Approximately 78% of people who work for companies with fewer than 10 employees and about 65% of those who work for companies with 10 to 24 employees do not have access to a retirement plan at work.1 That’s unfortunate, because workers with a retirement plan are far more likely to save for retirement than those
The SECURE 2.0 Act, passed as part of an omnibus spending bill in December 2022, added new exceptions to the 10% federal income tax penalty for early withdrawals from tax-advantaged retirement accounts. The Act also expanded an existing exception that applies specifically to employer plans. These exceptions are often called 72(t) exceptions, because they are
There is no magic formula to determine how much you or your child should borrow for college. But how much is too much? Starting Salary Guideline One guideline is for students to borrow no more than their expected first-year starting salary after college, which, in turn, depends on their specific major and/or job prospects. But
The bulk of Social Security benefits go to retirees, but Social Security is much more than a retirement program. Most Americans are protected by the Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) program — the official name of Social Security — throughout their lives. Current Social Security Beneficiaries Source: Social Security Administration, 2023 At the Beginning
The U.S. stock market struggled in 2022, with the S&P 500 index ending the year down more 19.4%.1 The S&P 500, which includes stocks of large U.S. companies, is generally considered representative of the U.S. stock market as a whole, and it is a good benchmark for broad market performance. But there are thousands of
38% – Shelter’s contribution to the 12-month, 6.5% increase in consumer prices (through December 2022). Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2023 Fast-rising U.S. shelter costs — consisting of tenants’ rent and owners’ equivalent rent — were the top driver of inflation in 2022, but this may be a trend that has already shifted. Shelter costs
$180.4 billion – Additional tax revenue estimated over ten years (2022-2031) due to increased spending on tax enforcement activities by the IRS. Only a small fraction of these anticipated revenues would be collected from taxpayers with income below $400,000. Source: Congressional Budget Office, 2022 IRS audit rates for individual income tax returns have fallen since
The IRS warns that although scams are especially prevalent during tax season, they also take place throughout the year.1 As a result, it’s important to always be on the lookout for suspicious activity so that you don’t end up becoming the victim of a scam. One of the more common IRS scams involves phishing emails.
Tax filing season is here again. If you haven’t done so already, you’ll want to start pulling things together — that includes getting your hands on a copy of your 2021 tax return and gathering W-2s, 1099s, and deduction records. You’ll need these records whether you’re preparing your own return or paying someone else to
Stocks were relatively listless last week, with only the Russell 2000 posting a gain of 0.6%. The Nasdaq, the Dow, and the Global Dow fell between 0.2% and 0.4%, while the S&P 500 was nearly flat. Energy stocks were among the worst performing, with crude oil prices posting their poorest week in about a month.
