Did you know that any child who has earnings from a part-time job is eligible to have a Roth IRA, even though they are not yet an adult? Establishing a Roth IRA on behalf of a child, funded either from your child’s direct savings or gifts from you, presents a unique opportunity to take advantage of the outstanding benefits of the Roth IRA savings vehicle.
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As all 50 states begin to reopen during COVID-19, millions of people in the workforce face a new dilemma. Are they ready to return to work, balancing their finances and their health? If you’re able to work from home then your decision is easy, but not everyone is as fortunate. Before deciding whether to head back to the office, take early retirement, or resign, consider the following key factors to assess your physical and financial health.
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If you have a long term care insurance policy, you know the premiums are expensive and you want assurance that the policy will pay in the terms you envision should you ever need it. Unfortunately, one simple oversight can jeopardize the integrity of your policy: missing a premium payment. Just one missed payment runs the risk of your long term care policy lapsing. Here we discuss easy to establish but essential back up measures to put in place now to protect your policy.
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Stocks have staged quite a recovery since their depths in late March. In fact, the upside was so swift that a bull market recovery started within one week’s time. While stocks have had ups and downs since late March, they’ve generally been moving higher, which is somewhat surprising with so much of the world in lockdown, businesses closed and unemployment soaring. We take a look at why stocks are staging a bull market in a bear market environment.
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When it comes to estate planning, it’s easy to opt for the fastest, simplest and cheapest path forward. Sometimes that includes using transfer on death (TOD) or payable on death (POD) account registrations to avoid probate and other expenses. However, there are some major pitfalls to this account registration strategy. We review the pros and cons of transfer on death accounts.
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Teaching your kids the fundamentals of investing can seem like a daunting project during times of economic stability. Factor in the extreme market volatility we’ve seen during the COVID-19 pandemic, and even the basic tenet of “buy low, sell high” becomes complicated to explain. Our sister site, SageVest Kids, offers an age-appropriate guide to help children understand the principles of the market and how to make sound investment strategies now and in the future.
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If you are what Social Security considers a “higher-income beneficiary,” you pay more for Medicare Part B, the health insurance portion of Medicare, and Part D, prescription drug coverage. The Social Security Administration (SSA) uses the most recent Federal tax return provided by the IRS to make this determination, but that might reflect your income from two years prior. If you have experienced a life-changing event that has caused an income decrease, you can request that Social Security revisit its decision.
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It’s hard to find much good news during the coronavirus, but refinancing your mortgage during COVID-19 could help you save money long-term. Interest rates have plummeted, taking mortgage rates along with them. As a result, it might be advantageous to compare your existing mortgage to current rates to determine if refinancing your mortgage would be a smart financial move. We discuss the main points you should consider, during all times, as well as during COVID-19.
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SageVest Wealth Management’s latest quarterly commentary is now available. Highlights include:
The coronavirus has dramatically disrupted our economy and society in a matter of a few short weeks. While it’s hard to find something positive in all of the tragic headlines, we think it’s important to recognize that public and private sectors have put forth a massive level of support in a very short time. More assistance is likely on the way, but here’s what you need to know now if you’re affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19), whether you’re an employee, an employer or retired.
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