Here’s our latest collection of interesting articles on investing, personal finance, and stewardship.
Grab a cup of hot cocoa and enjoy!
The Secure Act killed the stretch IRA — here are alternatives for your inheritance (MarketWatch). The new law didn’t "kill" the stretch IRA, but it did tighten the rules re: who is eligible. If you’re looking for alternative approaches, here are a few ideas.
Corporate America has a 1%, too, more influential than ever (Associated Press). By market value, the five biggest U.S. stocks — Microsoft, Apple, Alphabet (Google), Amazon, and Facebook — now account for nearly 18% of the S&P 500 index.
Social Security: Where do the 2020 candidates stand? (New York Times). As recently as 2010, some Democrats were willing to embrace the idea of reining-in SS benefits as a means of shoring up the program’s finances. Now, the call is for expansion of benefits — and higher taxes to fund them.
What is a sinking fund? (MintLife). "Sinking" is a good thing in this case.
Survey says consumers love their tax refunds (news release via Yahoo Finance). Go figure. Nearly two-thirds (63%) of those surveyed said they’d rather get an income-tax refund than get bigger paychecks throughout the year.
And from the bloggers and pundits...
Now never feels like the right time to invest (Ashby Daniels, Retirement Field Guide). Especially when you’re investing a lump sum.
A spousal IRA may be the best gift you can give your non-working husband or wife (Sarah Holden, MarketWatch). If you’re the sole breadwinner, you can use your earnings to contribute to either a traditional or Roth IRA for your spouse.
Great to gone (Jonathan Clements, Humble Dollar). Why do great family fortunes rarely last more than a few generations?
Holding on to a job after age 50 isn’t always easy (Mark Hulbert, MarketWatch). More here on a study mentioned in our January newsletter article, Unplanned Early Retirement – It’s More Common Than You Might Think.
Paying taxes with the right attitude (Michael Blue, MoneyWise). This is from last year’s tax season, but the principles remain the same.
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