Weekly Market Commentary

-Darren Leavitt, CFA US financial markets inked another week of gains as investors cheered what they heard from global central bankers at the Jackson Hole Economic Symposium. In fact, the bulk of the gains were made on Friday after Fed Chairman Jerome Powell...

7 Things to Know About Working While Getting Social Security

If you claim benefits early, income from work can reduce your monthly payments “Retirement” used to be synonymous with “not working.” Not anymore. More than a quarter of U.S. adults ages 65 to 74 are still in the workforce, according to the federal Bureau of Labor...

Weekly Market Commentary

-Darren Leavitt, CFA Markets reversed course last week as investors reassessed the economic narrative of a recession. Better-than-expected inflation data, alongside a robust reading of Retail Sales and a pullback on Initial Jobless Claims, tempered fears of a severe...

How Will the 2024 Election Impact Your Retirement?

Investors should expect volatility but also try not to overreact to news. To prepare, focus now on tax minimization, protecting your portfolio and more. In times of great change, it is only natural for people to wonder and worry. Without perspective, it morphs into...

Weekly Market Commentary

-Darren Leavitt, CFA Wow, what a week for global financial markets.  A rollercoaster ride for investors continued throughout the week as multiple narratives ricocheted off prior expectations.  Crowded trades coupled with weaker-than-expected economic data in the prior...

INHERITED ROTH IRAs AND NUA: TODAY’S SLOTT REPORT MALBAG

By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Question: Thank you for all of the wonderful information. I have a question as to how the July 18, 2024 final regulations impact inherited Roth IRAs. My daughters inherited Roths from their grandmother 3 years ago. She was age 101. They...

‘What Does Retirement Even Look Like?’

For older parents of adult children with disabilities, focus stays on caring for kids Jeanne Piorkowski looks forward to having more time in retirement to navigate the dense bureaucracy of forms, benefits and programs she can already rattle off like an expert. But she...

A PHILOSOPHICAL SLOTT REPORT ENTRY

By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst Trapped. For two nights in July, I slept on the floor at Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport – a victim of the mass Delta computer outage. Booking a hotel after midnight (when the final cancellation hit) was not worth the...

Weekly Market Commentary

-Darren Leavitt, CFA Last week, markets took a significant step back on weaker-than-expected labor data that challenged the idea of an economic soft landing. Mega Cap technology earnings continued to show massive cap-ex spend on AI; however, enthusiasm about...

NEW RMD REGS HAVE A SURPRISING RESULT FOR MINOR CHILD BENEFICIARIES

By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education In newly released final required minimum distribution (RMD) regulations, the IRS is doubling down on its position that annual RMDs are required for some beneficiaries during the SECURE Act’s 10-year payout period....

Rethinking Your “Bucket List” In Retirement

As folks approach retirement, they often start mentioning their “bucket list” more frequently. The bucket list is generally an itemized agenda of experiences or achievements that a person hopes to accomplish during their lifetime before they “kick the bucket” or die....

Weekly Market Commentary

-Darren Leavitt, CFA Financial markets traded mixed last week.  News on Sunday that President Biden had decided not to pursue reelection and endorse his Vice President Harris induced a reassessment of the political landscape.  However, the overall reaction in the...

HOW ARE ANNUAL RMDS IN THE 10-YEAR PERIOD CALCULATED?

By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst In the July 22, 2024 Slott Report, my colleague Sarah Brenner explained how the IRS, in its final SECURE Act required minimum distribution (RMD) regulations issued on July 18, did not budge on a controversial position it had taken in its...

REQUIREMENT DURING 10-YEAR RULE STANDS

By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education   On July 18, 2024, the IRS issued final required minimum distribution (RMD) regulations under the 2020 SECURE Act. The newly issued regulations fine-tune existing rules for trust beneficiaries and aggregation...

6 Steps to Tune Up Your Retirement Finances

Navigating retirement can be overwhelming given uncertainties like market volatility, inflation, life expectancy and the state of Social Security. Like having a mechanic give your car a periodic once-over, regularly reviewing your spending and saving can help keep...

Weekly Market Commentary

It was a very busy week on Wall Street as investors seemed inclined to rotate out of Mega-cap tech and into this year’s laggards.  A failed assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump last Saturday in Pennsylvania only bolstered his chances for reelection...