Nearly every American worker depends on Social Security (SS) for some or all of their income in retirement. In fact, more than 48 million Americans currently receive Social Security retirement benefits. But the Social Security Administration (SSA) also provides both a one-time death benefit as well as ongoing monthly survivors benefits (also known as ‘widows benefits’) for […]
A fixed index annuity is an insurance product that allows your savings to grow in a tax-deferred manner. The key differentiator of a fixed index annuity from other types of annuities is that the growth of your savings is linked to a stock market index, while your downside is limited. Annuities are used in two phases: an accumulation […]
Investors over the age of 50 are constantly being pitched on the virtues of tax deferred annuities. In this post, we’ll look at some concrete numbers to figure out when tax deferral actually makes sense for many investors and savers. We’ll identify cases where it may make sense and cases where it doesn’t. Next time […]
Every year consumers put over 300 billion dollars of their savings into annuities. While annuities can provide specific guarantees that are unavailable elsewhere, part of what consumers don’t like about them are their surrender charges. A surrender charge is what a consumer with an annuity has to pay if they want to withdraw their money early. […]
If you’re just starting to dip your feet into the waters of investing, you may know that bonds are one of the options available for growing your wealth. But what are bonds, exactly? In this guide, you’ll find out the answer to that question—along with which specific type of bond might be right for you, […]
“Bitcoin” and “responsible investing” are two terms that are almost never used together. In this post we are going to do what may appear impossible on first glance: show you how to buy bitcoin in a way that you benefit from its price appreciation, but can’t lose money. This approach makes sense for certain situations. […]
The options market believes there is a 15% chance that the S&P 500 will be 10% lower than its current price at year end. This marks an increase in the odds of a large stock market correction from a month ago. The market for S&P 500 options is a large and liquid market that traders […]
Tax season is upon us. But before you pull out that old box of receipts and get to work, you might want to look into whether tax deferral could save you money, in addition to buying a little extra time. Tax deferred accounts allows you to not pay taxes on your gains in an investment […]
If you’re reading this, you’re most likely interested in putting your money to work in the market. But maybe you’re also the kind of person who feels like the market is a little bit too risky for comfort. Luckily, there’s a solution for you. Creating a portfolio that never loses money and participates in some market upside may sound […]
Certificates of Deposit (CDs) are a low-risk option for those who want to get more out of their savings. In this guide we will answer the following questions: What is a CD? How does a CD work? How are CDs taxed? What is CD laddering? What kinds of CDs are there? What are the pros […]