July 28, 2013
Target-Date Funds Keep Retirement in Sight
At the end of 2011, more than half of all recently hired 401(k) participants owned target-date mutual funds. When a worker is auto-enrolled, a target-date fund is often the default…
June 28, 2013
HOT TOPIC: Putting Market Records in Perspective
On March 5, 2013, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at a record high of 14,253.77.¹ It took almost a month for the broader-based S&P 500 to follow suit, but…
June 28, 2013
Investing Without Borders
Gross domestic product (GDP) grew by a relatively stagnant 1.8% in 2011, ranking the United States 157th among the world’s countries. At the top of the list was Mongolia, with…
June 28, 2013
Save as Much as You Want — Tax Deferred
Thirty-eight percent of Americans lack confidence that they will have enough income and assets for a comfortable retirement.¹ This may not be surprising for those in lower income tax brackets,…
June 28, 2013
Disability Income Insurance
One might assume that most serious disabilities result from a sudden, unlucky accident. Surprisingly, 90% of all disability claims are for common health conditions such as cancer and back problems.¹…
June 28, 2013
Sandy Delivered Hard Knocks
Superstorm Sandy wreaked havoc along the East Coast in 2012, leaving behind an estimated $50 billion to $60 billion in insured and uninsured economic losses. It’s likely that more than…
June 28, 2013
Expanding a Student’s College Options
Would you be disappointed if your child or grandchild was not able to attend his or her “dream” college solely for financial reasons? If you aspire to help a student…
May 28, 2013
HOT TOPIC: What to Expect from Federal Budget Cuts
The Budget Control Act of 2011 mandated $1.2 trillion in automatic spending cuts, known as the sequester, if Congress failed to negotiate a more targeted deficit-reduction package. The blunt federal…
May 28, 2013
Fraud Never Sleeps
The Federal Trade Commission received over 1.8 million consumer complaints in 2011 (see graph). More than half of these were for various types of fraud. Despite improved consumer education and…