Integras Insights
Insightful, Curated Articles to Help You Make Sound Financial Decisions
FAFSA Changes for the 2024-2025 School Year
Changes to the FAFSA form and the formula for determining a family’s need for aid are changing, effective for the 2024-2025 school year. While all the changes are beyond the scope of this post, here we highlight two from a financial planning perspective. Parent...
Where are the Opportunities in Today’s Markets?
Bullish sentiment ran out of steam during Q3 2023. In a previous blog we discussed the primary culprit for that. All that said, we are now in the final quarter of the year.
Will Rising Interest Rates Cause a Recession?
August, September, and October are historically the worst three months for market performance and 2023 was no different. Everything but cash, oil and short-term treasuries had negative 3rd quarter returns. The S&P 500 lost 3.25%, small caps fell 5%, international markets dropped 3.5%, and long-term treasuries lost an astounding 8%.
Why Target Date Funds May Miss the Mark
Most 401(k) and other retirement plans now offer Target Date Funds (TDFs), which are intended to align investment risk with your anticipated retirement date. They have become increasingly popular for a few good reasons but are rarely the best solution once your accounts achieve some size.
We want to help keep you retired! How do we do that?
We want to help keep you retired! How do we do that?
Should I Opt-Out or Take the Company Pension?
Do I want to rely on the company’s future financial strength? How long will I live? What will inflation do to my pension income over time? What happens if I die? Should I take a lower amount to protect my spouse? What happens if they die? Do I have a choice to take a lump sum and control how and when I spend the money?
Do You Still Have Money in a Previous Employer’s 401(k) Plan?
If you reached age 55 in your last year with the company, you’re eligible to access funds without early withdrawal penalties. Consider leaving an amount you might need to withdraw before age 59 ½, which is the penalty-free age for IRA’s.
Gift Mandated Retirement Distributions Tax-Free
Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) take effect the year an IRA owner turns 73, so the government can start collecting taxes. This is payback for making tax-deductible retirement contributions while working. A few years ago, Congress enabled retirees to give any...
You Can Have Peace of Mind about Your Retirement
In an ongoing University of Michigan survey, older Americans recently expressed less confidence about having a comfortable retirement.[1] Inflation is the likely driver of this worry (both inflation itself and the affect it has had on the stock market). To top...
Finding Value in Overlooked Sectors
The big question for investors now is where to be invested going forward. With the overall market trading at 20x earnings and first half gains concentrated into only a select few stocks, most of the market has been left behind. With the valuations of the high-fliers...
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