A recent survey of women and married couples revealed that the vast majority of women are still abdicating their participation in financial decision making. The interviews, with investors who had at least a quarter of a million dollars in assets, shed some light on how women perceived their roles when it comes to family finances.
Read MoreAs people begin to accumulate wealth, they may find themselves needing financial advice to help grow their portfolio. After you have been working for years and perhaps have more than $250,000, seeking advice on a financial strategy may be beneficial.
Read MoreOne question we often get at River Wealth Advisors from our clients is how they can help their adult children jump-start their retirement savings. The answer that applies to everyone is “get started now”; no matter how small, your savings will add up over time. Don’t underestimate the power
of compounding returns.
Participating in a company-sponsored retirement plan is a smart move when planning for your retirement, but simply signing up is not enough to ensure that you will be able to retire comfortably when the time comes.
Read MoreWhether you’re ready or not, the end of the year is quickly approaching. Now is the perfect time for investors to review their portfolios to take care of any year end items and align investment goals with any upcoming life changes. The first thing you want to take a look at is to make sure that you have maximized contributions to your 401(k), IRA, Roth IRA, or other retirement plans.
Read MoreA generation ago, a much smaller number of American high school students planned on attending college in the future. Today, nearly 70% of high school graduates are enrolling in college. The increase in the number of students attending college, along with skyrocketing tuition costs, has left many families financially unprepared for higher education.
Read MoreFinancial planning for families with special needs can be difficult. Recently, Pennsylvania launched their Achieving a Better Life Experience (PA ABLE) account to help family and friends save tax-free for an individual with qualified disabilities. Disabled individuals can benefit while still maintaining government benefits.
Read MoreMost investors realize that bonds should be included in their portfolio to help diversify their investments. Unfortunately, that is often the extent of their understanding of how bonds function and the role they play in a well-diversified portfolio. This overview on bonds will help explain the basics.
Read MoreWe have all read numerous investment articles lately that talked about the advantages of being “balanced.” Now that so many folks finally see the light, they are faced with deciding whether now is the right time for bonds; what type of bonds they should add to their portfolios; and if they do buy bonds, how do they go about it?
Read MoreTaking advantage of QCDs over the years has been a bit of a roller coaster ride for taxpayers because Congress would repeatedly repeal and then later reinstate the provision. To resolve this dilemma and encourage charitable giving, President Obama signed legislation in 2015 that made QCDs permanent.
Read MoreIn bond investing, interest rate risk is often the risk individual Investors either overlook or underestimate. Interest rate risk, simply put, is the risk that market interest rates will change in a way that has a negative impact on a portfolio’s value, or the Investor’s ability to reinvest portfolio cash flow at an attractive yield.
Read MoreMajor life changes, like retirement or landing a new job can be a big adjustment. Not to mention all the financial considerations that must be managed during these transitions. One major financial decision is whether or not to rollover your employer-sponsored retirement plan. If you decide to rollover your existing plan, there are things you should consider.
Read MoreNow that the major party conventions are behind us, investors are contemplating the implications of this year’s presidential election may have on financial markets. While there have been numerous empirical studies of stock market performance around elections, the only prediction that has proven to be statistically dependable, is that the market strengthens in the last two years of an incumbent’s term.
Read MoreIn order to keep pace with changes in your life, your financial plan should function as a “living” document. As your life goals and aspirations evolve, your financial plan needs to be adapted to support those modifications.
The New Year is an ideal time to evaluate, and if necessary, update
your plan.
Most post retirement costs can be accurately predicted, but some retirees get tripped up by unexpected healthcare costs. Understanding which healthcare costs will be covered by Medicare and what will have to be paid out-of-pocket can make the difference between a secure retirement and one fraught with financial woes.
Read MoreDepending on your relationship with the companies, the announcement of a corporate merger or acquisition can have a number of implications. In every corporate merger or acquisition there are both beneficial and detrimental implications for key stakeholders.
Read MoreIs all debt bad? There is both good debt and bad debt and to remain financially healthy, you need to understand and manage the two. It’s virtually impossible in today’s economy to not have debt. To make the distinction between good debt and bad debt you have to know the difference between a “want” and a “need.”
Read MoreUnless you’ve been orbiting the earth in the international space station, you’ve probably heard the latest news about the turbulent global markets. China’s Shanghai Composite Index lost more than 11%, oil prices are continuing to drop and the U.S. stock market has taken a big dip. For the average investor, it’s hard not to panic and make fear-driven decisions.
Read MoreDuring the past three years, the investor’s state of mind has swung from fear to greed, then back to fear again. Despite these changing moods, three core tenets of our economy remain constant: a shrinking world, low rates and easy money and advancing technology.
Read MoreDuring times of economic hardship, it is critical for investors to make good investment decisions and equally critical to choose a financial advisor who can provide knowledgeable and ethical guidance along with sound fiduciary advice. While investors assume that their chosen advisor has their best interest at heart, that unfortunately, may not always be the case.
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