President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden during the final presidential debate at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, on Oct. 22. Jim Watson and Brendan Smialowski | AFP | Getty Images President Donald Trump isn’t the only one who’s “prepaid” his taxes. Millions of other Americans have, as well. At least that’s the

It’s no secret that many people worry whether Social Security will be there for them when they retire. And recent headlines could be stoking those fears. Last week, the Social Security Administration announced the annual cost-of-living adjustment will be 1.3% in 2021. The change will amount to just $20 more per month for a retiree

Mike Kemp | Blend Images | Getty Images Matt Becker opened his financial advisory practice, Mom and Dad Money, not long after he and his wife, Casey, had their first son, Aiden, and struggled with all the financial decisions new parents need to make. “I looked around and I didn’t see a lot of advisors

FatCamera | E+ | Getty Images You may have recently received a new disclosure form, as mandated by federal securities regulators, from your financial advisor. Or, maybe not. And from where some experts stand, that may not be a bad thing. While a broad swath of the nation’s broker-dealers and registered investment advisors — known

Cavan Images | Cavan | Getty Images Things may go green in four states this fall, as voters will decide on legalizing and taxing marijuana. Arizona, Montana, New Jersey and South Dakota all have measures up for a vote to legalize and levy recreational marijuana. Thus far, 11 states have legalized recreational pot: Alaska, California,

sturti | E+ | Getty Images Alfred Abraham has had colon cancer, prostate cancer, open heart surgery and his left eye removed. Yet at 100, he’s still alive and well. Every day, he and his partner Brian eat fruit and salad and go for walks. He and his family were planning a big party to

A student leaves the Thurgood Marshal Elementary school after all Seattle Public Schools were abruptly closed due to coronavirus fears on March 11, 2020 in Seattle, Washington. Schools will be closed for a minimum of two weeks. The system is the largest public school district in Washington State. John Moore/Getty Images Distance learning got off

Jamie Grill | Getty Images I was raised one and two sentences at a time, my father’s clichés serving up life lessons at the kitchen table, after baseball practice or on the way home from school. He didn’t have the patience for long-winded lectures and couldn’t find his voice after biting his tongue at work

The economic crisis caused by the coronavirus outbreak is  anything the world has ever experienced. Unlike the recession in the 1980s, the bond collapse of 1994, the Asian currency crisis or the 2008 subprime mortgage disaster, this is not a financial crisis. It is an economic crisis. And, although financial crises occur with some regularity,

Siriluck Srikumbang / EyeEm Perhaps you are approaching retirement and getting a bit nervous from these wild market swings. It has, after all, been an emotional ride lately, and there are no signs of it letting up soon. You may be thinking: Is it time to “de-risk” your portfolio by dumping stocks and seeking the

The Covid-19 pandemic has revealed how close so many Americans are to severe financial insecurity. Over these past four months, millions of American workers have experienced sudden and unexpected losses of their primary sources of income, either temporarily or, for many, permanently. While stimulus checks and enhanced unemployment benefits have filled in some gaps, they

Our nation is facing unprecedented times, and financial advisors are facing upheaval when their clients need them the most. More than 40 million people have applied for unemployment benefits since early March, while the economic outlook remains grim. The Atlanta Federal Reserve projects that the nation’s gross domestic product during the second quarter will decline

Johannes Eisele/Getty Images The country is in a recession and it’s certainly unclear how long this downturn could last. Chances are that you or someone you know has taken a financial hit because of the sudden downturn. Now, the National Bureau of Economic Research has determined that the U.S. entered into a recession in February.

