Navigating Student Loan Repayment Programs
I had the fortunate / unfortunate experience of attending a seminar on the various repayment programs available to young professionals and the parents of these young professionals with student loan debt. I can summarize it in three words: “What a mess!!” As a financial planner, we are seeing firsthand the impact of the mounting student loan debt
What Happens To My Pension If The Company Goes Bankrupt?
Given the downward spiral that GE has been in over the past year, we have received the same question over and over again from a number of GE employees and retirees: “If GE goes bankrupt, what happens to my pension?” While it's anyone’s guess what the future holds for GE, this is an important question that any employee with a pension should
Volatility, Market Timing, and Long-Term Investing
For many savers, the objective of a retirement account is to accumulate assets while you are working and use those assets to pay for your expenses during retirement. While you are in the accumulation phase, assets are usually invested and hopefully earn a sufficient rate of return to meet your retirement goal. For the majority,
The Stock Market Dropped 800 Points Today. Is This A Warning Sign?
There was a large sell off in the stock market today. The Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq all dropped by over 3% in today’s trading session. After a long bull rally, big drops in the stock market often lead investors to the question: “Is this big drop in the market the beginning of something worse to come?” To answer that question, you have to identify what
How Could The Midterm Elections Impact The Stock Market?
The most common question that I have been asked over the past few weeks is: “If the Republicans lose control of either the House or the Senate in November, what impact do you think that will have on the markets?” How much the stock market may go up or down in the days leading up to or directly after the midterm elections, regardless of the result, is
Target Date Funds: A Public Service Announcement
Before getting into the main objective of this article, let me briefly explain a Target Date Fund. Investopedia defines a target date fund as “a fund offered by an investment company that seeks to grow assets over a specified period of time for a targeted goal”. The specified period of time is typically the period until the date you “target” for retirement
New York May Deviate From The New 529 Rules
When the new tax rules were implemented on January 1, 2018, a popular college savings vehicle that goes by the name of a “529 plan” received a boost. Prior to the new tax rules, 529 plans could only be used to pay for college. The new tax rules allow account owners to withdraw up to $10,000 per year per child for K – 12 public school, private school,
Patience Should Reward Investors In 2018
Bottom line, the first half of 2018 was a tough pill to swallow for investors. They had to fight a constant rollercoaster. Volatility was high, returns were low, and the news was dominated with fears of trade wars. This environment has left investors questioning if we are on the eve of the next recession. Well I have good news. While trade wars have driven
