MoneyLetter Blog
The latest insights on the economy and the markets, investment strategies, and retirement
What the 2024 Tax Brackets Mean for Your Money
What the 2024 Tax Brackets Mean for Your Money: Tax brackets play a significant role in determining your tax bill. As your taxable income moves up this ladder, each layer gets taxed at progressively higher rates. How do Tax Brackets Work? A single person with $140,000...
How to Invest in Municipal Bonds
How to Invest in Municipal Bonds: Municipal bonds—or muni bonds—are fixed-income securities issued by local or state governments to fund public projects. When planning your investment portfolio, municipal bonds are one way to add tax efficiency to the mix. Here’s what...
5 Tips to Create a Budget in 2024
5 Tips to Create a Budget in 2024: As we step into a new year, we all have New Year’s resolutions to follow, so why not add "create a 2024 budget" to the list? In 2024, staying on top of your budget is not just about saving money; it's about securing your financial...
Do You Plan To Work After 65?
Do You Plan To Work After 65? More Americans Are Delaying Retirement. There is an increasing trend of older workers remaining in the labor force. A Pew Research study this month found that the number of working Americans ages 65 and older has nearly doubled in 35...
What Issues Should I Consider When Reviewing My RMD?
Reviewing your Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) is an important task, especially if you have retirement accounts like a Traditional IRA or a 401(k). Failing to take the correct RMD amount can result in penalties. Here are some issues to consider when reviewing your...
How Do Interest Rates Affect the Stock Market?
Generally, interest rates and the stock market have an inverse relationship. When interest rates rise, share prices fall. Bonds become more attractive. When interest rates rise, it can make borrowing money for a company more expensive, which means they have less money...
Important Financial Dates of 2024
In 2024, there are several important financial dates that individuals, businesses, and investors should be aware of to effectively plan for the year ahead. These dates play an important role in taxation, financial reporting, and investment decisions. Here are some key...
What Is Asset Allocation and Why Is It Important?
Asset allocation is how investors divide their portfolios among different assets that might include equities, fixed-income assets, and cash and its equivalents. Investors ordinarily aim to balance risks and rewards based on financial goals, risk tolerance, and the...
Looking to Retire in Five Years?
If you are looking to retire in five years, now may be a suitable time to do a realistic retirement-needs analysis. The last five years before retirement may be a significant period, at least in terms of retirement preparation. This is because you must assess whether...
How Does a Recession Affect Retirement? 4 Ways to Prepare
Talk of a US recession has been on the rise as Wall Street investors continue to speculate on the potential risk factors of a struggling economy. Here's how you can prepare for a recession if you are retired. How Does a Recession Affect a Retired Person? After...
Risk Reduction Ideas for Today’s Higher Interest Rate World
Picking the right asset allocation was relatively easy for investors over most of the last 14 years. Since the end of the Great Financial Crisis in 2009, and with the fed funds rate sitting between zero and 2.5 percent, it’s been stocks, stocks, and more stocks. But...
10 Estate Planning Considerations
It’s easy to put off…no one likes to think about death or how things will be when you’re gone. But comprehensive estate planning is essential when it comes to arranging and distributing your assets after you pass. The peace of mind that comes to you when you know your...
Stock and Bond Volatility Highlights Value of Dollar Cost Averaging
Both stocks and bonds have been volatile over the course of this year. Throughout this period MoneyLetter’s advice has been to stay calm, stay the course, and if you have investable cash to invest it for the long term. Over the years we have suggested dollar cost...
Why Bonds Are Still Essential Investments
Give the stock market half a chance and it will dominate the financial headlines. That was certainly the case for the month of July, with the S&P 500 powering upward and bonds barely treading water. But August has been different, with the stock market hitting a...
Disney Gets Into Gambling With ESPN. Why Investors Could Hit the Jackpot.
Congratulations if you’re the winner of the Mega Millions jackpot, that’s a nice chunk of change. The bad news is that $1.6 billion doesn’t go as far as it used to. Time to think about how to invest your windfall. If you still see gambling as a winner, consider buying...
To Retire Someday, When’s The Right Time To Start Investing?
With constantly changing regulations, a market that seems to be continuously in flux, and inflation driving costs up across the board, it can be hard to know when and if you should start investing your money. So how do you know when you should start? When you’re able...
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