Few terms in personal finance are as important, or used as frequently, as “risk.” Nevertheless, few terms are as imprecisely defined. Generally, when financial advisors or the media talk about investment risk, their focus is on the historical price volatility of the asset or investment under discussion. Advisors label as …
Conventional wisdom says that what goes up, must come down. But even if you view market volatility as a normal occurrence, it can be tough to handle when it’s your money at stake. Though there’s no foolproof way to handle the ups and downs of the stock market, the following …
The rental car you’re driving while on vacation or a business trip is nice–you almost wish you could take it home with you. But what happens if you have an accident while you’re renting it? When you do go home, the last thing you want to take back with you …
What is it? Introduction Travel insurance refers to specialized coverage you can buy to insure yourself against various risks that travelers face. Travel insurance policies may protect you against one type of hazard (e.g., getting sick or having a trip canceled) or against a group of hazards. You can purchase …
The benefits of calculating compensation right the first time far outweigh the headache and costs of making corrections after your plan year has ended. That’s why it’s important that you understand the different types of compensation and how they are used to administer your plan. Compensation information is used for …
Social Security is a pay-as-you-go system, which means today’s workers are paying taxes for the benefits received by today’s retirees. However, demographic trends such as lower birth rates, higher retirement rates, and longer life spans are causing long-run fiscal challenges. There are simply not enough U.S. workers to support the …
Understanding the impact of service providers on retirement plan success. How do you define outstanding service for your business? You probably describe your specialized expertise, the value you deliver relative to the cost, and the quick response time and quality of your customer interactions. Do you hold your retirement plan …
The Markets (as of market close April 30, 2021) Last Monday saw small caps and tech shares drive the Russell 2000 and the Nasdaq higher. Investors may have drawn encouragement from strong, first-quarter corporate earnings reports, solid economic data, and the expectation that the Federal Reserve will maintain its accommodative …
July kicked off the third quarter with a bang as stocks surged throughout much of the month. Investors were encouraged by solid employment growth, a rise in personal income and consumer spending, a surge in the housing sector, and an increase in industrial production. All news was not positive, however. …
Different markets call for different approaches to managing your portfolio. Should an investor take a passive approach through a fund designed to mirror the changes in a market index as a whole or actively manage the portfolio with stocks chosen individually? It depends.Over roughly the last decade, passively managed index …