Now that you’ve seen last year’s tax results and can see where this year is heading, it may be a good time to consider adjustments to your income tax withholding. Getting It Right If you have too much tax withheld,... Read more
The windfall elimination provision (WEP) and the government pension offset (GPO) were intended to correct a perceived unfair advantage in calculating Social Security benefits for people who earned a pension in noncovered employment — i.e., while not paying Social Security... Read more
With tax season in the rearview mirror, this might be a good time to organize your records. Here are some guidelines to help decide what to keep and what to discard. Use a shredder when discarding paper records containing confidential... Read more
During the intensely volatile first 100 trading days of 2022, the stocks of companies in the S&P 500 index delivered their worst performance since 1970.¹ The S&P 500 continued to tumble, and the benchmark index descended into a bear market... Read more
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... Read more
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... Read more
An explosion in the number and variety of streaming services, coupled with the high cost of cable and satellite television packages, might have you wondering whether it’s time to cut the cord. But streaming costs money, too, and you may... Read more
If you get a call or text regarding unclaimed property that may belong to you, it’s probably from scammers trying to collect information about you and your finances. Many people lose track of old accounts or never receive checks mailed... Read more
After dropping the benchmark federal funds rate to a range of 0%–0.25% early in the pandemic, the Federal Open Market Committee of the Federal Reserve has begun raising the rate toward more typical historical levels in response to high inflation... Read more
Homebuyers braving the hot U.S. housing market have run headlong into a striking transition. The average interest rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage jumped from around 3.2% at the beginning of 2022 to 5.3% in mid-May, the highest level since... Read more