Investors pulled a record $3.5 billion in December from Jeffrey Gundlach’s DoubleLine Total Return Bond Fund, according to Bloomberg estimates, and its annual performance trailed the benchmark index for the first time. The $55.7 billion fund, which invests predominately in mortgage-backed securities, returned 2.2 percent in 2016, compared with 2.7 percent for the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate index.
Category: Personal Finance
Welltower Inc.’s Best Moves in 2016
However, it’s important to know that Welltower’s business is just fine. In fact, the company made some smart moves in 2016 that should ensure continued long-term success for investors.
Financial Trends: What’s In and What’s Out in 2017
Now that 2016 is over, you may be reflecting on what went well, and what didn’t. Were you unemployed? Did you carry some debt? Land a gig? Buy a new home? With unemployment at a nine-year low, jobs being created at an average of 180,000 per month, the economy growing at better than three percent in the most recent quarter and some signs of a pickup in inflation, it makes sense that we got an interest rate hike last month, and that we’ll get a few more in 2017.
Better Buy: Altria Group Inc vs. Verizon Communications Inc.
Let’s not beat around the bush: on the surface, this seems like a very odd pairing. Usually, in these “Better Buy” articles, we pit two companies against each other that are in the same field.
The 2 Main Changes to IRAs in 2017
There aren’t a huge number of changes to IRAs in 2017 that will affect most retirement savers. 2017 will see the same maximum contribution of $5,500 for those who are under age 50, while an additional $1,000 catch-up contribution will bring the total maximum to $6,500 for those who are 50 or older.
Ex-Deutsche Bank’s Jain to Join Cantor Fitzgerald as President
Anshu Jain, the former Deutsche Bank AG co-chief executive officer, is joining Cantor Fitzgerald LP as president, restarting his career at a much smaller firm after leaving Germany’s largest bank amid mounting legal and regulatory problems. Jain will help with the privately held firm’s expansion, according to a statement from the New York-based firm Monday.
Republicans’ Sweeping Social Security Reforms Could Be Just What the Program Needs
For many working Americans, Social Security is a program that’s probably out of sight and out of mind. For those on the doorstep of retirement or currently retired, Social Security is more likely than not a vital income source that helps them make ends meet.
Read This Before You Take Medicare Benefits
If you’re getting close to 65, chances are you’re going to enroll in Medicare. While it’s common knowledge that Medicare is the United States’ health insurance program for retirees, many people don’t fully understand certain things about Medicare, such as when to enroll, how much it costs, what all the “parts” of Medicare are, and more.
17 Financial New Year’s Resolutions for 2017
Happy New Year everyone! For those of you who stuck to your long-term game plan in 2016, you were handsomely rewarded. All three major U.S. stock indexes pushed to new all-time highs during the course of 2016, and the unemployment rate hit a more than nine-year low.
Social Security: 3 Crazy (but Effective!) Ways to Get More Benefits
Social Security is a vital way for retirees to make ends meet, and making the most of your Social Security benefits is critical. Plenty of conventional strategies exist that can help you boost your benefits, from delaying before applying for Social Security to making sure that you’ve maximized your earnings throughout your 35-year career.
Sorry, Baby Boomers: You’re Never Going to Retire
The oldest members of the baby boom generation have turned 70, and thousands more are reaching standard retirement age every day. Yet even as baby boomers approach their golden years, they’re doing so with an unprecedented level of pessimism about their financial future.
Saving a little extra makes a big difference to retirement
It’s a brand new year and a chance to do things right. As such, some resolutions tend to show up again and again on lists, such as save more, spend less and lose weight.
3 Frequently Asked Reverse Mortgage Questions
Home equity has served as a very important source of cash for millions of retirees over the generations. One method to access that money without having to sell the property is with a reverse mortgage — something that makes sense for a lot of older Americans who need extra money to make ends meet but also want to stay in their current home.
Republican Efforts to Reform Social Security Could Financially Cripple Most Seniors
Just how important is Social Security? According to the Social Security Administration , better than 6 in 10 seniors are currently reliant on their benefits to make up at least half of their monthly income. A recent poll from Gallup also found that more than 8 in 10 pre-retirees will rely, to some degree, on Social Security income during retirement.
7 Ways the GOP’s Proposed Social Security Changes Could Impact Your Pocketbook
House Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee Chairman Sam Johnson recently introduced legislation he says is a way to “save Social Security for generations to come.” Federal actuaries agree that the GOP proposal should make the Social Security trust fund solvent for 75 years.
As Economic Danger Looms, Will Entrepreneurs Come to the Rescue?
In what’s shaping up to be a tough year ahead, small-cap companies could bring the ‘animal spirits’ that the economy and investors need. America’s small companies are positioned to outperform their larger brethren and provide much-needed adrenaline to an economy that’s probably on course for a downturn.
10 Highest Dividend Yielding Stocks
One sound long-term investing strategy is to buy stocks that offer up high dividend yields.This strategy has become particularly enticing in today’s low interest rateenvironment, since it offers investors a chance to generate a lot of income from their portfolio. However, justbecausea stock offers up a high yield doesn’t make it an automatic buy, especially because sky-high yields are often accompanied by sky-high risks.
Medicare in 2017: 5 Numbers Everyone Should Know
When you decide to stop working, the odds are good that Medicare will be a critical part of your financial plan to cover your healthcare expenses. Medicare doesn’t cover all of your costs of staying healthy, but with most people becoming eligible for the program when they turn 65, joining the more than 56 million Americans who already get Medicare proves to be the best choice in most cases.
Can You Pass This Quiz on Social Security Benefits?
