Probate is the process of proving the validity of a will and supervising the administration of an estate usually in the probate court. State law governs the proceedings in the probate court, so the process can vary from state to state. Supervising the administration of an estate can result in additional expense, unwanted publicity, and delays in the distribution of estate assets for a year or longer, which is why planning to avoid the probate process may be beneficial. There are several ways … [Read more...]
Food Inflation: What’s Behind It and How to Cope
As measured by the Consumer Price Index for food at home, grocery prices increased 3.4% in 2020, a faster rate than the 20-year historical average of 2.4%.1 More recently, food inflation accelerated by 6.5% during the 12 months ending in December 2021, while prices for the category that includes meat, poultry, fish, and eggs spiked 12.5%.2 Food prices have long been prone to volatility, in part because the crops grown to feed people and livestock are vulnerable to pests and … [Read more...]
What’s Your Retirement Dream Elevator Pitch?
Imagine stepping into an elevator and realizing that you're about to spend the 30-second ride with someone who could make your retirement dreams come true — if only you could explain them before the doors open again. How would you summarize your financial situation, outlook, aspirations, and plans if you had 30 seconds to make an "elevator pitch" about achieving one of your most important goals? Answering that question — and formulating your own unique retirement dream elevator pitch — could … [Read more...]
Closing the Social Security Funding Gap
According to the 2021 Social Security Trustees Report, the reserves that help fund Social Security retirement and disability benefits will be depleted in 2034, one year earlier than last year's projection due to the pandemic. At that time, the program will be able to pay only 78% of scheduled benefits. Numerous bills have been introduced to address the shortfall, but lawmakers have stalled because potential fixes require increased taxes and/or benefit reductions. The chart below shows the … [Read more...]
Key Retirement and Tax Numbers for 2022
Every year, the Internal Revenue Service announces cost-of-living adjustments that affect contribution limits for retirement plans and various tax deduction, exclusion, exemption, and threshold amounts. Here are a few of the key adjustments for 2022. Estate, Gift, and Generation-Skipping Transfer Tax The annual gift tax exclusion (and annual generation-skipping transfer tax exclusion) for 2022 is $16,000, up from $15,000 in 2021. The gift and estate tax basic exclusion amount (and … [Read more...]
ETFs Are Gaining on Mutual Funds: Here’s Why
Investor demand for exchange-traded funds (ETFs) has increased over the last decade due to some attractive features that set them apart from mutual funds. In December 2021, almost $7.2 trillion was invested in more than 2,500 ETFs. This is equivalent to 27% of the assets invested in mutual funds, up from just 9% in 2011.1 Fund Meets Stock Like a mutual fund, an ETF is a portfolio of securities assembled by an investment company. Mutual fund shares are typically purchased from and sold back to … [Read more...]
Inflation Cuts into Wage Gains
Driven by labor shortages, median hourly wages increased at an annual rate of 5.2% in December 2021, the highest level since June 2001. However, inflation cuts into buying power, and real wages — adjusted for inflation — actually dropped as inflation spiked in 2021. By contrast, negative inflation (deflation) during the Great Recession sent real wages skyrocketing temporarily even as non-adjusted wage growth declined. Sources: Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, 2022, and U.S. Bureau of … [Read more...]
When Two Goals Collide: Balancing College and Retirement Preparations
You've been doing the right thing financially for many years, saving for your child's education and your own retirement. Yet now, as both goals loom in the years ahead, you may wonder what else you can do to help your child (or children) receive a quality education without compromising your own retirement goals. Knowledge Is Power Start by reviewing the financial aid process and understanding how financial need is calculated. Colleges and the federal government use different formulas to … [Read more...]
New Businesses May Be Good News for the Economy
After taking a nosedive at the start of the pandemic recession (gold shaded area), business applications rose sharply, peaking in July 2020. Applications have fallen somewhat since then but are still up approximately 84% from their April 2020 low. Businesses that are likely to hire employees — called high-propensity businesses — make up approximately one-third of total applications. Businesses with payroll are considered more likely to power job growth and economic recovery. Source: U.S. … [Read more...]
How to Correct an Error on Your Credit Report
According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), credit report errors more than doubled during the coronavirus pandemic. In addition, the CFPB found that many pandemic protections which were designed to help consumers, such as loan forbearance periods on federal student loans and federally backed mortgages, ended up negatively impacting their credit reports as a result of complications such as processing delays and suspended payments being marked incorrectly. 1 This is a significant … [Read more...]
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