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Dealing With the Risks of Investing

Investment risk comes in many forms, and each can affect how you pursue your financial goals. The key to dealing with investment risk is learning how to manage it. This three-step process will show you...

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Focus on Fundamentals: Asset Allocation

The way you divide your investment dollars among stock, bond, and money market investments is known as asset allocation. 

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Women: Make a Financial Plan -- the Secret of Your Success

Financial planning is more than just a good idea. Research has consistently shown that people who have financial plans -- and who work with financial advisors -- save and invest far more and are nearly...

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Brush Up on Your IRA Facts

If you are opening an IRA for the first time or need a refresher course on the specifics of IRA ownership, here are some facts for your consideration.

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Calculating Taxes on Mutual Funds

For mutual fund investors, earnings come from two sources: fund distributions -- dividends or capital gains -- and the sale of fund shares.1 Income from these sources may be taxable. Fund companies...

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Millennials: The "Slow and Steady" Generation of Investors

With some $30 trillion poised to change hands over the next several decades from parents and grandparents to so-called Millennials -- those 90-million-plus Americans aged 18 to 33 -- the financial...

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Of Market Bubbles and Busts: Learn to Spot Trouble in the Making

Recent stock market conditions in China present a classic illustration of the boom/bust cycle that periodically disrupts financial markets. While bubbles and subsequent busts occur in the investment...

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Making the Grade: Test Your Knowledge of Key College Planning Facts

The latest report on college costs published by the College Board brought some good news: The increases in tuition and fees for the 2014-2015 academic year were lower than the average annual increases...

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Same Sex Marriage Ruling Raises New Tax Issues

In a move that reinforces the rapid shift in public sentiment regarding same-sex unions, the Supreme Court ruled earlier this year that all marriages -- and "the constellation of benefits" that are...

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When Changing Jobs, It Pays to Keep Track of Your 401(k)

Americans are on the move, not only in their leisure pursuits, but in their jobs as well. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 38% of U.S. workers change jobs every year. If your...

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Coping With Market Volatility

Global market volatility ramped up last summer as worries about the tenuous state of the Chinese economy shook virtually all major financial benchmarks, indicating once again how interrelated the...

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When More Risk Equals Less Risk

If I asked you to name the most risky asset class, which would you pick? Emerging markets1 Commodities2 High-yield bonds3

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Large-Cap Stocks: Why They Could Be a Building Block for Your Portfolio

Stocks and stock mutual funds are often grouped according to size, or "market cap," a term that represents the total dollar value of a company's shares.1 Market cap is calculated by multiplying a...

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Should You "Fix" Variable Rate Debt?

While investors are keeping a close watch on the Federal Reserve for indications of when it will start raising interest rates, the consensus among economists is that it will begin its credit-tightening...

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Searching for Yield in Today's Market

Income-oriented investors have had a tough go of it for the past several years. Persistently low interest rates have curtailed traditional sources of yield. Yet, by broadening their search criteria,...

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Common Estate Planning Mistakes -- and How to Avoid Them

Estate planning can be a minefield of potential missteps, some of which could have far-reaching consequences. Many of the poor choices individuals make when planning for their own future or passing...

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50 Must-Know Statistics About Long-Term Care

Perhaps you've bitten the bullet and purchased long-term care insurance, or decided to pay out of pocket for long-term care. Or, if you're like many people, what to do about long-term care is just a...

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Financial Planning Tips for Singles

Living the single life no longer is an anomaly: According to the U.S. Census Bureau, nearly 40% of households nationwide are maintained by a single person.1 Being single affects many areas of financial...

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Do Alternative Asset Classes Belong in Your Portfolio?

Alternative investments are often defined not by what they are, but by what they are not. It is this quality that could make alternatives potentially valuable diversifiers when added to a portfolio of...

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How Might Rising Interest Rates Affect Your Stock Investments?

The Federal Reserve's actions can have a marked influence on the economy and financial markets. For instance, some market analysts believe that the Fed's massive, multi-year bond-buying program coupled...

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Home Equity Loans Versus Lines of Credit: What's the Difference?

Thinking of tapping the equity in your home to do a renovation, buy a second home, or consolidate debt? Before you decide which borrowing option is right for you, it's important to understand the main...

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Three Year-end Tax Reduction Tips

Even though April 15 now seems a distant deadline for filing your 2015 tax returns, in order to take advantage of some of the biggest tax reduction strategies, you have to act before the end of this...

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Get in the Habit -- Smart Investing Habits to Adopt This Year

Some of your New Year's resolutions may be to break a few of your bad habits and to take on some new, positive habits. If you'd like to improve your investing habits, setting up daily, monthly, and...

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The Charitable IRA Transfer: Permanent at Last

In December 2015, President Obama signed into law the "Protecting Americans From Tax Hikes Act of 2015." This new ruling made permanent many tax breaks that had been dubbed "extenders" as taxpayers...

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Turning the Page: five Things Baby Boomers Need to Know About RMDs

The times they are a changin' for baby boomers. The generation that lived through and influenced the revolution in the retirement industry is now poised to begin withdrawing money from their...

