Advisors

Monthirayodtiwong | Istock | Getty Images Saving for retirement appears to be taking a backseat to other financial considerations for many Americans right now. Just 17% have made saving for their post-working years their top financial priority for 2022, according to First National Bank of Omaha‘s latest financial wellness survey. This is despite 59% of…

Petar Chernaev | E+ | Getty Images Once the clock strikes midnight on Jan. 1, it’s typically too late for someone to do anything meaningful to reduce their tax bill for the previous year. However, tax season does have a way of getting people thinking about what they can do to limit what they fork…

Tetra Images If you turned age 72 during the second half of 2021, the deadline for your first annual required withdrawal from retirement accounts is April 1. In many cases, it’s the last chance to avoid a hefty penalty. These required minimum distributions, known as RMDs, apply to both traditional and Roth 401(k) plans, 403(b)…

Morsa Images | Digitalvision | Getty Images Health savings accounts eclipsed $100 billion by the end of January, according to Devenir, an HSA investment consultant, as more consumers use the tax-advantaged accounts to save for future health costs. The firm forecasts HSA funds will hit $150 billion by the end of 2024. “The growth is…

David Dee Delgado | Getty Images News | Getty Images The bond market is flashing a warning sign for the U.S. economy. That harbinger is called an “inverted yield curve.” These inversions in the bond market have been reliable predictors of past recessions. Part of the yield curve inverted on Monday. An economic downturn isn’t…

Manusapon Kasosod | Moment | Getty Images Investors for the last two years poured money into environmental, social and corporate governance investment strategies. In 2020, net new assets into ESG funds jumped to $51.1 billion — more than double the year before. And last year, these funds attracted nearly $70 billion in new assets, according…

Getty Images Having an emergency savings fund should be a top goal in order to be able to cushion an unexpected financial blow without going broke, according to experts. Still, many people are falling short. A Bankrate study found just 44% of people are prepared to pay for an unexpected $1,000 expense with cash. More…

The IRS has already issued more than 45 million refunds this year, at an average $3,352 each. That’s over $500 more than last year, when the average refund was just over $2,800. For most Americans, a lump-sum payment of this size is rare and fewer people want to squander it. Now, nearly half — or 46%…

Ridvan_celik | E+ | Getty Images The current stock market, highly volatile and trending lower this year, makes this a daunting time for individual investors seeking to identify companies with reasonable risk and good long-term growth potential. Concerns about overall market performance — as of mid-March, the S&P 500 Index had had the fifth-worst start…

In this article SPGI dowell | Moment | Getty Images If you own an investment fund that’s “actively managed,” odds are that your returns lagged in 2021. Those chances are even worse over a multiyear time frame. Mutual and exchange-traded funds are generally “actively” or “passively” managed. In the former, a fund manager selects the…

Poba | E+ | Getty Images Getting financial advice online is easier than ever before. Even so, many investors are likely to discover that there is no substitute for a human financial advisor. The problem, however, is selecting the right one. One thing an investor should consider is the advisor’s investing acumen. Low-cost funds that…

Bill Oxford | E+ | Getty Images The IRS has issued more than 45 million tax refunds worth almost $152 billion in total, as of March 11, the agency reported Friday. Nearly half of Americans expect refunds this season, according to a Capital One report, providing a needed financial boost for a large percentage of…