The projections are in and Wall Street analysts have pretty low expectations for how the stock market will perform this year. A roundup of the figures shows that strategists project the Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index will gain 4 percent on average in 2017 – the lowest expected annual gain for the stock market since 2005, according to an analysis by Bespoke Investment Group.
Category: Retirement
Top Oil Stocks to Buy in 2017
Between OPEC’s recent plans to decrease output by up to 1.2 million barrels per day, another nearly half-million barrels that some non-OPEC oil countries are set to cut, and a million-barrel drop in North American daily production since the peak in 2015, oil prices look poised to surge at some point in the next year or so. After all, global oil and refined product stocks won’t last forever, and while oil output has steadily fallen, consumption has increased.
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.
How to Save for Retirement in Your 40s
Many people wait until later in life to start saving for retirement. It gets complicated with kids and aging parents, but Gen X can find a winning strategy.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Retirement Annuity: Worth It?
Why buy a retirement annuity? For the income, of course. Consider your options carefully, though.
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.
Social Security in 2017: 12 Stats Everyone Should Know
You might not appreciate it yet, but Social Security is vital to most Americans. And it looks like it may be undergoing some big changes, as Republican lawmakers have proposed cuttingbenefits and increasing the retirement age to 69. Given all that, it’s more valuable than ever for you to know more about Social Security.
Fairfax Seeking $1 Billion in IPO for Africa Investments
Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd., the Canadian insurer that made its largest acquisition this week, is selling shares in an initial public offering for a fund that will make investments in Africa. The company is seeking to raise as much as $1 billion from the sale, people familiar with the matter said.
This Stock Could Turn a $10,000 Investment Into $1,000 in Future Annual Cash Flow
“The thing is, if you’re just oogling fat current dividend yields you are missing the more profitable boat. When it comes to dividend investing, the far smarter play is to zero in on companies that consistently increase their dividend payouts.”
5 Ways Your Retirement Can Easily Be Ruined
Nearly all Americans share one goal: they want to be able to hang up their work coat after many years in the labor force and know that they’re financially set for retirement. Unfortunately, this is a goal that’s being reached by a depressingly low number of Americans.
Boost Your Retirement Income With These 10 Tips
With fewer and fewer of us able to enjoy traditional pension income, it’s more important than ever that we plan for our future financial security and set ourselves up to receive sufficient income when we’re no longer working. Here are 10 ways you can boost your retirement income.
Ignorance Isn’t Bliss, As New Study Slams Americans On Lack Of Retirement Savings Knowledge
Across generations, U.S. workers just aren’t cutting it on retirement savings – and indifference, or even ignorance, is a big part of the problem. A new study out from Newark, N.J.-based Prudential Investments offers some tough love for U.S. retirement savers, many of whom are severely lacking in the financial acumen needed to save for a comfortable retirement.
Hedge Funds? Returns Don?t Impress Centrica Pension Fund
Centrica Plc’s pension pot is shunning hedge funds and boosting investment in real assets as it seeks to plug a 1.2 billion-pound funding hole. “My definition of hedge funds is where people seek to magic up returns out of nothing,” said Chetan Ghosh, chief investment officer of the company’s 7.3 billion-pound retirement funds.
15 Ways to Lower Your Taxes in 2017 — and Beyond
Paying taxes is necessary — after all, our government needs funding to provide things we need, such as schools, roads, courts, and so on. Still, there’s no need to pay more in taxes than you have to.
Forget Social Security Cuts: Here’s What Americans Fear Most in Retirement
We all know that Americans fear Social Security benefit cuts, and rightfully so: Social Security is currently on an unsustainable path that will lead to the Trust Fund’s being depleted by 2034, according to current estimates. That would lead to a 25% or so benefit cut for retirees to keep the program operating.
Americans’ 5 Big Fears About Retirement
If you’re among the millions of American workers worrying that retirement may fail to live up to your expectations, you’re not alone.A new study by Transamerica shows that American workers are wrestling with fearsinvolving financial security and health in retirement. If you have similar worries to the respondents to this survey,here are some ways to overcome them.
Time to Get a Reverse Mortgage in 2017?
Many seniors struggle financially in retirement. If you need a way to generate extra cash, you might be contemplating a reverse mortgage.
Motley Fool Answers Shares Its “Maintain, Don’t Gain” Holiday Tradition
On this episode of Motley Fool Answers , the cast turns their attention to investor health beyond retirement accounts and stock holdings. Instead, they welcome the Motley Fool’s chief wellness officer Sam Whiteside onto the show, as she shares some important tips with listeners on how to make healthier choices amid the many temptations that accompany the holiday season.
5 Year-End Tax Moves You Need to Make
Though you have until mid-April of 2017 to file your 2016 taxes, now’s the time to start thinking about what that return might look like. Whether you’re worried about owing taxes or want to increase your refund, here are a few moves to make before 2016 comes to a close.