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Will Debt Hinder Your Retirement Outlook?

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...

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Own a Retirement Account? Keep Your Beneficiary Designations Up to Date

Many investors have taken advantage of pretax contributions to their company's employer-sponsored retirement plan and/or make annual contributions to an IRA. If you participate in a qualified plan...

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Income Inequality and Its Impact on Women's Retirement

Here are the facts. Generally speaking, women earn less than men, live longer than men, and often take time out of the workforce to have children and/or to care for an aging parent or sick loved one....

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Identity Theft and Taxes

Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in America affecting millions of unsuspecting individuals each year. A dishonest person who has your Social Security number can use it to obtain tax...

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What Can a Dollar Buy? Depends on Where You Live

You know that $25,000 car you've had your eye on? In just 10 years, it could cost almost $34,000, assuming prices rise by a mere 3% per year. That's the reality of inflation, which is commonly...

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10 Least Tax-Friendly States for Retirees 2016

Retirees have special concerns when evaluating state tax policies. For instance, the mortgage might be paid off, but how bad are the property taxes—and how generous are the property-tax breaks for...

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10 Things That Will Soon Disappear Forever

Ten years ago, thousands of Blockbuster Video stores occupied buildings all over the country, renting DVDs and selling popcorn. Today, all but a handful are closed. The company’s shares once traded for...

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12 Ways to Go Broke in Retirement

Retirement is a major milestone that brings many life changes. One thing that doesn't change for most people: the fear of running out of money. According to the Transamerica Center for Retirement...

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15 Things You Should Never Buy During the Holidays

The season of giving is also the season of getting. You're likely spending lots of money purchasing gifts for friends and loved ones during the holidays. But proceed with caution: There are a number of...

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9 IRS Audit Red Flags for Retirees

In 2015, the Internal Revenue Service audited only 0.84% of all individual tax returns. So the odds are generally pretty low that your return will be picked for review. That said, your chances of being...

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23 Tax Deductions You Can't Afford to Overlook

Years ago, the fellow running the IRS told Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine that he figured millions of taxpayers overpaid their taxes every year by overlooking just one of the money-saving tax...

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Turning 30 and Getting Serious About Finances

Throughout her 20s, Nancy Corwin dreaded the day she turned the big 3-0. Then the day finally came—and went. "And it was no big deal," said Nancy. "It was really sort of a letdown after all that...

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Tax Strategies for Retirees

Nothing in life is certain except death and taxes. —Benjamin Franklin. That saying still rings true roughly 300 years after the former statesman coined it. Yet, by formulating a tax-efficient...

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10 Worst States To Live In For Taxes

Lots of people fret about how much they have to pay Uncle Sam, but he’s not the only tax man you have to worry about: Your state can squeeze you for plenty of taxes, too. State income taxes or property...

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10 Kirkland Products You Should Buy at Costco

Years back, retailers got wise to the ways of store brands. You know the drill: Grocers stock their shelves with food items packaged just for them, from pasta sauces to pinto beans. For most, gone are...

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7 Habits of People With Excellent Credit Scores

Want to improve your credit score? Take a page from the best. People with excellent scores know that following a few basic rules is the key to success. Adopting their habits could boost your score into...

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Time-Tested Tactics to Build Your Wealth

We have doled out a lot of good advice over the 70 years we’ve been publishing Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine. So in many ways it was easy to come up with 70 ideas on how to create wealth. But...

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17 Red Flags for IRS Auditors

Ever wonder why some tax returns are eyeballed by the Internal Revenue Service while most are ignored? Short on personnel and funding, the IRS audited only 0.70% of all individual tax returns in 2016....

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15 Surprising Benefits of Amazon Prime

Many of us first signed up for Amazon Prime years ago to take advantage of free two-day shipping, and stayed with it as the giant online retailer edged the annual fee toward the triple-digit mark. But...

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10 Cheapest US Cities to Live In

When it comes to cheap living, don't mess with Texas. The Lone Star State is home to the two most-affordable cities in America. But Texas doesn't have a monopoly on low living costs. Five other states...

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Will White House Scandals Derail the Stock Market

Investors are wondering if the stock market’s Trump bump could morph into the Trump slump as questions continue to swirl around the White House regarding its Russia connections. It’s a high-stakes...

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10 Best Jobs for the Future

The U.S. job market is looking good. The unemployment rate is hovering below the 5% mark, as it has been for more than a year. But not every profession is booming. "In general, it’s a very robust labor...

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Oil Market’s Rally Loses Steam

Crude oil prices are treading water after the oil market rallied sharply last month. At about $47.50 per barrel, benchmark West Texas Intermediate is off slightly from a week ago because of lingering...

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Create a Contract for Family Care

Family caregiver contracts can range from informal to complex professional contracts drawn up by lawyers. Here's what you should know to decide what's best for you.

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What to Do After Inheriting an IRA

Heirs must begin taking withdrawals once they inherit an IRA, but how they choose to make those distributions can have a big impact on their account balance over time.

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