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Setting Investment Goals, Understanding Bonds, and Managing Good Debt – Fall 2026 Financial Success Newsletter
Capital Appreciation Capital appreciation is an objective for long-term growth. If retirement savings is one of your goals, the strategy would most likely involve a qualified retirement plan. There, your investments have many years to work. This objective isn’t limited to retirement plans. It can also mean building wealth over many years. With a capital…
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Estate Planning, College Costs, 401(k) Growth, and Retirement Fears – Summer 2026 Financial Success Newsletter
Remarriage brings its own complexities. Without a prenuptial agreement, your current spouse may have legal claim to up to half your estate. Trusts such as a marital trust, QTIP, or irrevocable life insurance trust can provide income for a surviving spouse while preserving assets for your children. Parents of a child with special needs face…
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How Investors Can Review Portfolio Performance and Protect Their Finances
One important distinction to be aware of is how returns are calculated. Investment returns are often reported on a time-weighted basis, which measures performance relative to when you first invested. This method does not account for the timing of additional deposits or withdrawals. A dollar-weighted return, on the other hand, measures the investment return based…
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Social Security and Medicare Face Financial Challenges
How Social Security and Medicare will be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic is still uncertain; the Trustees acknowledge that the estimates and analysis included in the reports do not reflect the potential effects. Social Security Trust Funds The Social Security program consists of two parts, each with its own financial account (trust fund) that holds…
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Yes, Unemployment Benefits Are Taxable
The number of unemployed workers spiked above 22 million in March 2020, and more than 9 million people were still out of work at the end of the year. 1 Both relief bills expanded unemployment benefits and provided them to many workers who normally are not eligible (including the self-employed, independent contractors, and part-time workers).…
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Student Loan Relief Extended Through September 30, 2021
Collections on defaulted loans will also be halted, and borrowers with defaulted loans whose employers continue to garnish their wages will receive a refund of those garnishments. The extension for student loan borrowers is automatic. Borrowers will be notified of the extension throughout the fall and can expect to see the extension reflected in their…
