In its annual Retirement Confidence Survey of current workers and retirees, the Employee Benefit Research Institute found that workers’ confidence in their ability to fund retirement fell by the largest extent since the financial crisis of 2008, to levels not seen since 2018. Retirees’ confidence also took a substantial hit. Overall, just 20% of respondents felt very confident they will be able to afford a comfortable retirement. The percentage of workers who felt at least somewhat confident in their ability to afford retirement plummeted nine percentage points, from 73% in 2022 to just 64% in 2023. For retirees, the drop ...

Vowing to eat better or exercise more in the months ahead is a popular New Year’s resolution. But did you know that taking steps to improve your health can also save you money this year and long into the future? To benefit both your body and your bank account, follow these simple suggestions. Consult a doctor Finding a physician you trust is crucial to ensuring not just your future health but also your financial well-being. If you were to become ill or get injured, you could face personal and financial costs for things like treatment and time away from work. ...

Understanding the importance of life insurance is one thing. Understanding the tax rules is quite another. As insurance products have evolved and become more sophisticated, the line separating insurance vehicles from investment vehicles has grown blurry. To differentiate between the two, a mix of complex rules and exceptions now governs the taxation of insurance products. If you have neither the time nor the inclination to decipher the IRS regulations, here are some life insurance tax tips and background information to help you make sense of it all. Life insurance contracts must meet IRS requirements For federal income tax purposes, an ...

Financial markets lived up to their reputation during the month of August, which has a record for being difficult. On the first day of August, markets had to contend with a downgrade of U.S. long-term debt by the rating agency, Fitch. They attributed the adjustment to the “expected fiscal deterioration over the next three years, a high and growing general debt burden, and the erosion of governance.” Many financial leaders characterized the downgrade as “ridiculous,” but the stock and bond markets still felt the effects. Another setback for markets came from Moody’s, an important credit agency. They issued a credit ...