Advisors

andresr/Getty Images As demand surges for sustainable funds, it may be difficult for some consumers to identify what to add to their portfolios.  Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Gary Gensler shifted his focus to environmental, social and governance investing, known as ESG, in a recent statement. His team will explore climate- and workplace-related metrics, along

Virojt Changyencham | Moment | Getty Images Stocks took a steep dive on Monday amid fears that the coronavirus pandemic will be hard to pull out of. The Dow Jones Industrial Average shed more than 700 points by mid-day. The S&P 500 is down 1.9%, and the Nasdaq Composite has lost 1.6%. Despite the uncertain

Whether transitory or not, inflation has investors rattled. “Many clients have brought up inflation as a concern,” said Jimmy Lee, the CEO of Wealth Consulting Group in Las Vegas. “They’re hearing it all over the place.” Inflation last month accelerated at its fastest pace in 13 years. The consumer price index rose nearly 1% in June,

Scott Olson | Getty Images Inflation surged more in June than it has in more than 10 years, and the news has investors worried. That’s because rising prices can erode a portfolio’s profit. Most simply, as the cost of living swells, your returns don’t go as far. That’s a particularly tough challenge for retirees, who

Pascal Broze | ONOKY | Getty Images Rising inflation has startled many retirees, who now worry about outliving their savings. The consumer price index for June, measuring the cost of food, gasoline, housing, utilities and other goods, increased by 0.9%, the largest one-month change since June 2008, according to the Labor Department. Although Federal Reserve

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

Yuriko Nakao | Getty Images When it comes to investing in the new and highly volatile asset class of cryptocurrencies, most financial advisors have at least one piece of wisdom: Don’t put in more than you can afford to lose. But while that rule of thumb is helpful, it’s pretty general. And so advisors are

Jose Luis Pelaez | Getty Images Investors who want to capitalize on emerging trends — i.e., electric vehicles or remote work — may want to check out “thematic” exchange-traded funds. These ETFs provide a way for investors to engage in so-called thematic investing, which generally means buying stocks or other investments that may benefit from

LaylaBird There could be one more big bump in the road as the economy recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic: a market correction. Moody’s Analytics economist Mark Zandi is warning there may be a 10% to 20% pullback in the markets prompted by the Federal Reserve’s current policies. In fact, the dip may have already started,

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

Commemorative dogecoins on display in Yichang, China on May 14, 2021. Barcroft Media | Barcroft Media | Getty Images When my clients ask about dogecoin, many say they are intrigued about the potential investment because of the news and excitement around it. As the conversation gets more serious about investing in cryptocurrency, I ask why

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

President Joe Biden attends the Democratic National Committee’s “Back on Track” drive-in car rally to celebrate his 100th day in office at the Infinite Energy Center in Duluth, Georgia, April 29, 2021. Evelyn Hockstein | Reuters People who earn more than $400,000 would be subject to the 3.8% Medicare tax, if President Joe Biden’s new

President Biden delivers remarks on the COVID-19 response and the state of vaccinations at the South Court Auditorium of Eisenhower Executive Office Building on April 21, 2021 in Washington. Alex Wong | Getty Images As home prices soar, some sellers in red-hot markets may face a costly surprise come tax time. President Joe Biden will

As part of a massive new spending package, President Joe Biden is calling on Congress to enact legislation to allow students to enroll in community college at no cost. The administration’s American Families Plan calls for $109 billion to make two years of community college free for all students in addition to a roughly $85-billion

A Social Security Administration office in San Francisco. Getty Images It’s no secret the funds Social Security uses to pay benefits are running low. New proposals on Capitol Hill aim to fix the program’s solvency. Just how dramatic those changes will need to be depends on how soon changes are put through. Likewise, people who

The Good Brigade | DigitalVision | Getty Images Confidence in Social Security and Medicare hit all-time highs among both workers and retirees, a sentiment somewhat defiant of a Covid pandemic that ravaged the U.S. economy and household finances of many Americans. About 72% of retirees and 53% of workers are somewhat or very confident that

kate_sept2004 | E+ | Getty Images A sixth batch of $1,400 stimulus checks has gone out, bringing the total number of payments sent to date to about 161 million. More than $379 billion has been sent to Americans via direct payments since distribution began in March. The latest set includes around 2 million checks worth

Paige Santillo worries about not being able to pay for her medication without health insurance. Source: Paige Santillo The help from the government seemed to come just in time for Paige Santillo. Due to the pandemic, Santillo had been laid off from her job as a marketing manager at the publishing company Informa in October.