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Recently a client of my approximate vintage asked if he should start contributing to his employer’s Roth 401(k) rather than the traditional 401(k). Roth 401(k)s and Roth 403(b)s are retirement account options commonly offered by employers, such as the University of Kentucky. The difference is that you put after-tax dollars into a Roth rather than pre-tax dollars and, when you take a withdrawal in retirement, you won’t pay income tax on that amount. In other words, the earnings growth is tax-free. Cool, you say, gimme some of that. But, the real question is, which account option will produce the most money in the long run?

I have a faint memory of a family in our church when I was in middle school, probably, selling their house and all their possessions to buy a boat and sail around the world. I occasionally wonder what happened to them. Did they find happiness? Fulfillment? Adventure? Terror? Were the kids able to finish school? Are they, ahem, normal after such an experience?

I refer to those in their 40’s and early 50’s as the “financial sandwich generation.” Many are paying off student loan debt, possibly saving money for children’s education, maybe even helping aging parents – all while trying to save for their own retirement. Talk about a squeeze! Here is some advice to help put a little more jelly on that sandwich.

Now that we’ve passed the mid-year mark, many economists and self-declared financial pundits are reviewing investment performances of the first 6 months and predicting the next 6. The most frequent question seems to be whether we’re headed toward a bear market, followed by a recession. This, despite the fact the economy is strong with unemployment at historical lows and companies reporting earnings growth.

Most of our clients hire Moneywatch because they are consumed with their careers and busy with their families and they want us to plan for their financial independence and manage their investments to achieve that goal. And, for many, words like inverted yield curve and budget deficits make their eyes roll back in their head.  So, if the term zero term premium means you’ve had a bad semester, read here for what you need to know about your retirement investments if the market declines…or doesn’t. 

There’s a new movement, inspired by millennials, to supercharge one’s efforts to acquire enough money to retire early. And when I say early, I mean in their late 30’s and 40’s. This starts with a foundation with which we’re familiar: live beneath your means; save money; invest in a diversified portfolio of growth and income funds, etc. But, FIRE takes this a step further – actually an Evil Knievel jump further – and adds super saving through extreme steps to achieve an extraordinary goal. That goal is not to just retire early, like by age 55, but WAY early, when most of our careers are only just beginning. Here is how some are living their life. Is it for you?

I recently completed the IRS On-line Calculator and was surprised to find we are scheduled to owe tax in April because we are under-withholding. With the federal tax law changes, many middle-Americans will see their taxes decrease this year. When the IRS directed employers to change withholdings to the new tax brackets, however, many of us saw a bump in our paychecks in February. As a result, you may be under-withholding and would benefit from taking 15 minutes to check. Don’t worry, it’s surprisingly easy.

“Americans are reaching retirement age in worse financial shape than the prior generation for the first time since Harry Truman was president”, says a recent Wall Street Journal article. There are several causes but us Baby Boomers are the first generation left mostly without pensions and with the responsibility to manage our own retirement savings. So, as you can imagine, some have flourished, some have struggled and more than some aren’t quite sure how they’ve done because they’re scared to look. Where do you fall?

When Equifax allowed the Social Security numbers of 145 million people to fall into the hands of thieves last year, I froze my credit at the three major credit reporting agencies to help prevent someone from stealing my identity. It wasn’t difficult, it didn’t take long and it was very cheap. Here’s why and how I did it, and what it means.