How well do you understand your health coverage? In the world of health insurance and, to a lesser extent, Medicare, a single misstep can trigger...
Personal Finances
All Personal Finances Articles
Medicare Advantage vs. Medigap
Should you sign up for a Medigap plan, a Medicare Advantage plan or neither when you become eligible at age 65? Consider these factors… ...
Analysts Worth Listening To
Wall Street analysts wield enormous influence on investors even though most have only mediocre track records—in fact, more than half of their buy ratings generate...
Problem With Gift Cards
Who doesn’t love a gift card? Certainly I do. In fact, for one of my favorite retailers, I have accumulated three over the last year...
Stop Paying Annoying Bank Fees
Banking fees are frustrating…and often unfair. Here’s how to determine your financial institution’s potential charges…and avoid paying them. Request disclosure. Banks are required by the...
Strategies to Simplify Your Money… and Your Life
When we look to improve or alter our financial lives, we instinctively add stuff. The result? An unwieldy mess of too many credit cards, accounts,...
What to Do If Your Pension Plan “De-Risks”
If you have a defined-benefit pension from your employer, you could face a common scenario—your company may decide to offload the hassles of maintaining this...
RMDs in Today’s Bear Market
The bear market is a double dose of bad news for many retirees. Not only has the value of their portfolios plunged, but once they...
Is the 60-40 Portfolio Dead?
For decades, an allocation of 60% stocks and 40% bonds was a winning strategy that provided strong annual returns with ample protection in volatile markets....
Medical Malpractice: How to Protect Yourself and Your Loved Ones
Injury or infection caused by medical treatment is one of the leading causes of death in the US. In fact, most of us will experience...
Take Steps to Lower Your Cell-Phone Bill Now
Even if you don’t keep a close eye on your cell-phone bill, you’ve still probably gotten the sinking feeling that it has increased over time....
The Bond-Fund Meltdown
Bonds are supposed to be steady, reliable, even boring investments—but they’ve created plenty of drama this year. The Bloomberg US Aggregate bond index plunged 6%...
