Meet the Greeks: Alpha and Beta As with any purchase, it would be wise to learn as much as you can about a stock or mutual fund before investing. Two measures that you might find helpful are represented by the first and second letters of the Greek alphabet: alpha and beta. Both are used to […]
Be Careful About Cashing Out Since the recession, Americans have been keeping their jobs longer. In 2012, the average tenure for U.S. workers was 4.6 years, up from 3.7 years in 2002.1 Even so, there’s a good chance you may move on to a new job in the not-too-distant future, and when you do you […]
Will College Pay Off? Big Bills Call for Smart Choices The average total cost for one year at a four-year public college surpassed $18,000 in the 2013–2014 academic year, and charges rose to nearly $41,000 at private institutions (costs include tuition, fees, room, and board). A four-year undergraduate education can range from $100,000 to $200,000 […]
Do You Still Need Life Insurance? Older people generally have a better understanding of life insurance than younger people.1 But even if you fully understand the costs and potential benefits of life insurance, you may wonder whether you still need it as you age and your children become self-supporting. Here are some ideas to consider. […]
You Need a Will. What About a Trust? Having a legal will is an essential step to help ensure that your assets are distributed according to your wishes. However, in some cases you may also want to make provisions through a trust. Unlike a will, certain trusts might accomplish goals during your lifetime, provide greater […]
Global Static: Geopolitics and U.S. Markets When a Malaysia Airlines jet crashed over Ukraine on July 17, 2014, due to a suspected missile attack by pro-Russia separatists, the U.S. stock market dropped sharply, with the S&P 500 declining by 1.2%.1 The next day, with no new information regarding the crash, strong corporate earnings caused the […]
Options for Retirement Living At one time, retirement often meant moving to Florida or Arizona. Many retirees still move to warmer climates, but retirement could open the door to a wide range of options. Here are some ideas to help you consider the possibilities. Staying Put In a survey on post-retirement living, 53% of retired […]
When You Can’t Speak for Yourself It’s not pleasant to think about the possibility of having a serious condition that prevents you from making medical and financial decisions for yourself. But it’s better to be prepared and hope it never happens than to put your loved ones in the position of making decisions without knowing […]
U.S. Oil Carries More Weight in the Global Market In mid-September, global oil prices fell to the lowest level in more than two years, despite geopolitical pressures in Russia and the Middle East. The global benchmark for crude oil — Brent —dropped 16% from mid-June highs to less than $98 per barrel.1 More than 11 […]
Smaller Hikes for Medicare Advantage Premiums Almost 16 million Americans — about 30% of all Medicare beneficiaries — are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage Plan.1 If you’re among them, you might see an increase in your 2015 premiums, but you can be thankful that any increase should be less than was originally anticipated. Medicare Advantage […]