For many Americans, Social Security will be a vital source of income during retirement. The most recently released data from the Social Security Administration found that 61% of current beneficiaries rely on Social Security to provide at least half of their monthly income.
How to Sign Up for an E*TRADE Brokerage Account: A Step-by-Step Guide
Getting started in investing online can seem overwhelming. There are more than a few online brokerages to choose from, and each has its own online application to navigate.
Where Will HCP, Inc. Be in 10 Years?
The year started off quite turbulent, with dismal results from the company’s HCR ManorCare properties leading to a surprise loss, but recovered nicely as the company decided to spin off those and other troubled assets. What could be in store for HCP investors in the coming decade? Unfortunately, we don’t have a crystal ball that can predict investment performance.
These 3 Stocks Just Raised Their Dividends
Unlike many others, income investors will probably remember 2016 fondly. After all, the year was stuffed full of dividend raises.
Set a Time Frame for Your Financial Goals
It’s almost the end of another year — a good time to reflect on the accomplishments of the previous months and start setting goals for the new year, including financial ones. To be successful, it’s important to know the “when” of your financial goals.
Wall Street’s Trump Bonanza Won’t Avert Job Cuts at Banks in ’17
Bank stocks are on a tear after Donald Trump’s victory drove up expectations for the industry’s profits. Here’s the catch for many people working there: Holding onto their jobs won’t be any easier.
Gold and Silver Stocks Surge Higher, but Can This Relief Rally Last?
Up until August, precious metals like gold and silver were the stars of 2016. In many instances, you could have thrown a dart and picked a gold or silver miner that had at least doubled in value this year.
Why Silver Wheaton, Endologix, and PHH Corp. Jumped Today
The stock market continued its slow trudge lower on Thursday, adding to its losses for the week as investors seemed content with the double-digit percentage gains that most major market benchmarks have posted for 2016. The Dow fell slightly, widening the gap between its closing level and the 20,000 mark to nearly 200 points, and the S&P 500 and Nasdaq also fell tiny fractions of a percentage point.
How Tax-Savvy Are You? Find Out Here
You’re probably not as tax-savvy as you think you are or want to be. That’s not surprising, though, because our tax code is ridiculously massive and complex.
Keep an Eye on Tax Rates When Adding Income
More income is generally a very good thing, but some of the impact of a higher income can be blunted by a higher tax rate. Fortunately, there are sensible steps you can take to make sure you’re taking full advantage of that new money.
2 High-Yield Dividend Stocks You Definitely Want to Consider
With the Dow Jones Industrial Average flirting with the 20,000 mark and the S&P 500 up by 8% over the last two months alone, stocks may seem to be getting expensive. While there’s no way to accurately time the market, and stocks could continue to climb from here, I’d like to focus on two high-income stocks that look like bargains right now.
Retirement Annuity: Worth It?
Why buy a retirement annuity? For the income, of course. Consider your options carefully, though.
Hedge Fund Agonistes: Not Even Donald Trump Can Ease the Pain
Drinks flowed as hedge fund titan Robert Mercer, dressed as Mandrake the Magician, partied with Donald Trump, dressed as, well, Donald Trump. The occasion that early December evening was Mercer’s 2016 holiday costume party, an intimate gathering of 250 at his Long Island estate.
Britons Hoard Cash as Economic Uncertainties Prompt Caution
Britons are holding onto their cash in a sign that they may be hunkering down in the face of economic uncertainties, according to the British Bankers Association. Personal deposits grew an annual 4.8 percent in November, data compiled by the BBA show.
Mortgage Rates Today, Wednesday, Dec. 28: Slight Decreases;…
Thirty-year and 15-year fixed rates reversed course from yesterday and fell slightly, while 5/1 ARM rates notched up again Wednesday, according to a NerdWallet survey of mortgage rates published by national lenders this morning. November saw newly built, single-family home sales rise by 5.2 percent, according to data released last week by the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Census Bureau.
Go for Banks That Grow Their Book Value at a High Rate
We might as well close out the year with the sector we talked about the most during 2016. Yesterday I looked at those banks that have rewarded shareholders with consistent dividends and buybacks.
U.K. House Prices May Barely Rise as Brexit Weighs on Economy
U.K. house prices may only eke out a modest gain next year as economic growth weakens and a pickup in inflation squeezes consumers, according to Halifax. The mortgage lender sees housing demand easing in 2017, partly as tax changes and stricter underwriting standards restrict buy-to-let investment.
TSP Contribution Limits in 2017
The Thrift Savings Plan, or TSP, is the defined contribution retirement plan offered to U.S. civil service employees and retirees, as well as members of the uniformed services. With nearly five million participants, the TSP is one of the most popular retirement programs in America.
2 Dividend Stocks That Are Too Unsafe
To sidestep that imminent sell-off, investors should be very choosy with their dividend plays next year. Dividend stocks with poor earnings growth, unsustainable payout ratios, or inconsistent dividend hikes should be avoided at all costs.
New FHA Loan Limits May Help You Buy a Home
Just before Thanksgiving, the Federal Housing Finance Agency released the conforming loan limits change for 2017. This change resulted in higher loan limits beginning in January for many counties across the country.
3 Tax Scams to Watch Out For in 2017
Tax season is right around the corner and, unfortunately, a surge in tax scams is likely to come with it. Tax scams can take many different forms, but most tax scams fall under three major categories: fraudulent returns, phone scams, and phishing.
3 Tax Deductions That Could Save You Big Bucks in 2017
Tax time is approaching, and you deserve every tax break you can get in order to pay less to Uncle Sam. Fortunately, there are some huge opportunities to take advantage of tax provisions that are designed to help save you money.