Just as many U.S. businesses were thrown off their guard by the coronavirus pandemic, so were financial advisory practices. Close to 1.8 million Americans have contracted Covid-19, and more than 100,000 people have perished from the disease, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Lockdowns to minimize spread of the disease have also battered the

This summer, it may become more difficult for investors to determine whether a financial advisor indeed has their best interests at heart. Starting June 30, financial advisors who are affiliated with broker-dealers legally will be required to place clients’ interests first when they give financial advice. This rule, which was handed down by the Securities and

Martin Seay, president of the Financial Planning Association and chair of the Personal Financial Planning Program at Kansas State University. Financial Planning Association The coronavirus pandemic has forced businesses of all kinds to rethink how they work and interact with customers. Financial planning is no different.  Martin Seay, president of the Financial Planning Association, perhaps

For the second time in 12 years, the U.S. economy and financial markets are facing an unexpected crisis of uncertain proportions. While the 2008 financial crisis and the current coronavirus pandemic are very different in character, both have produced extraordinary volatility in financial markets. Both downturns have also presented major challenges for financial advisors as they

Like everybody else in the country, David Yeske is getting a bit stir crazy. For the last eight weeks, the founder of registered investment advisor Yeske Buie has been managing his advisory practice and serving his roughly 500 clients from his home in San Francisco as the coronavirus has spread across the country. Yeske, a certified

In today’s environment, it’s just about unimaginable that someone would turn down a $40,000 forgivable loan. Benjamin Brandt, a certified financial planner and president of Capital City Wealth Management in Bismarck, North Dakota, did just that. He initially applied for the Paycheck Protection Program — a forgivable loan program that’s overseen by Treasury and the

Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, an astounding 53% of the American population felt anxious about personal finances. Undoubtedly, that percentage has grown significantly, with more than 26 million Americans becoming unemployed since then. The statistics are alarming, but it is not time to panic — it’s time to plan. Although many financial plans will need

America is a resilient nation. Americans are optimistic, innovative, forward-looking and compassionate. And when a crisis occurs, America’s best qualities shine through and burn brightly. We are in the midst of an unprecedented health crisis that has caused a momentous disruption to our nation’s and the world’s economy as businesses have been ordered to shut

As small businesses sought emergency federal loans, financial advisors not only assisted clients, but also applied for aid to bolster their practices. The Paycheck Protection Program, the $349 billion small-business loan offering, ran out of money on April 16 after being open for close to two weeks. More than 1.6 million businesses were approved for

It’s obvious we are living in highly uncertain times. Markets are extremely volatile, and monetary and fiscal policies change from day to day. Most clients are extremely anxious, unsure of how the market is going to move and how those moves will impact their portfolios. While financial advisors must continue being proactive – helping clients

Our brains are wired to look for danger and react quickly to an approaching attack; however, this most recent threat is invisible, but no less distressing to our primitive brains. Plummeting stock prices are sending some investors over the edge, leading to irrational behavior that has dire long-term financial repercussions. In his book, “Your Money

For anyone who became accustomed to watching their 401(k) account balance climb higher for years on end, the market’s recent drop and continued volatility may be unnerving if not downright scary. Nevertheless, you shouldn’t let fear cause you do something that could hurt your long-term retirement planning, advisors say.  “The coronavirus is certainly creating a

Photo by Ariel Skelley via Getty Images Markets have been a roller coaster ride in the weeks since the coronavirus pandemic reached the U.S. Most of the country’s financial advisors think we haven’t hit bottom yet, a survey finds. Despite periodic rallies — like Monday’s more than 7% rise of both the Dow Jones and

For decades, financial advisors have counseled clients that they should be able to safely withdraw 4% of their assets each year as a means of providing income, while maintaining an account balance large enough to keep income flowing through retirement. While some of the underlying thinking behind the so-called 4% rule was prudent, it was

JohnnyGreig | E+ | Getty Images We are in a challenging time, facing rapidly evolving information about the coronavirus and the effects on how we work and live. Markets continue to function and are reflecting this constant change, which means greater volatility. Those circumstances don’t make it easy for investors to stay in their seats.

Sophia Bera, CEO and founder of Gen Y Planning. When financial advisor Sophia Bera founded her Austin, Texas-based practice in 2013, she decided to work primarily with millennial clients. Bera, then 29, wanted to help her peers navigate their early careers and the thorny financial issues, such as managing student debt and buying a first

eclipse_images | E+ | Getty Images If you can’t beat the crypto crowd, it might be time to join them, experts say. Virtual currency and its underlying technology, blockchain, are here to stay – and that means both will play some role in investors’ lives. “It’s actually very hard to decouple blockchain and bitcoin,” said