact

Tara Moore | Getty Images Social Security beneficiaries could be in for a bigger cost-of-living adjustment next year, if current economic trends continue. But just how much farther an increase to those monthly benefit checks will go will depend a lot on inflation. The Senior Citizens League, a nonpartisan senior group, released its first official

In this article MBAYX Caiaimage/Robert Daly | Getty Images Chances are that deciding when to claim Social Security likely will be one of the biggest retirement choices you will ever make. Yet a recent survey from MassMutual found that many pre-retirees are getting key facts about the program’s rules wrong — and just one mistake

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.