There’s no denying that Americans are in love with their credit cards; but increasingly, the romance is rocked by the actions of unsavory characters seeking to come between them. More specifically, they’re seeking to steal your credit card information and they are relentless in pursuing any and all technological means to get it. They will go after the big, “secure” data bases of our banks and credit card processers, and they will go inside your...
At a certain age, you are allowed to boost your yearly retirement account contributions. For example, you can direct an extra $1,000 per year into a Roth or traditional IRA starting in the year you turn 50. 1 Your initial reaction to that may be: “So what? What will an extra $1,000 a year in retirement savings really do for me?” That reaction is understandable, but consider also that you can contribute an extra $6,000...
For anyone who has dealt with an aging parent or grandparent the concept of long term care is likely a familiar one. Those unfortunate enough to suffer from Alzheimer’s or other cognitive illness can end up requiring nursing care that can reach and exceed $80,000 per-year depending on the quality of care. With modern medicine it’s entirely possible to live 10+ years after the diagnosis of a permanently disabling illness, meaning that a protracted period...
With the proliferation of investment and personal finance websites, investors have access to a boundless number resources and tools once only available to financial professionals. And, while an increasing number of investors consider themselves to be at least somewhat self-directed in their investment decisions, the ever expanding world of investments and the increasing complexity of the financial markets require much more than a part-time approach to planning. With so much at stake, it would be...
An increasing number of Americans are facing an uphill battle just trying to save enough and earn enough on their savings to be able to retire on time. Carrying much higher debt burdens than previous generations, many pre-retirees have had to put their savings on the back burner to focus on debt reduction, which, for practical purposes is smart, but it is also the primary reason why some will need to delay retirement or drastically...
