Everybody should have a power of attorney—that is, a legal document that gives a designated individual the right to act on their behalf when making financial decisions. The power of attorney is most often used by adult children to make decisions on behalf of aging parents when they are no longer capable of making sound […]
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Do plants respond to your touch? Do they feel or enjoy music or your singing voice? The answers, according to new research conducted at the University of Western Australia, are yes and no. Lead researcher Olivier Van Aken says that plants rapidly respond when you pinch a flower, step on them or just brush by […]
The number of Americans in or nearing retirement who are still holding significant mortgage, auto, even student loan debt has been rising in recent years. According to recent data released by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the average 65-year-old borrower has 47% more mortgage debt and 29% more auto debt than 65-year-olds had […]
Several years ago, Jack’s father died. Jack grieved not only for his father’s passing, but also for his widowed mother who had been married to Jack’s father for 35 years. In due course, Jack’s mother remarried. However, when she eventually passed away, Jack suffered a double loss: Jack not only lost his mother, but also […]
By now most Americans who are saving and investing to pay for college costs have probably heard that so-called 529 college savings plans allow tax-free distributions for qualified education expenses, potentially making them even more attractive and effective than in the past, when they were only tax deferred. Add that tax benefit to other benefits […]
Tracking the performance of your investments can get confusing, due to the various ways of calculating returns. Whether you prefer to use a calculator or spreadsheet software, the following discussion will help you use and calculate common measurements of investment performance to truly judge your investment results. Determining Rate of Return Probably the most basic […]
One of the attractions of leasing a car is that it generally requires a much smaller upfront outlay of cash compared to what purchasing a car might require. This preference to minimize an upfront cash payment may mean that some individuals may also roll into the lease payment other associated costs, including the capital-reduction amount […]
Yesterday’s vote by the British electorate to end its 43-year membership in the European Union seems to have taken just about everybody by surprise, but the aftermath could not have been more predictable. The uncertainty of how, exactly, Europe and Britain will manage a complex divorce over the coming decade sent global markets reeling. London’s […]
The trend toward online investing and advisory services, also known as robo-investing and robo-advice is gaining momentum, but industry participants are struggling to get a handle on how retail investors view and/or use robo-services to conduct their financial affairs. Studies Abound Recent research conducted by major asset management firms has gleaned insight, yet often their […]
The number of Americans covered by high-deductible health plans (HDHPs)/health savings accounts (HSAs) rose to about 19.7 million in 2015 — up from 17.4 million in 2014. On average, enrollment in HDHPs/HSAs has risen nearly 22% over the past two years.1 If you are new to HSAs and eager to take advantage of all the […]